Barbara Tuchman Quotes

Pay attention to matters of importance.

I don't put the focus on things that don't matter.

If everything is important, then nothing is.

One of the most significant design principles is to omit the unimportant in order to emphasize the important.

Eliminate the unnecessary and focus on the substance.

It seems essential, in relationships and all tasks, that we concentrate only on what is most significant and important.

Have common sense and stick to the point.

Concentrate, don't embroider.

You can only do so many things great, and you should cast aside everything else.

Only one thing has to matter for everything to matter.

I never heard either of them speak ten minutes at a time, nor to any but the main point which was to decide the question. They laid their shoulders to the great points, knowing that the little ones would follow of themselves.

You've got to make sure you're listening to the people that are important to listen to. And then everything else, you kind of have to tune out and do your thing.

Doing something unimportant well does not make it important.

Knowing what to leave out is just as important as knowing what to focus on.

Never confuse the importance of things with things of importance.

I soon learned to scent out that which was able to lead to fundamentals and to turn aside from everything else, from the multitude of things which clutter up the mind and divert it from the essential.

What does it matter how much we do if what we're doing isn't what matters most?

Someday you're going to have to learn to separate what seems to be important from what really is important.

You need to see things, REALLY see them, feel them, live them, so you know what’s big and what’s little, what matters and what to put aside.

Focus does not mean saying yes, it means saying no.

There are many things I can do, but I have to narrow it down to the one thing I must do. The secret of concentration is elimination.

Focus on essentials and try not to get distracted and bogged down by things that don't add value to the bottom line.

All this contains much that is obviously true, and much that is relevant; unfortunately, what is obviously true is not relevant, and what is relevant is not obviously true.

Keep the best, forget the rest.

Don’t become a wandering generality. Be a meaningful specific.