The Quotation IndexThe trusted reference for quotations and the sources behind them
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Remember too that your time is your one finite resource, and when you say yes to one thing you are inevitably saying no to another.
Andrew S. Grove High Output Management · 1983

Quotes

“Don’t think to hunt two hares with one dog.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“There’s a simple rule: fish where the fish are.”

Charlie Munger · Daily Journal Corporation Annual Meeting, 2020 · Primary source

“Put all your eggs in the one basket and—watch that basket!”

Mark Twain · The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson, 1894 · Primary source

“You will never reach your destination if you stop to shy [throw] stones at every dog that barks.”

Winston Churchill · Shy a stone at every dog, 1923 · Primary source

“If you fail at the large things it means you have not large ambitions. Concentration, focus—that is all. The aptitudes come, the tools forge themselves. ‘Give me a fulcrum and I will move the world’—but only if the desire to move the world is there.”

Ian Fleming · Dr. No, 1958 · Primary source

“All the greatest men are maniacs. They are possessed by a mania which drives them forward towards their goal. The great scientists, the philosophers, the religious leaders—all maniacs. What else but a blind singleness of purpose could have given focus to their genius, would have kept them in the groove of their purpose? Mania, my dear Mister Bond, is as priceless as genius. Dissipation of energy, fragmentation of vision, loss of momentum, the lack of follow-through—these are the vices of the herd.”

Ian Fleming · Dr. No, 1958 · Primary source

“Concentration is the secret of strength in politics, in war, in trade, in short, in all management of human affairs.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Power, 1860 · Primary source

“Take a simple idea and take it seriously.”

Charlie Munger · Poor Charlie’s Almanack, 2005 · Primary source

“Turn up your nose at good ideas. You must work on great ideas, not good ones.”

Alan Kay · Alan Kay’s talk at Creative Think seminar, 1982 · Secondary source

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Decision-making 35 Simplicity 35 Persistence 19 Ambition 17 Execution 13 Criticism 10 Time management 8 Priorities 8 Trade-offs 7 Risk management 7 Prioritisation 6 Concentration 6 Capability 6 Competitive advantage 6 Resource allocation 6 Determination 5 Conviction 5 Genius 4 Management 3 Strategy 3 Effectiveness 3 Clear thinking 3 High standards 3 Distraction 2 Obsession 2 Opportunity selection 2 Divided attention 1 Limited resources 1 Single-mindedness 1 Market positioning 1 Selectivity 1 Creative ambition 1 Vigilance 1