Adams, Scott

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

p.xix – “He has been a full-time cartoonist since 1995, after sixteen years as a technology worker.”

p.xvi – “For the seekers”
p.xv – “Passion is Bullshit” (marginalia: ‘There is a cold fury that drives him,’ Gaiman on Pratchett; In each and every moment, we face a real and discrete choice. To which of our feelings are we going to give voice.)
p.x – “Deciding Versus Acting” (marginalia: Decisions and actions; your path to the Great ranks)
p.x – “The Energy Metric” (mgn: manage your energy) and “The Math of Success” (mgn: double your chance of success with every new skill you acquire; book was worth it just for these two chapters)

p.1 – “This is the story of one person’s unlikely success within the context of scores of embarrassing failures.” (mgn: You make your own luck. The environment and your effort both matter.)
p.1 – “Was my eventual success primarily a result of talent, luck, hard work, or an accidental just-right balance of each? All I know for sure is that I pursued a conscious strategy of managing my opportunities in a way that would make it easier for luck to find me. Did my strategy make a difference, or is luck just luck, and everything else is just rationalization? Honestly, I don’t know. That’s why I suggest you compare my story with the stories of other people who found success and see if you notice any patterns.” (mgn: Tools of Titans)
p.2 – “If you pick up some ideas in this book and go on to great success, you won’t know exactly what made the difference either.” (mgn: Joe, do you use your MBA? I have no idea, but it’s definitely in there.)
p.2 – “In my case, I prefer to embrace my ignorance and leave it an open question.”
p.2 – “It’s an ongoing mystery to me why I keep getting paid.” (mgn: I admire your self-awareness. You can’t try to be anyone else. Just be you, the very best you can.)
p.3