Prioritization Quotes

“He had to do so many things and make each appear as though it were the only thing he had to do. He had to compartmentalize everything, when on one task to pretend that the others didn't exist.”
― Tom Clancy, Debt of Honor

“… a problematic feeling is indeed the exact opposite of an unproblematic feeling. Yet the fact that two states are each others’ opposites in this sense does not imply they are symmetric in the sense of being able to morally outweigh each other or meaningfully cancel each other out. Consider, by analogy, the states of being below and above water respectively. ... one can say that, in one sense, being 50 meters below water is the opposite of being 50 meters above water. But this does not mean, quite obviously, that a symmetry exists between these respective states in terms of their value and moral significance. Indeed, there is a sense in which it matters much more to have one’s head just above the water surface than it does to get it higher up still.”
― Magnus Vinding, Suffering-Focused Ethics: Defense and Implications

“... the notion that happiness and suffering are morally symmetric deserves our most meticulous scrutiny. It may, of course, seem intuitive to assume that some kind of symmetry must obtain, and to superimpose a certain interval of the real numbers onto the range of happiness and suffering we can experience — from minus ten to plus ten, say. Yet we have to be extremely cautious about such naively intuitive moves of conceptualization. … [I]t is especially true when our ethical priorities hinge on these conceptual models; when they can determine, for instance, whether we find it acceptable to allow astronomical amounts of suffering to occur in order to create “even greater” amounts of happiness.”
― Magnus Vinding, Suffering-Focused Ethics: Defense and Implications

“The key to a simple life is to prioritize what matters most.”
― Carlos Wallace, Life is not Complicated, You Are

“Prioritization provides a framework for focusing on creativity.”
― Pearl Zhu, 100 Creativity Ingredients: Everyone’s Playbook to Unlock Creativity

“Prioritization enables businesses to manage innovation with a focus, not for stifling innovation.”
― Pearl Zhu, 100 Digital Rules

“The challenge for improving problem-solving effectiveness is on how to prioritize what you know about and keep an eye open for signs of things you don’t know about.”
― Pearl Zhu, Problem Solving Master: Frame Problems Systematically and Solve Problem Creatively

“In the long-run, prioritization beats efficiency.”
― James Clear

“Instead of asking yourself, "What should I do first?"
Try asking, "What should I neglect first?"
Trim, edit, cull. Make space for better performance.”
― James Clear

“Proof of desire is prioritization”
― Gabriel Ladokun

“The proof of desire is prioritized pursuit”
― Gabriel Ladokun

“It’s less important to get everything done than to get the right things done.”
― Frank Sonnenberg, BECOME: Unleash the Power of Moral Character and Be Proud of the Life You Choose

“The value of attentiveness varies in proportion to its object. You're better off not giving the small things more time than they deserve.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations: A New Translation