Chris Matakas Quotes

The very fact that you can observe this thinking mind is proof that you are not this thinking mind.

~ Chris Matakas

Your job as a young adult is to become as valuable to the marketplace as you can. Your job as a human is to do so without working a day in your life.

~ Chris Matakas

Everyone, no matter how historically famous or modernly praised, has no idea about the ultimate truth of what it means to be human.

~ Chris Matakas

He plays the same game, but for the first time in his life he is truly playing, rather than working, being a human, and this is a vast distinction realized by few.

~ Chris Matakas

The knowledge you acquire in an area of study is accompanied by an incalculable ignorance. The farther we get into anything, we learn that we have even farther to go.

~ Chris Matakas

We are the estranged orphans of our nations and tribes, and we now bear the weight not of survival of the group but of personal identity.

~ Chris Matakas

It is important to realize that we so often define ourselves by what is in opposition to ourselves.

~ Chris Matakas

This constant mental diatribe and the frustrations, worries, insecurities and muscular tension that ensues are the self.

~ Chris Matakas

That nagging state of constant thought that exists somewhere between the ears and behind the eyes is the self.

~ Chris Matakas

We tend to view ourselves as this, lying in contradiction with everything that is not ourselves, that.

~ Chris Matakas

We have an obligation to ourselves to foster the environment that allows for our self-actualization. Rather than my gifts serving me, I must serve them. I want to be a steward of the best aspects of my character and assist them in their fulfillment through proper discipline and habits.

~ Chris Matakas

We are never truly ourselves as we are mid-roll.

~ Chris Matakas

I do not begin to think that I could possibly understand its inner-workings and the deepest truths of the cosmos with the 28 years that I have lived in Central New Jersey of the United States of America.

~ Chris Matakas

In the modern world we are surrounded by so much abundance that we cannot see it.

~ Chris Matakas

You have become more and therefore expect more, but never become too purpose-driven to step back and realize just how far you have progressed.

~ Chris Matakas

There is nothing like another's perspective to remind you that your way is not the right way, it is simply your way.

~ Chris Matakas

The day-to-day grind of adult life brings with it a tedium that weighs heavily on our powers of attention. The same experiences, at the same time and place, day in and day out, breed a familiarity that blunts our senses.

~ Chris Matakas

When we honestly take stock of our ability, we are then granted the opportunity to improve our circumstance. Accessing where you stand is the only way to stand somewhere else.

~ Chris Matakas

In the history of history, there has never been someone with your particular genetic make-up or life experiences. This being the case, we have no reference points with which to compare ourselves, and therefore it is futile to attempt to measure yourself relative to others.

~ Chris Matakas

Deep down I believe each of us is a well-spring of understanding and wisdom, but we simply never allow the space or time for this understanding to rise to the level of conscious thought.

~ Chris Matakas

The most obvious, most absurdly recognizable phenomena in day-to-day life often become the hardest to remain consciously aware of.

~ Chris Matakas

The more we have outside ourselves the harder it is to get inside ourselves.

~ Chris Matakas

Nothing worthwhile ever came from divided attention.

~ Chris Matakas

This philosophy teaches us to leave safe harbor for the rough seas of real-world experience, and to accept that a rough copy out in the world serves us far greater than a masterpiece sitting quietly on our shelves.

~ Chris Matakas

Life is so unlikely, so rare and beautiful an opportunity it is to live, we must be on constant guard to ensure that our actions are worthy of the life it takes to perform them.

~ Chris Matakas

If something’s existence is contingent upon the existence of another entity, can we truthfully call them separate beings?

~ Chris Matakas

Have a clear-cut plan on what you wish to improve, and seek opportunities to improve it. The more conscious and honest we can be about our shortcomings, the more strength we will have to improve them. We are going to train hard anyway, we are not going to sweat any more or less. It is simply imperative that the sweat is properly directed.

~ Chris Matakas

Autopilot is great, and removal of thought is one of the highest ideals of training. But removal of thought in the moment must be preceded by purposeful thought beforehand.

~ Chris Matakas

Our social contract is becoming an exchange of free thought for mindless stimuli.

~ Chris Matakas

The best indicator of a man's philosophy is not what he reads or says, but the way in which he lives his life, the way in which he acts.

~ Chris Matakas

Properly directed thoughts result in properly directed actions. The only way to appropriately guide our thoughts is to know their foundation, our values.

~ Chris Matakas

When we know our values, we can easily measure whether or not our actions are in accordance with them. Values are the measuring sticks with which we determine the worthiness of our actions. To be better associated with one's own values is to remove a lot of the needless activities of daily life.

~ Chris Matakas

To know our values is to have a foundation on which to build a great life. Our environment and education will play a large part in influencing our formulation of this world view, but is ultimately ourselves that have the final say. We must decide what we value, and then live accordingly. After all, in the eyes of the world we could achieve great success, but if our actions do not coincide with what we ourselves truly deem worthy, we will find no peace.

~ Chris Matakas

A life of joy awaits the man who sits alone quietly in a room and determines what he himself believes rather than simply adopting the values of another.

~ Chris Matakas

A man has only so much life, and must diversify his efforts according to his values.

~ Chris Matakas

It was my letting go that gave me a better hold.

~ Chris Matakas

The possessions themselves were not the problem, it was my relationship with possessing.

~ Chris Matakas

To base your self worth relative to others is to play a losing game. If you are at the bottom, you will be filled with self-loathing. If you are at the top, you will be filled with self-aggrandizement and ego. This will most certainly be one of your greatest obstacles to achieving whatever degree of mastery you are capable.

~ Chris Matakas

The greatest effects we have on the world are the ones we can never see.

~ Chris Matakas

I am acutely aware that all I have been able to achieve has been in large part due to circumstances outside my control. This is why I teach, and this is why I write. I want to be one of those opportunities for others. Perhaps this is the true measure of success.

~ Chris Matakas