Clifford Cohen > Quotes

“When thinking about what to do next with your life, don’t ask yourself what you would succeed at, but what you would most enjoy failing at.”
― Clifford Cohen

“You are not a better or wiser person simply because you’ve ceased to care.”
― Clifford Cohen

“The tyrant’s formula for every genocide since the beginning of time: differentiate, divide, destroy.”
― Clifford Cohen

“Do first what you don’t want to do most.”
― Clifford Cohen

“In any career, there is a moment when you are no longer need to be pushed up from below, but rather pulled up from above. Know when that moment comes and adjust your strategy accordingly.”
― Clifford Cohen

“Feeling guilty is not a substitute for loving somebody; it only is an indicator that you have failed to love somebody.”
― Clifford Cohen

“Sometimes, if your opponent is determined to win the battle, let him win the wrong battle.”
― Clifford Cohen

“Don’t think for a moment that you’ve gotta be perfect to be paid.”
― Clifford Cohen

“The best advice I ever received came from my mother: “Do at least one fun thing every day.”
― Clifford Cohen

“If you think you’ve invented something, ask yourself three questions:

1) Has it been done before?
2) Why hasn’t it been done before?
3) Is it worth doing?

If your invention passes these three tests, you’re good to go.”
― Clifford Cohen

“Be careful not to think that just because you know what a person is going to say, you know what that person is going to do.

Be careful not to think that just because you know what a person is going to do to others, you know what that person is going to do (or not do) to you.”
― Clifford Cohen

“Don’t give unsolicited advice where solicitors are not welcome.”
― Clifford Cohen

“We live in an age of equivocal competency: if you want, you can be a competent dictator, a competent self-promoter, a competent terrorist. Just because you can do something well does not mean you should be doing it.”
― Clifford Cohen

“If someone says to you, “you’re a sight for sore eyes”—make sure it’s a compliment.”
― Clifford Cohen

“Spices are like colors: if you mix them all together you get a taste that is akin to the colors black, dark brown, or grey. But if you mix spices judiciously and sparingly—as you would mix yellow and blue to make green—you get a wholly unexpected and beautiful flavor.”
― Clifford Cohen

“A psychologist’s job (if it’s done well) is to get you to seriously laugh at yourself.”
― Clifford Cohen

“We live in an age where corporations are people and employees are not.”
― Clifford Cohen

“Happiness is not such an elusive thing to define: for most people, happiness is that state where you don’t want anything to change.”
― Clifford Cohen

“Don’t confuse naming something with knowing it.”
― Clifford Cohen

“Regarding war and peace—the seeds of each are planted in the other.”
― Clifford Cohen

“Don’t ask a yes or no question unless the person being asked can say no without hesitation.”
― Clifford Cohen

“Chronic problems tend to come from chronic habits.”
― Clifford Cohen

“Work towards a goal, but try not to visualize the successful result: if you don’t achieve success, you will be disappointed; if you do achieve success, you will already have experienced it in your mind’s eye.”
― Clifford Cohen

“When moving from one home to another watch out for losing dear (expensive) things. This is when people will steal from you.”
― Clifford Cohen

“His problem is that he doesn’t want anyone until he can have anyone he wants.”
― Clifford Cohen

“If you want to impress someone, simply make up a vocation and preface it with the words “molecular” or “theoretical” (as in “molecular biologist” or “theoretical physicist”). After you do this no one will question the veracity of anything you say—whether it is related to your putative vocation or not.”
― Clifford Cohen

“Always try to align your loyalties and commitment with the largest scope of the context you find yourself in. For example, if you work for a department in a company, align yourself with the company—not the department; if you are in an army platoon, align yourself with the army.”
― Clifford Cohen

“As I get older I find it more and more easy to watch a pot until it boils.”
― Clifford Cohen

“There are four stages to a person’s career:

In Stage 1 you are enthusiastic about your work, but inexperienced (start of your career).

In Stage 2 you are both enthusiastic about your work and have gained experience (top of your career).

In Stage 3 you’re tired of your work, but you are also still competent/experienced (maintenance stage).

In Stage 4 you are sick of your work, and because you haven’t been motivated to keep up with your profession, you are now, once again, inexperienced relative to the state-of-the-art in your field (end of career).”
― Clifford Cohen

“Contrary? Not me!”
― Clifford Cohen