Seth Godin Quotes

I do believe in self-help.

You can look for external sources of motivation and that can catalyze a change, but it won't sustain one. It has to be from an internal desire.

When work seems like a job, I don't do it anymore. I always want it to be something I'm interested in and something that challenges me.

I talk often about being intrinsically motivated by learning. It's the primary driver of most of my activity.

I'm hugely intrinsically motivated and have always believed that I'm fueled and motivated by learning.

One philosophy I have at AngelList is I would rather have someone working on the wrong thing and do it their way and be motivated, than working on the right thing and do it my way and not be motivated.

There's a world of difference between insisting on someone's doing something and establishing an atmosphere in which that person can grow into wanting to do it.

Excellence isn’t about working extra hard to do what you’re told. It’s about taking the initiative to do work you decide is worth doing.

I'm doing this because I want to do it better.

A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.

The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual.

Hold up a mirror and ask yourself what you are capable of doing, and what you really care about. Then take the initiative - don't wait for someone else to ask you to act.

I am my own cheerleader. I am the one who puts my goals, who pushes myself to get to the next goal. I don't have someone next to me saying, 'Here you go, now do this, it's your next step, go for it.'

Now I don't work for the money or the glory. I just work because I like building businesses.

I act because I have to, because I need to find out whether I can do it or not - that's what drives me and excites me and lights me up.

It all has to come from inside, though, I guess.

For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?

If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree.

If you don't like what you're doing, then don't do it.

The talent that has to be learned is finding out what someone's passion is and setting them up to realize that. You don't get the best work from people if you're guiding them versus them guiding themselves.

It's important to know what motivates you, not what motivates somebody else.

It's surprising how hard we'll work when the work is done just for ourselves.

My only power is my ability to do something with passion and do it well. It's also something someone cannot take way from me, so it's very valuable.

It hasn't always been easy, but you get to a point where you're not doing the solo stuff with any kind of expectation in terms of commercial or a business outcome, you're doing it because you believe in this.

I'm a very motivated person. I don't need extra motivation.