E. Joseph Cossman Quotes

I used to say no to almost everything because I thought, 'I've got enough dough, I know what I want to do, and I know what I'm capable of.'

The reality is, some people don't want you to change or go anywhere different.

I was scared of failing, and I was scared of succeeding. I just wanted to be in a safe space and not grow too big or be too little.

We tend to default to complacency. Stick to the easy option. We all do it. We've tried to create a business model and society around us that is as easy and boxed as possible. We love creating boundaries and borders.

One of my biggest sources of angst is having people so comfortable with a formula that works that they are not challenging themselves or their ideas.

There are always a lot of people so afraid of rocking the boat that they stop rowing. We can never get ahead that way.

Fear of Failure becomes Fear of Success for those who Never Try Anything New.

The unsuccessful person is burdened by learning, and prefers to walk down familiar paths. Their distaste for learning stunts their growth and limits their influence.

I had some downtime with my career and... I got complacent.

There's a real danger in trying to stay king of the mountain. You stop taking risks, you stop being as creative, because you're trying to maintain a position. Apart from anything else that really takes the fun out of it.

People don't make changes because things are wonderful.

You get so used to a world that you complain, but never actually want anything different. Why crave the unfamiliar?

Comfort zones are plush lined coffins. When you stay in your plush lined coffins, you die.

Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay.

We carve out risk-free lives where nothing happens.

When men are easy in their circumstances, they are naturally enemies to innovations.

I'm at the depot, and I'm not going anywhere. That's better to deal with than having to deal with the unknown. And the unknown is they don't want to fail. They don't want to pay the price unless there's a guarantee they're going to get there.

A lot of guys spend their lives saying no because it's an easier way to keep your job.

Concert pianists are really afraid to try out the Beethoven Fourth Concerto if the Third happens to be their specialty. That's the piece they had such success with on Long Island, by George, and it will surely bring them success in Connecticut. So first there's tremendous conservatism. And then stagnation sets in. Or it certainly did in me.

A lot of players get to a certain point they don't want to make mistakes. They just want everyone to see how great they are. That ends up being their downfall. You put a cap on yourself.

Many of us stay in situations that don't serve us because we don't want to confront the fact that we've failed.

Folks will always, always, always go back to the comfortable status quo, with its silent voices and lack of conflict, if you give them the chance.

Once you have the money, fame, success or power, it's so easy to maintain that, because all you have to do is play it safe.

You wouldn't believe how many philosophers are afraid of movement.

At some point, most of us reach a place where we're afraid to fail, where we instinctively avoid failure and stick only to what is placed in front of us or only what we're already good at. This confines us and stifles us.