korrents

Derek Sivers

@derek-sivers · 12 positions · 2 changes of mind

Founded CD Baby in 1998 and sold it in 2008, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. Since then a writer and speaker: five books, 550+ articles, and a site at sive.rs he hand-codes and keeps free of advertising.

Derek Sivers did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

  1. 3 May 2026

    Our reading

    Contributing to the internet without monetizing it is still the right way to be online, even after the surrounding culture stopped doing it.

    Their wordsLike picking up trash where you walk, even if the rest of the world is full of litter. You keep doing what you can to make things better.

    ↗Netizensive.rs

  2. 2 months earlier

  3. 3 Mar 2026

    Our reading

    Long stretches of being disconnected -- no internet, no phone, no people -- are what make creative work possible.

    Their wordsMedia silence creates a vacuum, which your own thoughts expand to fill.

    ↗Offline 23 hours a daysive.rs

  5. 3 Mar 2026

    Our reading

    Solving a problem yourself, without searching or prompting, is a form of exercise -- the help makes you weaker.

    Their wordsMy brain feels stronger because I work through the problem instead of prompting it away.

    ↗Offline 23 hours a daysive.rs

  6. 6 weeks earlier

  7. 20 Jan 2026

    Our reading

    Nobody actually decides on the facts -- emotion decides and facts rationalise, so you find whatever truth is useful to you.

    Their wordsEmotion decides. Facts rationalize. You'll find whatever truth is useful.

    ↗What is “the truth” really for?sive.rs

  8. 2 weeks earlier

  9. 5 Jan 2026

    Our reading

    No belief is true: the moment something is proven it stops being a belief and becomes a fact.

    Their wordsNo beliefs are true. If a belief was proven true, it would no longer be a belief.

    ↗Beliefs are not factssive.rs

  10. 13 months earlier

  11. 6 Dec 2024

    Our reading

    Writing your thinking down in public is a form of life after death -- for human readers and for the language models that will read it too.

    Their wordsI'm trying to thoroughly write my thought processes, values, and worldview, so that you can remember it, re-create it and improve upon it.

    ↗Come and get me (both you and AI)sive.rs

  12. 2 months earlier

  13. 27 Sept 2024

    Our reading

    Wealth is what you have divided by what you want, so the reliable way to become wealthier is to want less.

    Their wordsOnce you have some, the easiest way to increase your wealth is to decrease your needs.

    ↗Wealth = Have ÷ Wantsive.rs

  14. 2 years earlier

  15. 20 Jun 2022

    Our reading

    Writing one sentence per line, for your own eyes, improves prose more than any other habit.

    Their wordsI've been doing it for twenty years, and it improved my writing more than anything else.

    ↗Writing one sentence per linesive.rs

  16. 4 months earlier

  17. 2 Mar 2022

    Our reading

    Everything you write that matters belongs in plain text files, because they are the only format that stays portable, non-commercial and readable for a lifetime.

    Their wordsThat's why I only use plain text files. They are the most reliable, flexible, and long-lasting option.

    ↗Write plain text filessive.rs

  19. 2 Mar 2022

    Our reading

    Storing your own writing in a company's proprietary format is a mistake, because you will outlive the company.

    Their wordsYou will outlive these companies. Your writing should outlive you. Depending on companies is not an option.

    ↗Write plain text filessive.rs

  20. 2 years earlier

  21. 15 Oct 2019

    Our reading

    Code and files generated by tools are pollution: hand-writing them is worth the effort because the bloat slows everything down for everyone.

    Their wordsI prefer coding everything by hand, because I don't like the huge piles of garbage that the automated generators create.

    ↗Digital pollutionsive.rs

  22. 16 months earlier

  23. 3 Jun 2018

    Our reading

    Say no to anything that is not an enthusiastic yes, because a life full of half-hearted commitments leaves no room for the things worth doing.

    Their wordsIf you're not feeling “Hell yeah, that would be awesome!” about something, say no.

    ↗If you're not feeling “hell yeah!” then say nosive.rs