Inspirational Quotes by Marty Nemko (American Career Coach)

Some people are nice as a way of compensating for their not being good.
—Marty Nemko

Be tough where you must be, kind where you can be.
—Marty Nemko

As we age, there’s a creeping bitter wisdom we accrue.
—Marty Nemko

Everyone needs hope, often desperately. Look for honest ways to give it.
—Marty Nemko

Far more of life’s pleasures are in the process than in the outcome. Be in the moment.
—Marty Nemko

It’s easy to be liked: listen more than talk, praise often, and disagree rarely. The question is, is it worth the loss of integrity?
—Marty Nemko

A resume rarely helps—it’s too filled with chemistry-inhibiting cliche. Write & tell the “resume” that’d reveal your true story & self.
—Marty Nemko

To boost motivation: what’s your next 1-second task? It feels good to get even a tiny task done, make progress, and maybe learn something.
—Marty Nemko

A mantra to cure procrastinators: It needn’t be perfect; it needn’t be fun; it just has to get done.
—Marty Nemko
Topics: Procrastination

That a partner ‘gets’ you, this is what above all cements love: love as accurate (but still benevolent) interpretation.
—Marty Nemko
Topics: Forgiveness

There’s cost and benefit each time you criticize or suggest. Sometimes, it’s worth the price. Make the choice consciously.
—Marty Nemko

Key to being liked: While retaining integrity, do more agreeing, amplifying, empathizing. do less arguing, one-upping, yes-butting.
—Marty Nemko

Your goal must not be to impress but to accomplish. That usually demands bringing out the best in others.
—Marty Nemko

When overwhelmed, after doing any needed planning, just stay in the moment and put one foot in front of the other.
—Marty Nemko

We dun perfectionism, e.g., as causing procrastination. Yet haven’t your perfectionist efforts yielded the most good & satisfaction?
—Marty Nemko

I used to think most people are intrinsically motivated to work hard. But I’m finding that many if not most people need monitoring.
—Marty Nemko

Just because you can prove someone wrong, doesn’t mean you should.
—Marty Nemko

If you want to lock in a new attitude or behavior, say and/or write that and why. Then keep paraphrasing, NOT reading it.
—Marty Nemko

We hear stories of persistence rewarded yet for each of those, hundreds have pressed on only to end up broken and/or broke.
—Marty Nemko

Talking too much is a career killer. Keep all utterances to <45 seconds &, in dialogue, speak a bit LESS than 50% of the time.
—Marty Nemko

If you’ve been beaten up in Rounds 1-9, it’s hard to come out for Round 10.
—Marty Nemko

You’ll likely learn more of enduring value from an hour of wise googling than from any course.
—Marty Nemko
Topics: Education, Learning

Whatever bad awaits, don’t let it spoil the present moment.
—Marty Nemko
Topics: Information

It worked for me, it can work for you books aren’t helpful because typical readers are less smart & driven than book authors.
—Marty Nemko

School can give a false sense of confidence or of loserhood. Too often, school success does not predict life success.
—Marty Nemko

Winners do not let themselves succumb to anything. They distract themselves by immersing themselves in their most engaging work.
—Marty Nemko

When you think you can nail someone with your argument, take a breath & see if you can phrase it as a face-saving question.
—Marty Nemko

Most of us think ourselves bold, individualistic thinkers when in fact we’re tepid if not downright lemmings.
—Marty Nemko

In managing & parenting, praise when you can, & when you can’t, try invoking guilt, e.g., “I know you’re better than this.”
—Marty Nemko

The desire to be right usually trumps the desire for truth.
—Marty Nemko
Topics: Equality

The only God resides within us: It is our wisest attitudes and actions.
—Marty Nemko

Don’t give up prematurely. Your continued efforts will iterate, improve based on lessons learned from your past failures.
—Marty Nemko

The key to a well-led life is maxing your contribution. Happiness, less key, is most likely found in simple pleasures.
—Marty Nemko

It all comes down to this: Do good.
—Marty Nemko

The most powerful motivator may not be fear—people go back to bad habits after a heart attack. Could it be proving themselves right?
—Marty Nemko
Topics: Politics

To disagree without creating enmity: “I can see why you’d X. (explain.) And (not but) I’m wondering if Y. What do you think?”
—Marty Nemko

The most valuable way to spend a dollar? A memo pad. Keep it with you at all times. Think of ideas. Write them down. Implement them.
—Marty Nemko

Might you be wise to focus more on self-acceptance than self-improvement? That might even motivate you to self-improve.
—Marty Nemko

Sometimes, a problem has both a rational and an irrational component. It may help to try to solve those separately.
—Marty Nemko

Before making an argument, ask a likely opponent to lay out the counterargument. Your argument can then incorporate that.
—Marty Nemko

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