The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default. Instead of making choices reactively, the Essentialist deliberately distinguishes the vital few from the trivial many, eliminates the non-essentials, and then removes obstacles so the essential things have clear, smooth passage. In other words, Essentialism is a disciplined, systematic approach for determining where our highest point of contribution lies, then making execution of those things almost effortless.

I'd rather be honest and lose than be dishonest and win

We often think of choice as a thing. But a choice is not a thing. Our options may be things, but a choice—a choice is an action. It is not just something we have but something we do.

I think we’ve been oversold the value of more and undersold the value of less.

One of the best ways to seed an opportunity is to allow someone to discover the opportunity for him- or herself.

I think we are in a non-essentialist bubble—everything seems important—so of course nothing is.

Remember that if you don’t prioritize your life someone else will.