“The more people you have to ask for permission, the more dangerous a project gets.”
More from Alain de Botton on Wisdom
“We never envy another's achievement more than when we know very little about how it was attained.”
“One of the best protections against disappointment is to have a lot going on.”
“The best cure for one's bad tendencies is to see them in action in another person.”
“Failure is becoming someone who needs others to fail.”
“Maturity: knowing where you're crazy, trying to warn others of the fact and striving to keep yourself under control.”
“Bitterness: anger that forgot where it came from.”
Others on Wisdom
Sun Tzu
30 quotes“Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.”
Dalai Lama
22 quotes“Compassion is the radicalism of our time.”
Cervantes
20 quotes“A closed mouth catches no flies.”
Confucius
19 quotes“The gem cannot be polished without friction nor man perfected without trials.”
Aesop
19 quotes“Little by little does the trick.”
Ben Franklin
18 quotes“Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.”
Napoleon
16 quotes“Ability is of little account without opportunity.”
Cicero
15 quotes“Great is the power of habit. It teaches us to bear fatigue and to despise wounds and pain.”
George Washington
14 quotes“Let your Discourse with Men of Business be Short and Comprehensive.”
Khalil Gibran
14 quotes“Perplexity is the beginning of knowledge.”
George R.R. Martin
14 quotes“This was how an enemy should be dealt with: with a dagger, not a declaration.”
Rudyard Kipling
14 quotes“I keep six honest serving men. (They taught me all I know) Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and...”