SPECIAL EDITION #100! Read my favorite quotes from the archives.
100!
I'M NOT YELLING YOU'RE YELLING!
Fine, I am yelling - but only because we have reached an exciting milestone together...
Issue #100 of The World's Best Newsletter
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To the ~100 of you who have been here since June of 2016, thank you. Time flies.
To the many hundreds more who have jumped on the train since it first left the station, thank you.
To the 20 or so people who are getting this email for the first time, welcome to the party.
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Each week this email has given me an outlet to share important things I'm reading and doing, an excuse to thoughtfully (and sometimes not-so-thoughtfully) review what's happening in the worlds of marketing, business, and life, but more importantly, it gives me a chance to connect with you.
I always look forward to your responses / tips / shares / feedback and snarky replies. Keep 'em coming. I especially love when I meet you in public for the first time and you shake my hand and say "I love your newsletter."
The internet is wild. Let's do this thing.
In this edition #100 of the World's Best Newsletter, I went back through the archives to find my favorite "quotes of the week" from the past 99 issues:
On outgrowing the eras of your life
On ceasing to react
On empathy
On big ideas
On unconscious bias (RBG!)
On earning press just because you're female
On being calm as a revolutionary act
On not knowing
On getting stomped by the bull
On spotting Russian trolls with grammar
On paying me
On sustainable business models
On opportunity
On using a flamethrower
On information, not definition
On the power of a single story
On overwork
On the big question
On getting over yourself
1. On outgrowing the eras of your life
"...you must allow yourself to outgrow
and depart from certain eras of your
life with a gentle sort of ruthlessness..."
From poet Katy Maxwell in the November 25, 2017 edition.
2. On ceasing to react
"If you are willing to look at another person's behavior towards you as a reflection of the state of the relationship with themselves, rather than a statement about your value as a person, then you will, over a period of time, cease to react at all."
From Yogi Bhajan shared in the October 21, 2017 edition.
3. On empathy
"ONE death is a tragedy. One million is a statistic."
Shared in the July 7, 2016 edition and pulled from an excellent article in the NYTimes that reveals empathy is, in fact, a choice we make, not a limited resource.
4. On big ideas
"Big ideas come from the unconscious. This is true in art, in science, and in advertising. But your unconscious has to be well informed, or your idea will be irrelevant. Stuff your conscious mind with information, then unhook your rational thought process. You can help this process by going for a long walk, or taking a hot bath, or drinking half a pint of claret. Suddenly, if the telephone line from your unconscious is open, a big idea wells up within you."
From Ogilvy in the September 10, 2016 edition.
5. On unconscious bias
“I wish I could drop a curtain over every field of human endeavor,” Ginsburg said, referring to an experiment in the world of classical music, where, once a curtain was put between auditioning musicians and the selection committee, women began to appear orchestras in far greater numbers."
From the notorious RBG in Fortune, shared in the September 24, 2016 edition.
6. On earning press just because you're female
"Hi, New York Times? I'm calling about a CEO with a vagina. Available immediately for comment."
From a conversation with Katelyn Holbrook shared in the February 4, 2017 edition, about a strange expectation some have of female CEOs to earn press simply because they're female.
7. On being calm as a revolutionary act.
“To be calm becomes a kind of revolutionary act. To be happy with your own non-upgraded existence. To be comfortable with our messy, human selves, would not be good for business.”
From Matt Haig, Reasons to Stay Alive, shared in the March 10, 2017 edition.
8. On not knowing
"Whatever inspiration is, it’s born from a continuous ‘I don’t know.’”
From Nobel laureate and poet Wisława Szymborska, shared in the April 1, 2017 edition.
9. On getting stomped by the bull
"The professional keeps his eye on the doughnut and not on the hole. He reminds himself it's better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than to be up in the stands or out in the parking lot."
From The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, shared in the May 20, 2017 edition.
10. On spotting Russian trolls with grammar
"So scold on, pedants: It’s not just good again to pay attention to sentence fragments and dangling participles—it’s patriotic."
From this Slate article on Mueller's Russia Indictment, shared in the February 17, 2018 edition.
11. On paying me
"Don't empower me. Pay me."
From Cindy Gallop, tweeted on last year's International Women's Day and shared in the March 10th, 2018 edition.
12. On sustainable business models
"Is curing patients a sustainable business model?"
From Goldman Sachs in a biotech research report, shared in the April 21, 2018 edition.
13. On opportunity
"When somebody gives you an opportunity, don't insult them by telling them that they do not know what they're talking about by believing in you."
From Franchesca Ramsey on Luvvie Ajayi's podcast, shared in the May 20, 2018 edition.
14. On using a flamethrower
"I will not use this in a house. I will not point this at my spouse. I will not use this in an unsafe way. The best use is creme brulee..."
From that time Elon Musk gave away flamethrowers and included these instructions for use, shared in the June 16th, 2018 edition.
15. On information, not definition
"It's good to be mindful of how others see you, but keep in mind that it's information, not definition."
From Morgan Jenkins, shared in the January 6, 2019 edition.
16. On the power of a single story
"Power is the ability not just to tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story of that person."
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in her TED talk, shared in the July 21, 2018 edition.
17. On overwork
"Working 120-hour weeks doesn't leverage your unique qualities, it wastes them."
Ariana Huffington in an open letter to Elon Musk, shared in the August 31, 2018 edition.
18. On the big question
"And that is just the point... how the world, moist and beautiful, calls to each of us to make a new and serious response. That's the big question, the one the world throws at you every morning. 'Here you are, alive. Would you like to make a comment?'"
From Mary Oliver, shared in the January 19, 2019 edition.
19. On getting over yourself
"Life is short, and it's hard for everybody. Get over yourself."
Spoken to me from a woman in a wheelchair at a coffee shop, and shared in the very first issue on June 8, 2016.
Thanks, as always for reading. You can read past issues here.
Here's to another 100 together!
Best,
Katie
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