Positive Quotes by Oliver Burkeman

Ceaseless optimism about the future only makes for a greater shock when things go wrong; by fighting to maintain only positive beliefs about the…

— Oliver Burkeman

“And here lies the essential between Stoicism and the modern-day 'cult of optimism.' For the Stoics, the ideal state of mind was tranquility, not…

— Oliver Burkeman

“By the second day, the song lyrics had faded, but in their place came darker irritations. Gradually, I started to become aware of a…

— Oliver Burkeman

Through positive thinking and related approaches, we seek the safety and solid ground of certainty, of knowing how the future will turn out, of…

— Oliver Burkeman

“All these counterproductive ways of thinking about failure manifest themselves most acutely in the phenomenon of perfectionism. This is one of those traits that…

— Oliver Burkeman

“Ceaseless optimism about the future only makes for a greater shock when things go wrong; by fighting to maintain only positive beliefs about the…

— Oliver Burkeman

“The greatest benefit of negative capability—the true power of negative thinking—is that it lets the mystery back in.”

— Oliver Burkeman

What made Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein such creative geniuses? It wasn't reading books or watching YouTube talks about How To…

— Oliver Burkeman

“Perhaps you don’t need telling that self-help books, the modern-day apotheosis of the quest for happiness, are among the things that fail to make…

— Oliver Burkeman

Who says you need to wait until you 'feel like' doing something in order to start doing it? The problem, from this perspective, isn't…

— Oliver Burkeman

“Incremental theory’ people are different. Because they think of abilities as emerging through tackling challenges, the experience of failure has a completely different meaning…

— Oliver Burkeman

It is illuminating to note, here, how the daily rituals and working routines of prolific authors and artists - people who really do get…

— Oliver Burkeman

“Pilots were not excused all these rigorous new checks, and when Woodie Menear’s turn came, the security screener expressed concern about the presence of…

— Oliver Burkeman

“...no matter how much success you may experience in life, your eventual story - no offence intended - will be one of failure. Your…

— Oliver Burkeman

The routines of almost all famous writers, from Charles Darwin to John Grisham, similarly emphasise specific starting times, or number of hours worked, or…

— Oliver Burkeman