Vizi Andrei > Quotes

“Show your anger when needed. People need to know what irritates you and what doesn’t.
But, crucially, remain internally calm.
Your anger is only a tool. Don’t become its puppet.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“Kindness without truth comes across as flattery.

Truth without kindness comes across as disrespect.

Those who manage to find the sweet spot are the most persuasive.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“To win an argument, rely on logic. To win in life, question logic.

If you’re not willing to take some actions that don’t make sense, having a mediocre life will make perfect sense.”
― Vizi Andrei

“You're not a lawyer. You're someone who helps people deal with legal matters. You're not a doctor. You're a fellow who saves people's lives or gives them the right advice to improve their health.
Add a verb to your identity – it keeps you sane; not a pompous noun – which may only boost your ego; it may distract you from your purpose, from the actions you need to take.
Your job is to do something, not to be something.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“In an abundant world, productivity is about eliminating bad habits; then adding good ones.

In an abundant world, knowledge is about filtering, rather than gathering, information.

In an abundant world, discipline is the new freedom.

In an abundant world―less is more; and more is less.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“If fame is a curse, successful people―by definition―can’t be seen.

Almost every person I admire has a quiet life at home with someone they love, working on projects they love―designing their life as they love.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“The human mind doesn’t seek truth and accuracy; it seeks meaning.

Our minds didn’t evolve to be scientific tools; they evolved to be survival tools.

In other words, nature didn’t design them to be truth-seekers—it designed them to be useful for our emotional, mental, and social fitness.”
― Vizi Andrei

“Men are not to be judged so much by what they know, but rather by what they know they do not know.

Judge a man not by his knowledge, but by his level of awareness of its limits.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“If you want to have a calm discussion about a hot topic, use an arsenal of cold phrases.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“Creativity is not something we can acquire systematically. The most we can do is to foster a state of mind so that creativity may come to us.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“A good writer chooses his words carefully.
A great writer lets the words choose him.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“Good philosophers start with theory and end up with action.

Great philosophers start with action and end up with
theory.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“From a cosmic perspective, I'm simply an accident that has nothing to lose. Why take it all so seriously?”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth

“The more you overthink a problem, the larger the debt your actions have to pay.”
― Vizi Andrei

“If you can’t appreciate science and religion at the same time, your life must be scary.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“Logic, if used as the main instrument for thinking, frustrates the functions of the mind—it doesn‘t improve them.

Great ideas are the result of undirected curiosity, creativity, serendipity and higher pleasures.”
― Vizi Andrei

“Once I make a decision, I decide to ignore any type of counter-arguments, no matter how reasonable they are. I have a strong personality; or, in other words, I’m an authentic imbecile.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth

“If you happen to meet a fellow who has a habit of producing imbecile opinions, don't debate or insult him.

Just drop an occasional “why” after each of his moronic statements and unapologetically watch his decay…”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“Rationality is undetected rhetoric.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“We read books to find out what we already know but find it hard to express. The expression of ideas, not ideas per se, is what we seek when reading books.”
― Vizi Andrei

“To call yourself a “realistic” person is intensely arrogant and naïve.”
― Vizi Andrei

“We often discuss issues such as pollution, poverty, or corruption from a global perspective; yet we fail to consider them locally—in our city, neighborhood, or even family. We’re thus trained to be irresponsible: the more we think and talk about problems we can’t control—the more virtuous we feel but—the more we neglect the problems which are in our control.”
― Vizi Andrei

“You can‘t think for yourself. No one can. We cannot think independently of other human beings.

Our thinking process is the product of what we read, watch, experience and whom we socialize and hang out with.”
― Vizi Andrei

“The man who’s gathering knowledge for the sake of it is like the sailor who's dying of thirst on the ocean.

No matter how much he drinks, he will always be thirsty.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“Easterners get excited if the train arrives on time. Westerners deem such an event implicit. What for some represents a trivial circumstance, is for others a festival.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth: Practical Maxims and Reflections

“How do you solve a delicate life problem? It depends. On what? On many variables.
The person who offers a straightforward solution to a delicate life problem is imprudent. There's no straightforward solution when it comes to choosing your career, to finding a good enough life partner, to discovering happiness or, let's say, peace of mind.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth

“Criticism will always be closer to the truth than flattery.”
― Vizi Andrei, Economy of Truth

“The education system teaches us to be specialists; but the real world is whispering that we need generalists and polymaths.”
― Vizi Andrei, The Sovereign Artist: Meditations on Lifestyle Design

“If you’re not obsessed with tradition; if you don’t understand it—you will never be able to innovate.

You won’t come up with anything original if you don’t take the time to study what’s truly timeless and perennial.

You can’t blossom if you’re at war with your roots.

Your work will not last; it will likely be hollow and meaningless.”
― Vizi Andrei, The Sovereign Artist: Meditations on Lifestyle Design

“Originality is what happens when you steal ideas you don’t understand and hence misinterpret.”
― Vizi Andrei, The Sovereign Artist: Meditations on Lifestyle Design