Shortform Books

Steal Like An Artist: Quotes to Inspire You

Are you looking for Steal Like an Artist quotes from Austin Kleon? How can these quotes help you create better art? In Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon (a self-described “writer who draws”) shares his tips for maximizing your creativity, finding inspiration, breaking out of a creative rut, and connecting with other people doing exciting work. His advice applies to anyone who uses creative thinking in their work, not just to artists in the traditional sense. Here are the top Steal Like an Artist quotes with explanations.

Writing a Second Draft: Polish Your Work

Do you feel discouraged when your first draft doesn’t come out perfect? Do you feel like you’ve failed if you need to write a second draft? Having to write a second draft doesn’t mean you’ve failed. In fact, the best writers revisit their works many times. Writing a second draft is how you find cluttered writing, clarify your ideas, and simplify your sentences. Here’s why you should embrace rewriting.

How to Beat the Competition: 3 Lessons From War

What war strategies can be applied to business? When you’re ready to secure victory, what can you learn from war? Robert Greene asserts that life—including business—is a war between you and the forces or entities that seek to control you, hold you back, or destroy you. To be successful, you need to win the war, and to win the war you need winning strategies. Greene discusses three war strategies you can use to beat out the competition for good: targeting the source of your enemy’s power; targeting a vulnerable spot; and breaking down a problem, eliminating one piece at a

Sun Tzu: Winning Without Fighting

Does victory necessarily have to involve fighting? How does one win a war without fighting? Winning without fighting, Sun Tzu argued, is the best outcome of any war. If the surrender comes before a battle is fought, all the better. Here’s why fighting should be your last resort, according to Sun Tzu.

How Our Thoughts Become Words and Actions

Is it true that our thoughts become words and actions? How so? What should we do about it? The central tenet of Joyce Meyer’s book Battlefield of the Mind is that the state of our lives mirrors the state of our minds. A negative mindset produces a negative life, while a positive mindset produces a positive life. According to Meyer, a “positive mindset” is one that is focused on God. She argues that when we put God at the center of our minds and spirits, we’re happier, more successful, more fulfilled, and we positively impact those around us. Read more

What Is the Most Important Sense? (Why It’s Vision)

Do you know what sense you use the most? Why is vision the most important sense? Dr. John Medina argues that vision is the most important human sense because it takes up half the brain to process visual information. Vision also dominates the other four senses because it shapes how you see the world. Here’s Medina’s explanation for what the most important sense is, and why it’s vision.

Colonize the Moon? Stephen Hawking’s Argument

Is it possible to colonize the moon? How could it be done? Famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking thinks that, not only can we colonize the moon, but that we should. Hawking said in his book Brief Answers to the Big Questions that humans are quickly outgrowing Earth, and they need to colonize outer space or they will go extinct. Here’s how moon colonization could work.

What Is the Athlete Mindset? Tai Chi Champion Explains

What makes a “next-level” athlete? How does mindset affect athletic performance? Elite athletes didn’t become successful thanks to their physical prowess alone. The greatest Olympic athletes also put work into honing their mindset. According to tai chi champion Josh Waitzkin, one of the keys to developing the athlete mindset is to learn how to handle mistakes while winning. If you dwell on the mistake, you’ll lose your cool and your subsequent performance will suffer. Here’s how to develop an athlete mindset, according to Waitzkin.

How to Develop a Skill: The Science of Skill Mastery

How do you develop a skill in the most effective and efficient way possible? Is there a method to make mastering skills easier? According to Josh Waitzkin, the author of The Art of Learning, the fastest and most effective way to master a skill is to build individual elements of the skill into memory “chunks.” Memory chunks are combinations of multiple elements, like how to shuffle, deal, and count cards—and networks of chunks. Here’s how to develop a skill and make it stick, according to Waitzkin.

Battlefield of the Mind Study Guide: 4 Positivity Prompts

What discussion questions are raised by the book Battlefield of the Mind? What exercises can help you apply the book’s principles? Being positive can be difficult. In Battlefield of the Mind, Joyce Meyer explains that the devil makes it his mission to corrupt our minds with negative thoughts. Luckily, we have God on our side. Meyer shows us how we can thwart Satan’s attacks and find happiness and fulfillment with God’s positivity as our guide. Continue reading for our Battlefield of the Mind study guide.