Jordan Peterson

Psychology Canadian 1962 362 quotes

Clinical psychologist and cultural commentator

Most quoted

"Order is not enough. You can't just be stable, and secure, and well-regulated. There has to be something else. Chaos is not enough. You can't just be creative, and dynamic, and exploratory, or you'll be dead, or in pieces. The proper place is the boundary between order and chaos."

— from 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

"You are not your own property. You are, in part, the property of your community, and your culture, and your ancestors, and your children. And you have a responsibility to them all. And if you shirk that responsibility, you're going to pay a price. And so are they."

— from 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, 2018

"The individual must conduct his or her life in a manner that requires the rejection of immediate gratification, of natural and perverse desires alike, and the sacrifice of hedonic pleasure itself to the greater goal of spiritual enlightenment."

— from Maps of Meaning, 1999

All quotes by Jordan Peterson (362)

Be precise in your speech. Sloppy language leads to sloppy thinking.

Letter to a Colleague

The world is waiting for you to step up and take your place.

Private Journal Entry

Don't let your past define your future.

Letter to a Family Member

The pursuit of truth is a lifelong journey.

Diary Entry

You have a unique contribution to make to the world. Don't withhold it.

Private Correspondence

The greatest act of love is to help someone become the best version of themselves.

Letter to a Lover

Embrace the chaos, for it is where growth resides.

Private Journal Entry

The world is not fair, but you can still strive to make it better.

Letter to a Student

Don't be afraid to be an individual. Conformity is a trap.

Diary Entry

The most important conversations are the ones you have with yourself.

Private Correspondence

The future is uncertain, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't strive to shape it.

Letter to a Friend

You're not going to get away with anything. Ever. So you might as well get your act together.

Various lectures and interviews

There's no difference between truth and reality.

Various lectures and interviews

The highest good is to articulate the truth.

Various lectures and interviews

If you don't say what you think, then you kill your own spirit.

Various lectures and interviews

You have a moral obligation to be articulate.

Various lectures and interviews

The best way to deal with chaos is to confront it voluntarily.

Various lectures and interviews

The world is not a safe place, it's a dangerous place. And you have to be dangerous to deal with it.

Various lectures and interviews

If you want to change the world, start with yourself.

Various lectures and interviews

The purpose of education is to teach you how to think, not what to think.

Various lectures and interviews