Jordan Peterson is one of the most influential thinkers of the 21st century. This clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Toronto rose to fame due to his quick wit and powerful message. His work helped thousands or maybe even millions of people overcome difficulties and fix their life. That’s why, in this article, I’ll give you 25 Jordan Peterson quotes to live by.
In the age of nihilism and mental instability, Jordan Peterson serves as a voice of reason and hope. His lectures about the meaning of life, personal responsibility, and the danger of ideological possession have brought him over 180 million views.
Furthermore, his book 12 Rules for Life has sold over five million copies worldwide. So, without further ado, here are 25 Jordan Peterson quotes to live by.
Most Noteworthy Jordan Peterson Quotes
Quotes from 12 Rules for Life
#1. “When you have something to say, silence is a lie.”
#2. “Attend carefully to your posture. Quit drooping and hunching around. Speak your mind. Put your desires forward, as if you had a right to them—at least the same right as others. Walk tall and gaze forthrightly ahead. Dare to be dangerous. Encourage the serotonin to flow plentifully through the neural pathways desperate for its calming influence.”
#3. “You must determine where you are going in your life, because you cannot get there unless you move in that direction. Random wandering will not move you forward. It will instead disappoint and frustrate you and make you anxious and unhappy and hard to get along with and then resentful, and then vengeful, and then worse.”
#4. “Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.”
#5. “Listen, to yourself and to those with whom you are speaking. Your wisdom then consists not of the knowledge you already have, but the continual search for knowledge, which is the highest form of wisdom.”
#6. “If your life is not what it could be, try telling the truth. If you cling desperately to an ideology or wallow in nihilism, try telling the truth. If you feel weak and rejected, and desperate, and confused, try telling the truth. In Paradise, everyone speaks the truth. That is what makes it Paradise. Tell the truth. Or, at least, don’t lie.”
#7. “You should not overlook the guidelines of your culture. Life is short, and you don’t have time to figure everything out on your own. The wisdom of the past was hard-earned, and your dead ancestors may have something useful to tell you.”
#8. “It is necessary to be strong in the face of death, because death is intrinsic to life. It is for this reason that I tell my students: aim to be the person at your father’s funeral that everyone, in their grief and misery, can rely on. There’s a worthy and noble ambition: strength in the face of adversity.”
#9. “If you will not reveal yourself to others, you cannot reveal yourself to yourself. That does not only mean that you suppress who you are, although it also means that. It means that so much of what you could be will never be forced by necessity to come forward.”
#10. “Wish upon a star, and then act properly, in accordance with that aim. Once you are aligned with the heavens, you can concentrate on the day. Be careful. Put the things you can control in order. Repair what is in disorder, and make what is already good better. It is possible that you can manage, if you are careful. People are very tough. People can survive through much pain and loss. But to persevere they must see the good in Being. If they lose that, they are truly lost.”
#11. “You should take care of, help, and be good to yourself the same way you would take care of, help, and be good to someone you loved and valued.”
#12. “Perhaps you are overvaluing what you don’t have and undervaluing what you do.”
#13. “The better ambitions have to do with the development of character and ability, rather than status and power. Status you can lose. You carry character with you wherever you go, and it allows you to prevail against adversity.”
#14. “Stop saying those things that make you weak and ashamed. Say only those things that make you strong. Do only those things that you could speak of with honour.”
Jordan Peterson Quotes From Other Sources
#15. “You’re much better off to confront your fears head-on than you are to wait and let them find you”
#16. “I don’t tell people: You’re okay the way that you are. That’s not the right story. The right story is: You’re way less than you could be.”
#17. “If you don’t stand your ground, then all that happens is people push you backwards.”
#18. “If you fulfill your obligations every day you don’t need to worry about the future.”
#19. “It’s better to do something badly than to not do it at all.”
#20. “Dialogue is the pathway to truth.”
#21. “The secret to your existence is right in front of you, and it manifests itself as all those things you know you should do but you’re avoiding.”
#22. “Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.”
#23. “The purpose of life is finding the largest burden that you can bear and bearing it.”
#24. “It’s a luxury to pursue what makes you happy; it’s a moral obligation to pursue what you find meaningful.”
#25. “The more you open yourself up to the possibility that good things will happen the higher probability is that good things will in fact happen.”
Final Thoughts
Jordan Peterson influenced millions of people across the globe with his profound and powerful message. However, most people don’t have enough time to read his books or watch his lectures. Furthermore, he can be quite difficult to understand due to his academic background.
Hopefully, these 25 Jordan Peterson quotes to live by will help you too to lead a meaningful and fulfilling life one quote a day.
Image source: Jordan Peterson photo from www.bbc.com
