Derek Sivers

Principles are our summary of their public statements.

• Reframe failure as information

  Learning

  View every mistake or wrong turn not as a setback, but as a necessary data point that brings you closer to the correct solution.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Five tiny tales of reframing, 2026  (opens in a new tab)

• Prioritize connection over precision

  Management

  Understand that communication is often a search for proximity and validation rather than an exchange of objective truth.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source People share perspectives, not facts, 2025  (opens in a new tab)

• Audit your inherited beliefs

  Mindset

  One should examine long-held beliefs inherited from family or past trauma to see if they are actually true or useful.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Hanging inherited paintings, 2026  (opens in a new tab)

• Reframe problematic internal environments

  Resilience

  If a way of thinking feels wrong or causes fear, try looking at it from a completely different perspective or discarding it entirely.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Hanging inherited paintings, 2026  (opens in a new tab)

• Use triggers for automatic recalculation

  Technology

  Implement database triggers to ensure related fields like totals or inventory are updated regardless of how the data is accessed.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Database trigger recalculates totals, for data integrity, 2022  (opens in a new tab)

• Prioritize self-integrity over social approval

  Mindset

  As long as no laws are broken and no harm is done, one should not feel obligated to meet the arbitrary social expectations of strangers.

  Supporting quotes

  • “So when you come into a certain age and power yourself, it's liberating to realize you don't have to please these people anymore.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Let misunderstandings exist

  Resilience

  It is not necessary to correct every person's false perception of you if your own principles and the law are intact.

  Supporting quotes

  • “So when you come into a certain age and power yourself, it's liberating to realize you don't have to please these people anymore.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Value familiarity over formality

  Leadership

  Recognize that in some contexts, dropping formal manners is a sign of intimacy and trust rather than disrespect.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Actions have no inherent meaning. To yell "come in" instead of answering the door can be offensive to one person and endearing to another.”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Treat meaning as a tool

  Mindset

  Understand that events have no inherent meaning; choose meanings that are useful for your goals and resilience rather than searching for a single truth.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Life is _______, 2026  (opens in a new tab)

• Own your projections

  Decisions

  Recognize that the significance you find in travel, coincidences, or work comes from within you, not from the external world.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Life is _______, 2026  (opens in a new tab)

• Prioritize utility over objective truth

  Decisions

  Choose thoughts and assumptions based on their ability to produce the desired behavior rather than their factual accuracy.

  Supporting quotes

  • “The new thought is not meant to be correct. It's a counter-balance, to correct for my tendencies.”

• Separate goals from associations

  Decisions

  One should distinguish the actual desired outcome from the stereotypical images or locations associated with it to avoid unnecessary delays.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Unlikely places and untangled goals, 2017  (opens in a new tab)

• The Three-Part Decision Filter

  Decisions

  Every major life decision should sit at the intersection of what makes one happy, what is smart for the long term, and what is useful to others.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Ultimately you must be lifted by those around you.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Avoid Low-Leverage Usefulness

  Strategy

  Being useful is not enough if the strategy is inefficient; one should apply their highest-value skills rather than doing work others can do for less.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Ultimately you must be lifted by those around you.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Avoid putting experts on pedestals

  Mindset

  Treating influential people as superior makes one self-conscious and prevents the authentic interaction they actually value.

  Supporting quotes

  • “I used to think that having connections in the music industry meant that you'd have business meetings, and only talk about your mutual business interests.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Use a Company as a Shield

  Management

  Incorporate a company to handle business matters like billing and copyrights, allowing the individual to remain focused on the art.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Create., 2021  (opens in a new tab)

• Marketing is a creative extension

  Marketing

  Marketing should not be viewed as a separate business task but as the final stage of the creative process.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Art doesn’t end at the edge of the canvas, 2018  (opens in a new tab)

• Focus on profit over revenue

  Management

  In business, it is better to cancel projects that are not profitable to ensure the team can handle the workload efficiently.

  Source Subtract, 2018  (opens in a new tab)

• Distinguish Want from Need

  Life

  Test the necessity of an item or commitment by removing it; if it isn't missed, it was never truly needed.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Saying No isnt selfish, it's selfless. You save time and decision making for the other party, and might even earn their respect.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Reduce interference for better performance

  Focus

  High performance is achieved by subtracting distractions and interference from one's potential.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Subtract, 2018  (opens in a new tab)