You can’t make customers feel warm and fuzzy if you don’t listen, if you don’t shut out all your preconceptions and prejudices, your agendas and opinions, and hear what they’re really saying.

Willpower is a finite resource. The way to overcome difficult situations isn't to power through, but rather to change your circumstances to require less willpower.

The most distinctive economic feature of chiefdoms was their shift from reliance solely on the reciprocal exchanges characteristic of bands and tribes, by which A gives B a gift while expecting that B at some unspecified future time will give a gift of comparable value to A.

Set Clear Boundaries at the Outset: When starting a new project, have an explicit discussion with your client about your working methods.

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

Make sure your conversations are casual and conversational.

Your clear mind and observational attitude will keep you strong no matter what the other person does.

In my world, you take possession of your life, exercising agency. But in the Christian one, you are not even the owner of yourself. Your talents merely flow through you; you give yourself to the one who made you.

How can I be sure that I will be successful and happy in my career?

The ability to eagerly suggest an alternative to your work is a sign that your posture is one of generosity, not grasping.