451 Quotes by Jordan B. Peterson

the circuits that engage you — for example when you're having an argument about something fundamental with someone that you love. So you're trying to structure the world around you, jointly, to create a habitable space that you both can exist within. You're using the same circuits — the abstracted version — that our archaic ancestors would have used when they went out into the unknown itself to encounter beasts and predators and geographical unknowns.

it is so easy for us to demonize those people who are our enemies because our enemies confront us with what we don't want to see. And because of that our first response is to use snake detection circuitry on them.

the notion that it was good, well even if you don't believe that because maybe it's not as good as it could be. I would say it's incumbent on you as someone who participates in the process of furthering creation to act as if it could be good at least and to further that with all of your efforts. Partly because what the hell else do you have to do that could possible be better than that, that could possible justify your existence more than that?

The more you open yourself up to the possibility that good things will happen the higher probability is that good things will in fact happen.

If you start with little you start with more possibility.

When you are fighting against something than there's something else you are not doing.

What you should do when you're writing a book is you should have a question and it should be a real question. It should be one you don't know the answer to and then you should be studying and writing like mad and reading everything you can get your hands on to see if you can actually grapple with the problem and come to some solution and you should walk the reader as well through your process of thinking.

To those who have everything more will be given. From those who have nothing everything will be taken.

If you hold out your hand than you're inviting the best part of that person to step forward and that won't happen unless you take that initial step and that's courage, not naivety. So to trust someone once your eyes are open that's an act of courage and that opens up the world.