Here is a collection of the best Tim Ferriss quotes.
Let’s dive right in.
Table of Contents
Tim Ferriss quotes about books
American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss talks about books with these inspiring quotes.
“I gauge success in years, not weeks. The weekend box-office approach to book launches is short-sighted and encourages crappy books.” – Tim Ferriss
“The reason I was successful in launching my first book with bloggers is this: I assumed that I should spend as much time on a blogger with a million-person readership as I would pitching an editor of a publication with a million person subscription-base.” – Tim Ferriss
“The book is first and foremost something I made for myself.” – Tim Ferriss
“The truth is that since the first book, I have wanted to emulate Benjamin Franklin and put together a healthy, wealthy and wise trilogy and so healthy was ‘The 4-Hour Body,’ wealthy was ‘The 4-Hour Workweek’ and then wise is ‘The 4-Hour Chef.’” – Tim Ferriss
“Changing the world doesn’t require much money. Again, think in terms of empowerment and not charity. How much were Gandhi’s teachers paid? How much did it cost to give Dr. Martin Luther King the books that catalyzed his mind and actions?” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss quotes about dreams
Here are some quotes about dreams from American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss.
“For all of the most important things, the timing always sucks. Waiting for a good time to quit your job? The stars will never align and the traffic lights of life will never all be green at the same time. The universe doesn’t conspire against you, but it doesn’t go out of its way to line up the pins either. Conditions are never perfect. “Someday” is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you. Pro and con lists are just as bad. If it’s important to you and you want to do it “eventually,” just do it and correct the course along the way.” – Tim Ferriss
“For all their bitching about what’s holding them back, most people have a lot of trouble coming up with the defined dreams they’re being held from.” – Tim Ferriss
“I’m prepared to do battle for a dream that is worth dreaming.” – Tim Ferriss
“Dreamlining is so named because it applies timelines to what most would consider dreams.” – Tim Ferriss
“Someday is a dis-ease that will take your dreams to the grave with you.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss quotes about decisions
American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss talks about the importance of decisions with these quotes.
“For the employee, the goal is to have full access to necessary information and as much independent decision-making ability as possible. For the entrepreneur, the goal is to grant as much information and independent decision-making ability to employees or contractors as possible.” – Tim Ferriss
“If only I had more money is the easiest way to postpone the intense self-examination and decision-making necessary to create a life of enjoyment – now and not later.” – Tim Ferriss
“Just because you are embarrassed to admit that you’re still living the consequences of bad decisions made 5, 10, 20 years ago shouldn’t stop you from making good decisions now. If you let pride stop you, you will hate life 5, 10, and 20 years from now for the same reasons.” – Tim Ferriss
“To have an uncommon lifestyle, you need to develop the uncommon habit of making decisions, both for yourself and others.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss quotes about competition
American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss inspires us with these quotes about competition.
“Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.” – Tim Ferriss
“A recession is very bad for publicly traded companies, but it’s the best time for startups. When you have massive layoffs, there’s more competition for available jobs, which means that an entrepreneur can hire freelancers at a lower cost.” – Tim Ferriss
“It’s lonely at the top. Ninety-nine percent of people in the world are convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for the mediocre. The level of competition is thus fiercest for “realistic” goals, paradoxically making them the most time-consuming and energy-consuming. It is easier to raise $10,000,000 than it is $1,000,000. It is easier to pick up the one perfect 10 in the bar than the five 8s.” – Tim Ferriss
“The fishing is best where the fewest go. There is just less competition for bigger goals.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss quotes about criticism
Here are some motivating quotes about criticism from American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss.
“People who avoid all criticism fail. It’s destructive criticism we need to avoid, not a criticism in all forms.” – Tim Ferriss
“If someone’s criticism is completely unfounded on data, then I don’t want to hear it. It doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.” – Tim Ferriss
“Online I see people committing ‘social media suicide’ all the time in one of two ways. Firstly by responding to all criticism, meaning you’re never going to find time to complete important milestones of your own, and by responding to things that don’t warrant a response. This lends more credibility by driving traffic.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss quotes about fear
American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss teaches us about fear.
“If the challenge we face doesn’t scare us, then it’s probably not that important.” – Tim Ferriss
“Fear is your friend. It is an indicator. Sometimes it shows you what you shouldn’t do, more often than not it shows you what you should do.” – Tim Ferriss
“Resolve to do one thing every day that you fear.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss quotes about excuses
American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss gives some advice about having an excuse.
“I’m not a big believer in long-term planning and far-off goals. I generally set 3-month and 6-month dream lines. The variables change too much and in-the-future distance becomes an excuse for postponing action.” – Tim Ferriss
“Never check email first thing in the morning. Instead, complete your most important task before 11:00 A.M. to avoid using lunch or reading email as a postponement excuse.” – Tim Ferriss
“People are fond of using it’s not what you know, it’s who you know as an excuse for inaction as if all successful people are born with powerful friends. Nonsense.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss quotes about failing
American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss talks about failures with these quotes.
“People frequently fail when they try to do everything at once. They approach a massive project and quickly get discouraged. Taking small, but high-value steps take less time, and you learn more in the long run.” – Tim Ferriss
“When you try to do something big it’s hard to fail.” – Tim Ferriss
“Awareness, even at a subconscious level, beats fancy checklists without it, track or you will fail.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss quotes about focus
I will share with you some of Tim Ferriss’ motivating quotes about focus.
“Being selective-doing less-is the path of the productive. Focus on the important few and ignore the rest.” – Tim Ferriss
“Focus on being productive instead of busy.” – Tim Ferriss
“Lacking an external focus, the mind turns inward on itself and creates problems to solve, even if the problems are undefined or unimportant. If you find a focus, an ambitious goal that seems impossible and forces you to grow, these doubts disappear.” – Tim Ferriss
“As far as income goes, there are three currencies in the world; most people ignore two. The three currencies are time, income, and mobility, in descending order of importance. Most people focus exclusively on income.” – Tim Ferriss
“It is far more lucrative and fun to leverage your strengths instead of attempting to fix all the chinks in your armor. The choice is between multiplication of results using strengths or incremental improvement fixing weaknesses that will, at best, become mediocre. Focus on better use of your best weapons instead of constant repair.” – Tim Ferriss
“At least three times per day at scheduled times, he had to ask himself the following question: Am I being productive or just active? Charney captured the essence of this with less-abstract wording: Am I inventing things to do to avoid the important? He eliminated all of the activities he used as crutches and began to focus on demonstrating results instead of showing dedication. Dedication is often just meaningless work in disguise. Be ruthless and cut the fat.” – Tim Ferriss
“Focus on impact, not approval. If you believe you can change the world, which I hope you do, do what you believe is right and expect resistance and expect attackers. Keep calm and carry on!” – Tim Ferriss
“Avoid results-by volume approach, instead focus on a few critically important but uncomfortable actions.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss quotes about goals
Here are some amazing quotes from Tim Ferris about your goals.
“Effectiveness is doing the things that get you closer to your goals. Efficiency is performing a given task (whether important or not) in the most economical manner possible. Being efficient without regard to effectiveness is the default mode of the universe.” – Tim Ferriss
“The question you should be asking isn’t, “What do I want?” or “What are my goals?” but “What would excite me?” – Tim Ferriss
“The goal is not to simply eliminate the bad, which does nothing more than leave you with a vacuum, but to pursue and experience the best in the world.” – Tim Ferriss
“Excitement is the more practical synonym for happiness, and it is precisely what you should strive to chase. It is the cure-all. When people suggest you follow your “passion” or your “bliss,” I propose that they are referring to the same singular concept: excitement. This brings us full circle. The question you should be asking isn’t, ‘What do I want?’ or ‘What are my goals?’, but ‘What would excite me?’” – Tim Ferriss
“A goal without real consequences is wishful thinking. Good follow-through doesn’t depend on the right intentions. It depends on the right incentives.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss quotes about insecurity
American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss can understand your insecurities with these quotes.
“If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is, too.” – Tim Ferriss
“The fishing is best where the fewest go and the collective insecurity of the world makes it easy for people to hit home runs while everyone is aiming for base hits.” – Tim Ferriss
“Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss inspirational quotes
Here is my collection of inspiring quotes from American businessman, podcaster and book author Tim Ferriss.
“What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” – Tim Ferriss
“That’s precisely the question everyone should be asking why the hell not? – Why not you, why not now.” – Tim Ferriss
“I’ll repeat something you might consider tattooing on your forehead: What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” – Tim Ferriss
“One can steal ideas, but no one can steal execution or passion.” – Tim Ferriss
“Tomorrow becomes never. No matter how small the task, take the first step now!” – Tim Ferriss
“Most people are good at a handful of things and utterly miserable at most.” – Tim Ferriss
“Learn to be difficult when it counts. In school as in life, having a reputation for being assertive will help you receive preferential treatment without having to beg or fight for it every time.” – Tim Ferriss
“Most people are fast to stop you before you get started but hesitate to get in the way if you’re moving.” – Tim Ferriss
“$1,000,000 in the bank isn’t the fantasy. The fantasy is the lifestyle of complete freedom it supposedly allows.” – Tim Ferriss
“It is predicated on the assumption that you dislike what you are doing during the most physically capable years of your life. This is a nonstarter—nothing can justify that sacrifice.” – Tim Ferriss
“Remember—boredom is the enemy, not some abstract failure.” – Tim Ferriss
“Alternating periods of activity and rest is necessary to survive, let alone thrive. Capacity, interest, and mental endurance all wax and wane. Plan accordingly.” – Tim Ferriss
“The opposite of love is indifference, and the opposite of happiness is boredom.” – Tim Ferriss
“People are smarter than you think. Give them a chance to prove themselves.” – Tim Ferriss
“Information is useless if it is not applied to something important or if you will forget it before you have a chance to apply it.” – Tim Ferriss
“To enjoy life, you don’t need fancy nonsense, but you do need to control your time and realize that most things just aren’t as serious as you make them out to be.” – Tim Ferriss
“Many a false step was made by standing still.” – Tim Ferriss
“The golden years become lower-middle-class life revisited. That’s a bittersweet ending.” – Tim Ferriss
“By working only when you are most effective, life is both more productive and more enjoyable. It’s the perfect example of having your cake and eating it, too.” – Tim Ferriss
“The bottom line is that you only have the rights you fight for.” – Tim Ferriss
“Becoming a member of the NR is not just about working smarter. It’s about building a system to replace yourself.” – Tim Ferriss
“If you spend your time, worth $20-25 per hour, doing something that someone else will do for $10 per hour, it’s simply a poor use of resources.” – Tim Ferriss
“Uncertainty and the prospect of failure can be very scary noises in the shadows. Most people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss Quotes About Life
American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss teaches us the reality in life.
“Reality is negotiable.” – Tim Ferriss
“A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.” – Tim Ferriss
“Doing the unrealistic is easier than doing the realistic.” – Tim Ferriss
“Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference.” – Tim Ferriss
“Life is too short to be small.” – Tim Ferriss
“People will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss Quotes About Marketing
Here are some helpful quotes about marketing from American investor and author Tim Ferriss.
“To make a bestseller, there are more customers than just your customers: Selling to the end-user is just one piece of the puzzle. In my case, I needed to first sell myself to the publisher to get marketing support and national retail distribution.” – Tim Ferriss
“Think big and don’t listen to people who tell you it can’t be done. Life’s too short to think small.” – Tim Ferriss
“I always point people to the article ‘1,000 True Fans’ by Kevin Kelly. If you choose your thousand ideal customers or readers properly and find the single author blog that targets that audience, you never have to do any more marketing. You’re done. That is a lesson that very few product developers and marketers have learned, and it’s unfortunate.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss Motivational Quotes
Tim Ferriss shares the best motivational quotes that can help you in many ways.
“It isn’t enough to think outside the box. Thinking is passive. Get used to acting outside the box.” – Tim Ferriss
“The most important actions are never comfortable.” – Tim Ferriss
“Slowing down doesn’t mean accomplishing less; it means cutting out counterproductive distractions and the perception of being rushed.” – Tim Ferriss
“Most people can do awe-inspiring things. Sometimes they just need a little nudge.” – Tim Ferriss
“Lack of time is a lack of priorities.” – Tim Ferriss
“Three ingredients of luxury lifestyle design are time, income, and mobility.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss Quotes About Productivity
Here are some motivating quotes about productivity from American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss.
“Focus on being productive instead of busy.” – Tim Ferriss
“There are two synergistic approaches for increasing productivity that are inversions of each other: 1. Limit tasks to the important to shorten work time (80/20). 2. Shorten work time to limit tasks to the important (Parkinson’s Law). The best solution is to use both together: Identify the few critical tasks that contribute most to income and schedule them with very short and clear deadlines.” – Tim Ferriss
“There is always more information than attention.” – Tim Ferriss
“The way we measure productivity is flawed. People checking their BlackBerry over dinner is not the measure of productivity.” – Tim Ferriss
“I do not equate productivity to happiness. For most people, happiness in life is a massive amount of achievement plus a massive amount of appreciation. And you need both of those things.” – Tim Ferriss
“Doing less is not being lazy. Don’t give in to a culture that values personal sacrifice over personal productivity.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss Quotes About Quitting
American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss tells us what it means to quit.
“The descent method you follow is better than the perfect method you quit.” – Tim Ferriss
“The problem with New Year’s resolutions – and resolutions to ‘get in better shape’ in general, which are very amorphous – is that people try to adopt too many behavioral changes at once. It doesn’t work. I don’t care if you’re a world-class CEO – you’ll quit.” – Tim Ferriss
“Being able to quit things that don’t work is integral to being a winner.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss Quotes About Work
American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss shares his insight about work with these amazing quotes.
“Do not expect work to fill a void that non-work relationships and activities should Work is not all of life. Your co-workers shouldn’t be your only friends. Schedule life and defend it just as you would an important business meeting. Never tell yourself, ‘I’ll just get it done this weekend.’” – Tim Ferriss
“Don’t suffer fools or you’ll become one.” – Tim Ferriss
“To do the impossible, you need to ignore the popular.” – Tim Ferriss
“What you do is infinitely more important than how you do it.” – Tim Ferriss
“I now aim for one month of overseas relocation or high-intensity learning (tango, fighting, whatever) for every two months of work projects.” – Tim Ferriss
“Fun things happen when you earn dollars, live on pesos, and compensate in rupees.” – Tim Ferriss
“Compile your to-do list for tomorrow no later than this evening.” – Tim Ferriss
“The benefits of becoming fluent in a foreign tongue are as underestimated as the difficulty is overestimated. Thousands of theoretical linguists will disagree, but I know from research and personal experimentation with more than a dozen languages that (1) adults can learn languages much faster than children when constant 9-5 work is removed and that (2) it is possible to become conversationally fluent in any language in six months or less. At four hours per day, six months can be whittled down to less than three months.” – Tim Ferriss
“Emphasize strengths, don’t fix weaknesses.” – Tim Ferriss
“Learn to ask, “If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?” – Tim Ferriss
“Just a few words on time management: forget all about it.” – Tim Ferriss
“I’ve seen the promised land, and there is good news. You can have it all.” – Tim Ferriss
“Most inputs are useless and time is wasted in proportion to the amount that is available.” – Tim Ferriss
“There is a direct correlation between an increased sphere of comfort and getting what you want.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss Quotes About Writing
Here are some quotes about writing from American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss.
“Writing is thought crystalized on a piece of paper, which can then be reviewed.” – Tim Ferriss
“Short, sweet, and to the point. Clear writing, and therefore clear commands, comes from clear thinking. Think simple.” – Tim Ferriss
“I do my best writing between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Almost every friend I have who is a consistently productive writer does their best writing between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. My quota is two crappy pages per day. I keep it low so I’m not so intimidated that I never get started. I will do the gathering of interviews and research throughout the day. I’ll get all my notes and materials together and then I’ll do the synthesis between 10 p.m. to bed, which is usually 4 or 5 a.m.” – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss Quotes About Stress
Here are some of the most inspiring quotes regarding stress from American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss.
“Role models who push us to exceed our limits, physical training that removes our spare tires, and risks that expand our sphere of comfortable action are all examples of eustress—stress that is healthful and the stimulus for growth.” – Tim Ferriss
“People do think they have to choose between high stress and high reward jobs, and low stress and low reward jobs.” – Tim Ferriss
“Unbeknownst to most fun-loving bipeds, not all stress is bad. Indeed, the New Rich don’t aim to eliminate all stress. Not in the least.” – Tim Ferriss
FAQs | Motivational Tim Ferriss Quotes
Here are some frequently asked questions about Tim Ferriss quotes.
Who is Tim Ferriss?
Tim Ferriss is an American author, entrepreneur, and podcast host.
What is Tim Ferriss famous for?
Tim Ferriss is famous for being an author, entrepreneur, and podcast host known for his book The 4-Hour Workweek and his podcast The Tim Ferriss Show.
Which Of These Tim Ferriss Quotes Was Your Favorite?
I hope you enjoyed this epic list of the best inspirational Tim Ferriss quotes.
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