A Very Kelly July Quotes Post (#15)
Kevin Kelly, Kevin Kelly, Kevin Kelly, Kevin Kelly, and Kevin Kelly
I recently read Excellent Advice for Living, a book of aphorisms by writer, photographer, and former Wired executive editor, Kevin Kelly. It’s a perfect book for a coffee or bedside table—full of delightful insight, easily consumed in snippets or any order you desire. As I was reading, I highlighted so many pieces of advice that I decided to make them a quotes post unto themselves. (I should note, as Kelly does in his introduction, that many of these are just his own spin on familiar pearls of wisdom.)
Being enthusiastic is worth 25 IQ points. -Kevin Kelly
A great way to understand yourself is to seriously reflect on everything you find irritating in others. -Kevin Kelly
“No” is an acceptable answer even without a reason. -Kevin Kelly
Show me your calendar and I will tell you your priorities. Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you where you’re going. -Kevin Kelly
When someone tells you something is wrong, they’re usually right. When they tell you how to fix it, they’re usually wrong. -Kevin Kelly
Money is overrated. Truly new things rarely need an abundance of money. If that was so, billionaires would have a monopoly on inventing new things, and they don’t. Instead, almost all breakthroughs are made by those who lack money. If breakthroughs could be bought, then the rich would buy them. Instead, passion, persistence, belief, and ingenuity are required to invent new things—qualities the poor and young often have in abundance. Stay hungry. -Kevin Kelly
If you can’t tell what you desperately need, it’s probably sleep. -Kevin Kelly
If your goal does not have a schedule, it is a dream. -Kevin Kelly
Three things you need: the ability to not give up something till it works; the ability to give up something that does not work; and the trust in other people to help you distinguish between the two. -Kevin Kelly
90% of everything is crap. If you think you don’t like opera, romance novels, TikTok, country music, vegan food, NFTs, keep trying to see if you can find the 10% that is not crap. -Kevin Kelly
For every good thing you love, ask yourself what your proper dose is. -Kevin Kelly
Don’t attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence. -Kevin Kelly
When you keep people waiting, they begin to think of all your flaws. -Kevin Kelly
Art before laundry. -Kevin Kelly
Life lessons will be presented to you in the order they are needed. Everything you need to master the lesson is within you. Once you have truly learned a lesson, you will be presented with the next one. If you are alive, that means you still have lessons to learn. -Kevin Kelly