The secret is not to find the meaning of life, but to use your life to make things that are meaningful.

Thanks for reading. You can get more actionable ideas in my popular email newsletter. Each week, I share 3 short ideas from me, 2 quotes from others, and 1 question to think about. Over 3,000,000 people subscribe. Enter your email now and join us.

About the Author

James Clear writes about habits, decision making, and continuous improvement. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, Atomic Habits. The book has sold over 20 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 60 languages.

Click here to learn more →

Read Next

Do things for your own satisfaction. Consider praise from others to be a bonus. If you don’t work for their validation in the first place, you won’t need it to feel satisfied once it’s done.
“It is not worth it to be greedy over a single transaction. Even if you’re not going to work with the person again. Even if you think word won’t get out. Even if you think this is your one shot to make it. Reputation follows you everywhere.”
“If you want a simple formula for having a good day, then get a workout done and do your most important task before lunch. Knock out those two things by noon and you really feel like you’re ahead of the day.”
“Who knows you is more important than who you know. Build a brand.”
“Stop paying so much attention to what everyone else is doing and run your own race. How much time is spent reading other people’s posts on social media, watching other people’s exploits in the news, listening to other people’s ideas on podcasts? Go have coffee with a friend. Go make something. Go outside. All those hours spent looking at someone else’s life on a screen could be used to take action in your own life.”
All Newsletters