The problem with taking offense is that it's really hard to figure out what to do with it after you're done using it. Better to just leave it on the table and walk away. Umbrage untaken quietly disappears.
Seth GodinRead
Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Building unique skills or resources is crucial for standing out in any field.
This quote emphasizes the importance of creating and developing one’s own unique expertise or resources that cannot be easily replicated by others. In a competitive landscape, relying on what can be easily copied makes one lose value, resembling a middleman who does not provide distinctive advantages. True success comes from cultivating qualities and assets that truly set one apart, thereby leading to deeper impact and recognition.
Themes
ExpertiseUniqueSuccessValueCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
During a business seminar on standing out in the market, one might quote Seth Godin to stress the need for unique skills.
More from Seth Godin
All quotes →Not adding value is the same as taking it away.
Seth GodinRead
Excellence isn’t about meeting the spec, it’s about setting the spec. It defines what the consumer sees as quality right this minute, and tomorrow, if you’re good, you’ll reset that expectation again
Seth GodinRead
Living with doubt ... is almost always more profitable than living with certainty. _x000D_ People don't like doubt, so they pay money and give up opportunities to avoid it. _x000D_ Entrepreneurshi p is largely about living with doubt. If you need reassurance, you're giving up quite a bit to get it. On the other hand, if you can get in the habit of seeking out uncertainty, you'll have developed a great instinct.
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The danger of the Web is that you can go from idea to public announcement in under ten minutes.
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Art isn't only a painting. Art is anything that is creative, passionate and personal. Art is the unique work of a human being created to touch another. Art is created to have an impact, to change someone else.
Seth GodinRead
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Be willing to use yourself to get out there and put the company on the market. If you have to make a fool of yourself, make a fool of yourself, but make sure that you end up on the front pages, not the back pages. In time, it's possible that your company will stand out from the crowd, and you'll be successful.
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Results? Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward.
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Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.
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To fulfil the dreams of one's youth; that is the best that can happen to a man. No worldly success can take the place of that.
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The success [of Mary Kay Inc.] is much, much deeper than just dollars and cents and buildings and assets. The real success of our Company is measured to me in the lives that have been touched and given hope.
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Notoriety wasn't as good as fame, but was heaps better than obscurity.
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