Neil Strauss

Great things never come from comfort zones.
Neil Strauss

“The sins of the parents are the destinies of their children. Unless the children wake up and do something about it.”
― Neil Strauss, The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book about Relationships

“There are certain bad habits we've groomed our whole life -- from personality flaws to fashion faux pas. And it has been the role of parents and friends, outside of some minor tweaking, to reinforce the belief that we're okay just as we are. But it's not enough to just be yourself. You have to be your best self. And that's a tall order if you haven't found your best self yet.”
― Neil Strauss, The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists

“Lying is about controlling someone else’s reality, hoping that what they don’t know won’t hurt you.”
― Neil Strauss, The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book about Relationships

“I've never trusted collaborations, because most people in this world are not closers. They don't finish what they start; they don't live what they dream; they sabotage their own progress because they're afraid they won't find what they seek.”
― Neil Strauss, The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists

“A healthy relationship is when two individuated adults decide to have a relationship and that becomes a third entity. They nurture the relationship and the relationship nurtures them. But they’re not overly dependent or independent: They are interdependent, which means that they take care of the majority of their needs and wants on their own, but when they can’t, they’re not afraid to ask their partner for help.” She pauses to let it all sink in, then concludes, “Only when our love for someone exceeds our need for them do we have a shot at a genuine relationship together.”

― Neil Strauss, The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book about Relationships
“Because, all too often, the things that we're the most resistant to are precisely what we need. And the things we're most scared to let go of are exactly the ones we most need to relinquish.”
― Neil Strauss, The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book About Relationships

“One of the reasons I became a writer is that, unlike starting a band, directing movies, or acting in a theatrical production, you can do it alone. Your success and failure depend entirely on yourself.”
― Neil Strauss, The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists