Advice About Being

“Sometimes,” Dalinar said, “the prize is not worth the costs. The means by which we achieve victory are as important as the victory itself.”

Competence is how good you are when there is something to gain. Character is how good you are when there is nothing to gain. People will reward you for competence. But people will only love you for your character.”

That is not a growth juggernaut. In fact, that sounds downright bad. Like, maybe you should shut the company down because it’s obviously not working. Or at least, there should be an existential struggle about whether to continue.

(The four obligations — strong body, clear mind, pure spirit, and devotion to the welfare of your people — reminded me a lot of the 4-H pledge I grew up saying. Everything is connected.)

“What I’ve always felt,” Ezra said, “is we don’t try to top a previous album. Instead, we try to continue to reveal the whole. It’s like if you're showing someone around the United States, and you started out in Los Angeles—if the person has never seen the rest of America, they might say, ‘Ok, I get it, America is filled with palm trees, sunshine,

“You deserve to be loved and chosen — not almost loved, or almost chosen. ... Have the courage to let go of the people who leave your heart confused. Let go of the people who make you feel like you are compromising all that you desire, and all that you hope for, and all of the goodness and the beauty that you know exists in this world, for a skinny

For example, I’d argue that discipline is more important than passion, because there’s no controlling what you’re passionate about. I actually really struggle to work on projects I’m not excited about, because I’m not particularly disciplined.