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.
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.
Mental modelLess, but better
Their wordsRefuse almost everything. Do almost nothing. But the things you do, do them all the way.
Mental modelSay no by default
Their wordsThough it's good to say yes when you're starting out, wanting any opportunity, or needing variety, it's bad to say yes when you're overwhelmed, over-committed, or need to focus.
Mental modelSay no by default
Their wordsIf you're not feeling “Hell yeah, that would be awesome!” about something, say no.
Their wordsthe tool is used when you are overwhelmed with too many options. You've said yes to too many things, and you need to raise the bar all the way up so that almost everything doesn't pass the bar. It's a tool for a certain situation so I rarely use it. I would not call it a approach to life that everyone should use all the time.
Their wordsPlain text files and a basic text editor are enough. This is everything you need for great thinking and writing.
Their wordsDon't depend on any tool that needs an internet connection.
Their wordsEvery device, including ones long gone, and ones not invented yet, can read and edit plain text.
Mental modelPlay long games
Their wordsYou will outlive these companies. Your writing should outlive you. Depending on companies is not an option.
Their wordsThat's why I only use plain text files. They are the most reliable, flexible, and long-lasting option.
Mental modelLess, but better
Their wordsThese programs that generate a website, app, or file for you spit out thousands of lines of unnecessary junk when really only 10 lines are needed.
Their wordsI prefer coding everything by hand, because I don't like the huge piles of garbage that the automated generators create.
Their wordsMy brain feels stronger because I work through the problem instead of prompting it away.
Their wordsLearning requires an investment of effort, and AI will make us stupider if that effort is avoided.
Mental modelValue moves to what stays scarce
Their wordsYou get no competitive edge from consuming the same stuff everyone else is consuming.
Their wordsEvery business wants to get you addicted to their infinite updates, pings, chats, messages, and news. But if what you want out of life is to create, then those are your obstacles.
Mental modelPositioning
Their wordsEvery day or two, I bring my laptop into town to get online for an hour. The time limit keeps me super-focused.
Their wordsMedia silence creates a vacuum, which your own thoughts expand to fill.
Their wordsMaking money depends on other people, so it's harder. It's not entirely under your control. It's an outer game.
Their wordsOnce you have some, the easiest way to increase your wealth is to decrease your needs.
Their wordsThe point is that if you think that money is the only thing holding you back from what you want to do, you're not thinking very clearly. There's always a way around it.
Their wordsWhenever someone says, “I believe …”, then whatever they say next is not true.
Their wordsNo beliefs are true. If a belief was proven true, it would no longer be a belief.
Their wordsFacts can win a battle but not a war.
Mental modelCognitive biases
Their wordsYou'll ignore a mountain of evidence if you hear one good story against it or just feel yourself leaning the other way.
Mental modelCognitive biases
Their wordsEmotion decides. Facts rationalize. You'll find whatever truth is useful.
Their wordsA personal website is an autobiography. I wish everyone had one. The more we share, the better.
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.
Their wordsMy own site is the master source of everything I make. But now it's also shared everywhere, so we can meet in your city instead of my little town.
Their wordsWith this model, even when a platform goes under, you lose relatively little: your posts still remain live and under your control on your site, even if the copies of them on the disconnected website are abandoned or deleted.
Their wordsSlowly the culture around me changed, so now it seems I need to explain my strange behavior — why I don't monetize everything like everyone else.
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.
Mental modelLess, but better
Their wordsChop the weak beginnings, like “I think” and “Whether or not”. Start with powerful subjects and verbs.
Mental modelLess, but better
Their wordsDelete any sentence not worthy of its own line.
Their wordsI've been doing it for twenty years, and it improved my writing more than anything else.