The 75 Best Quotes by Jordan Peterson

Jordan B. Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist, born in Alberta on June 12, 1962. He is also a cultural critic and professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto. He has published two books: Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (1999) and 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos (2018).

In this article We will know the 75 best phrases of Jordan Peterson, most of which we can find in his books; especially in his latest book, where he talks about some rules of life that, according to him, we should all apply to be fully happy.

The 75 best famous quotes by Jordan Peterson

We are going to see the 75 best phrases from clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson, which talk about very diverse topics: psychology, emotions, fear, courage, politics, religion, social demands, science, etc.

1. I believe that the truth is the most valuable thing, although it has to be embedded with love. What I mean by this is that the truth must serve the greatest good imaginable. For me, that is what is best for each individual, in the way that it is also what is best for the family, the state and nature itself. But you can only want that good if you love Being.

Sincerity is a value in people; If this sincerity is also linked to love, the value increases. According to Peterson, in this phrase, sincerity combined with love is the most valuable thing that exists, for people but also for nature itself.

2. The idea is that you could sacrifice something of value, and that would have transcendent utility. That is by no means an unsophisticated idea. In fact, it might be the best idea humans have come up with.

When we offer something of value to people (more than offering, sacrificing), we are actually offering something else (which has to do with transcendence).

3. Whether you like it or not, your existence is based on faith.

Faith is found everywhere; It is the engine of many lives.

4. If you don’t believe in freedom of expression, you don’t believe in humanity.

We must be free to express everything we think. Freedom of opinion makes us people and brothers.

5. A happy trip could be better than the destination where you are going.

The journey is much more important than the destination, especially if we enjoy it. It is the path that will teach us; Once we reach the goal, there is no longer any learning (or it is minor).

6. What worked yesterday will not necessarily work today.

Life is constantly changing (and everything we find within it); This is why we must be able to adapt to it, and to adapt to the constant challenges of life.

7. I want to hear the best versions of the arguments that go against mine because I would like to find out where I am wrong and I would like to continue doing what I am doing better.”

Here Peterson talks about humility, about knowing how to listen to people who think differently than us, because through this we can improve our arguments, our ideas or even our own person.

8. Many times in your life you are not going to be happy… you must have something meaningful, that is the ship that will take you through the storm.

We will all go through bad times in life (“storms”); However, if we have something to fight for, a meaning in life, we will be able to navigate better.

9. Be the hero your mother wanted you to be.

Fight to become who you want to be; The allusion to the hero (or heroine!) surely has to do with his relationship with bravery, fight, strength, etc.

10. I am a great skeptic of well-intentioned attempts to adjust social systems based on ideologies.

Ideologies are a double-edged sword; In this phrase Peterson highlights the negative part of him. It is difficult to change social things only based on ideologies.

11. The correct functioning of the state depends on the correct functioning of individuals and not the other way around.

If people act well in society, things “higher up” will work well (for example, politics and governments).

12. Life is a sequence of problems that must be solved, if you do not solve them you will suffer and die.

We must be aware that in life there will always be problems, to a greater or lesser extent, and that if we do not deal with them, they will accumulate and we will have a bad time.

13. Evil is a force that believes its knowledge is complete.

Evil is something that exists in society, and has a lot of power. According to this phrase, people who have evil believe they know everything.

14. If you are not willing to err you will never be able to become a master.

As it is often said: “you learn from mistakes.” And if we don’t make mistakes we will never know what we are doing wrong nor will we be able to rectify and learn.

15. A good man is not harmless, a good man is a very dangerous man who has himself completely under control.

Kindness is a virtue, which allows us to self-regulate and have all things under control.

16. People develop an ideological worldview because they don’t want to think about things in really detailed ways.

Ideologies, like many other things (for example stereotypes), are ways we have to economize our world; That is, through them we generalize many aspects, and we can understand or represent them more easily. However, that means missing a lot of things (the details).

17. If you can’t understand why someone did something, look at the consequences and you will understand the motivation.

Sometimes, to understand the causes of a behavior, rather than observing its antecedents, we must look at its consequences, that is, at the consequences of that behavior, which motivate the person to act.

18…And if you think tough men are dangerous, wait until you see what weak men are capable of doing.

We usually talk about people’s toughness as a positive characteristic of them; However, the fact of being vulnerable on certain occasions also makes us brave and strong, because it makes us real. One of Jordan Peterson’s most controversial phrases.

19. Weak and miserable as you are, you can still face the terrible tragedy of life and prevail.

Even when we are weak or feel weak, we can draw strength from weakness and face life’s challenges.

20. When you have something to say, being silent is lying.

Being silent often implies hiding a truth, and that in a certain way is lying.

21. Act in such a way that you can tell the truth about how you act.

Be true to yourself, act consistent with what you feel and desire.

22. Look for what is meaningful, not what is easy or convenient.

Easy or mediocre things are easy to find; On the other hand, the things that really have meaning for us are usually things that are complex and difficult to find. However, these are the ones that are really worth it.

23. If you have to choose, be the one who gets things done instead of the one who is perceived as the one who gets things done.

Take action, do things for yourself; Don’t settle for just looking like you do.

24. Assume that the person you are listening to may know something you need to know. Listen hard enough for me to share it with you.

This is another of Jordan Peterson’s rules of life (along with a few others on this list). In this case, Peterson recommends that we be patient and have enough empathy so that the people who have to send us a message do so.

25. Plan and work diligently to maintain romance in your relationships.

Relationships must be taken care of, as well as their romantic factor, otherwise they can die.

26. Be careful who you share good news with.

Envy is very bad, and there are people who are not always happy when things are going well for us.

27. Be careful who you share bad news with.

The opposite also happens, that there are people who take advantage of bad things happening to us to hurt us with it and continually remind us of it, for example.

28. Do at least one thing better everywhere you go.

Contribute your grain of sand to the world, leaving things better than you found them.

29. Imagine who you could be and then dedicate yourself completely to that.

Fight to become the person you want to be.

30. Don’t become arrogant or resentful.

Here Peterson advises that we not become resentful or arrogant people; These feelings only cause harm.

31. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.

To become the best version of yourself, you must focus on yourself and not others. This extrapolates to comparisons; There is no point in comparing yourself to others.

32. Work as hard as you can on at least one thing and see what happens.

The positive thing about focusing on one thing is that it is easier to dedicate all our energies to it. One of those Jordan Peterson quotes about hard work.

32. If old memories still make you cry, write them down carefully in their entirety.

Memories sometimes haunt us, penetrate us deeply and still cause us suffering. A good way to face these emotions and work on them is to write them down on paper. Words also heal.

32. Maintain your connections with people.

We are social beings by nature. In some ways, we are all connected. This connection is what keeps us alive.

33. Do not carelessly denigrate social institutions or artistic achievement.

We must always show respect to any person or institution.

34. Treat yourself as if you were someone you are responsible for helping.

We are like our own father or mother; We must take care of ourselves and treat ourselves well.

35. Ask someone for a small favor so that he or she can ask you for another one in the future.

We must help each other; Receiving causes satisfaction, but so does giving.

36. Make friends with people who want the best for you.

True friendship comes from the person who really wants us to be happy.

37. Do not try to rescue someone who does not want to be rescued, and be very careful in rescuing someone who does.

Sometimes, no matter how much we want to help someone, if that person doesn’t want to be helped, we can’t do anything for them. That is why we must focus our energies on the people who do want our help.

38. Nothing done well is insignificant.

Here Peterson highlights the value of effort. Everything we do well is important.

39. Before criticizing the world, tidy your house perfectly.

We all have conflicts and pending things to solve; That is why before focusing on others, we must start by fixing our lives.

40. Dress like the person you want to be.

The way we dress is also part of our identity.

42. Be precise in your words.

Ambiguities or inaccuracies can cause many misunderstandings or false expectations.

43. Walk with your back straight and shoulders back.

We must always go with our heads held high, and with our dose of dignity.

44. Don’t avoid something scary if it gets in your way – and don’t do dangerous things if they are unnecessary.

There are things that we cannot avoid; We must face them and that’s it. On the other hand, here Peterson advises not to do dangerous things if they are not really necessary.

45. Don’t let your children do things that make you stop liking them.

Educate them in respect and values ​​that you also share.

46. ​​Don’t turn your wife into a servant.

We must fight against machismo; Nor should women be servants because a man says so, nor should men always be the ones in charge. Each one must have the role they want with complete freedom.

47. Don’t hide unwanted things in the fog.

Everything ends up knowing… the truth always comes to light, even if you try to hide it in remote places.

48. Notice that opportunity lurks when responsibility has been renounced.

Sometimes we have so internalized that we must fulfill “X” obligations, that we forget that sometimes the best ones happen beyond them, when we decide to be free and act as we wish.

49. Read something written by a great mind.

There are books that it is a sin not to read; books that everyone should read. One of those Jordan Peterson phrases in favor of culturalization.

50. Write a letter to the government if you think something needs fixing – and propose a solution.

Peterson suggests that we stay active and denounce what we consider unfair.

51. Remember that what you don’t know is more important than what you already know.

Every day we can learn new things; That is why we must be open to learning, and give value to the things we do not yet know, so that we can learn them.

52. The boldest possible approach to life and I would say the most meaningful approach is to tell the truth and let whatever happens happen. It is an adventure.

The truth sets us free, they say. And sincerity is the best tool to have a coherent life with ourselves and to be at peace and harmony.

53. We associate masculinity with tyranny and that is very hard for young people.

Not all men have to be “masculine,” nor does masculinity necessarily imply tyranny.

54. Positive discrimination as a corrective element is horrible.

For example, positive discrimination is not charging admission to a nightclub for a person who uses a wheelchair. In the end, it is another type of discrimination, but discrimination itself.

55. Without Christianity, and its emphasis on truth at all costs, science would never have occurred.

According to Peterson, Christianity has been essential for the emergence of science.

56. I hope sensible people can push back against the collectivist fools on the left and right. We’ll see.

According to this phrase, extremes are never good; Not in politics either.

57. Be careful with unearned wisdom.

Since this can make us arrogant.

58. If you continue to accept being a slave, you will continue to generate tyrants.

If we accept less than what we deserve, and do not change the situation, we will continue to perpetuate the same thing, and only people will come to us who will take advantage.

59. People generally do not change unless a traumatic event occurs in their life that triggers the brain into a new action.

It is very difficult for people to change. However, very strong events that shake us inside can change our way of being to a certain extent.

60. History is the biography of the human race.

What our ancestors have experienced shapes the map of life, as well as ourselves. We are creating the story.

61. What scientific truth tells you is: what things are. Genuine religious truth tells you: how you should act. They are different things.

Each science or movement can guide us in one field or another. Here he differentiates the contributions of religion from those of science.

62. Competition can take us where popularity cannot.

Competition is more important than popularity to get what we want, according to this quote from Peterson.

63. Income inequality is increasing, and you might ask, “Why is that?” Well, that’s what money does.

Money can corrupt, and it has a lot of power. There will always be inequalities and injustices in relation to money.

64. Watch people like a hawk, and when they do something good, tell them.

This phrase talks about reinforcing appropriate and kind behaviors in people.

65. Pain is the only thing people will never deny.

We all feel pain at some point, and that is undeniable.

66. If religion was the opium of the masses, then communism was the methamphetamine of the masses.

Ideologies and religions, according to Peterson’s phrase, end up being like “drugs” for society. Perhaps because of its addictive power, because of its power over us or because of its negative consequences.

67. Evil is the conscious desire to produce suffering where suffering is not necessary.

It talks about evil, and wanting to hurt people in an unjustified way.

68. It is definitive chaos that generates partial chaos, but that chaos is also what revives life, because otherwise it would simply be static.

Chaos, changes… are what generate challenges and what allow movement: that is moving forward and progressing.

69. We know that we are scientists, because we are always abstracting things that we cannot immediately observe.

Science asks questions and tries to solve them, through observing, abstracting, reflecting, analyzing…

70. I think the reason the story of Adam and Eve has been immune to oblivion is because it says things about the nature of the human condition that are always true.

Peterson makes many references to religion and science in his writings. Here you can see how he uses some religious legends to explain more scientific topics.

71. Truth is the antidote to the suffering that emerges with the fall of man in the story of Adam and Eve.

As in many other phrases, here Peterson continues to allude to the power of truth (whether in scientific or religious matters…).

72. The victory you achieve through the set of all games is not winning… it is being invited to play…

In the end, we enjoyed not only the victory, but also during the game. You win is another way of playing.

73. When you graduate, you have simultaneously reached the pinnacle of something, but in the same way it instantly transforms you into a beginner in the next stage of your life.

Life is stages; Maybe we finished one, but we just started others. That’s what living is all about; in opening and closing stages.

74. People think that the purpose of memory is to remember the past and that is not the purpose of memory. The purpose of memory is to extract lessons from the past to structure the future.

Here Peterson talks about the importance of memory and its function, which is not really to allow us to recall memories, but rather to allow these memories to serve us for the future.

75. It is the naive, pleasant and harmless person who is exploitable by the malevolent psychopath and that is not a moral virtue. That’s just weakness.

According to Peterson, with this phrase, the fact that the strongest people (or in this case, psychopaths) take advantage of the weakest is not a question of morality, but of the weakness of the latter.