Relationships are hard.
And yet, given how much harder life is without them, it’s worthwhile to have valuable people by our side, much like Jules Vernes writes in Around the World in Eighty Days (also available on Audible):
Misery itself, shared by two sympathetic souls, may be borne with patience.
For more inspiration, here are some of my favourite Seth Godin quotes from his 2022 blog posts, together with a recommended title from Blinkist.
Living in community is about limits. That’s a foundational feature that permits it to work. ~ Speed limits
Learn more: The Book of Boundaries
Social niceties are easy to do half-heartedly. But they’re not for us, they’re for the other person. ~ Begrudgingly
Learn more: Talking to Strangers
People don’t know what you know, don’t believe what you believe, don’t fear what you fear. They’re not equally skilled, equally fast and equally equipped. ~ Assuming other people have it too
Learn more: Mindreader
If you can’t find a win-win, it might be time to find a win-lose where the most people with something at stake end up benefiting. Often, that means that entrenched interests and those that have traditionally come first don’t do as well in the short run. ~ The win-win fallacy
Learn more: Split the Pie
Pick your enemies, pick your future. ~ Defining the enemy
Learn more: Surrounded by Narcissists
Shun the non-believers. Ignore the well-meaning but unmoved. Instead, we have the chance to find and connect and celebrate the people who care enough to make a difference. ~ The ones who didn’t help
Learn more: Find Your People
The purpose of speech is to alert others to our point of view, and the purpose of conversation is to connect and to persuade. It’s not clear that making language angrier or more cutting is helping much. ~ Sharp language
Learn more: Words Can Change Your Brain
Words are a moving target, an expression of feelings, and they inevitably shift. There’s no absolute measure of wrong. Simply what we thought vs what they meant. ~ Expressing something
Learn more: Words That Work
It’s peer-to-peer interaction that shapes our culture, and culture that shapes our world. ~ Preaching to the choir
Learn more: People Skills
When people feel seen and respected, they’re more likely to focus on what needs to be done, instead of taking umbrage or being defensive. When we leave opportunities and pathways for others, they can move forward with less friction. ~ The kindness bonus Blog
Learn more: Good Arguments
Of course you’re interesting. There’s something about what you’ve done, what you say, how you show up in the world that’s worthy of interest. But that doesn’t mean that people are interested. ~ Interested vs. interesting
Learn more: The Courage to Be Disliked
If you want to be more liked, begin by liking. ~ The likable brand (or person)
Learn more: The Like Switch
When someone cares enough to tell us their truth, perhaps the best response is, “thank you.” ~ Five true statements we don’t hear very often
Learn more: Conversations Worth Having
When the world changes (and it always does) we’ll probably end up disagreeing sooner or later. Being good at it is a skill. ~ And when we disagree…
Learn more: The 33 Strategies of War
The most direct way forward is to default to more respect, simply because that’s what people deserve. ~ A reallocation of respect
Learn more: Talk To Me Like I’m Someone You Love
If you often find yourself saying “sorry” in a way that doesn’t advance the conversation, it might be interesting to substitute “thank you” instead. ~ Sorry/thanks
Learn more: Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Difficult People
There isn’t a perfect solution to a people problem. Simply an available path forward that helps us get to the next step. ~ People problems are complicated problems
Learn more: Getting Along
Culture works because, for a moment, a group of people share a history, an understanding and a point of view. ~ All jokes are inside jokes
Learn more: Social Chemistry
Feelings are real, and they can be shared. By all means, let us know. Feelings aren’t arguments. They are different. Arguments have evidence, specificity and logic that enable us to see how things are and to make them better. ~ Logic is a special case
Learn more: The Argument Hangover
Interhuman events are often more complicated than we give them credit for. ~ It’s not what you deserve, but it is what it is
Learn more: Making Great Relationships
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