12 Jordan B. Peterson Quotes For a Better Life

Jordan B. Peterson is a Canadian professor of psychology and cultural critic, who has taught at Harvard and the University of Toronto. Dr. Peterson specializes in personality psychology with a particular interest in the psychology of religious and ideological beliefs.

He stands out because he not only has thought-provoking ideas that challenge the status quo but is highly educated and works with some of the top universities in the world which serves to further solidifies his arguments.

Many criticize him for his seemingly conservative views (not at all actually, if you listen carefuly to what he is saying!) Whatever your beliefs about Dr. Jordan Peterson, the fact remains…the man has wisdom to share and value to offer.

And today, I want to break down what I believe to be some of the best Jordan Peterson quotes on the internet.

What are the 12 most important Jordan B. Peterson quotes and the phillars of his philosophy?

1. “Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.”

No doubt, there are a few things to crtitize in our world… Indeed, our planet is placed under an ever-growing strain as greedy corporations pillage our resources for the sake of a quick dollar. But does the criticism lead us to anywhere?

The flood of negative news can be just another excuse distracting us from taking care of our own lives.

Jordan Peterson powerful quote serves as a reminder that, no matter how bad the world might be, we are in no position to criticize it until we have set our own lives in order. Want to help others? Help yourself first.

We criticize others for lying, cheating, and greed…failing to notice the hypocrisy in ourselves. Oftentimes we support by purchasing products from corporations and leaders whose destructive activities that pollute and destroy the planet we deeply criticize.

Before you criticize the world or any other man, tend first to fix your own nearest world. Pull yourself together and set your own world in order physically, financially, professionally, and emotionally.

All your tiny everyday decisions, repeated over the years, determine the quality of your life and how much resopurces we have to help the outside world. Once you set your own world correctly, sacrifiying some temporary pleasures for the bigger goals, the wisdom and real means to help the planet will come iteself, as set in the second insigintful Jordan B. Peterson quote:

2. “Can you imagine yourself in 10 years if, instead of avoiding the things you know you should do, you actually did them every single day? That’s powerful.”

Too often we live our lives for the present moment.

Which doesn’t necesairly mean LIVING THE PRESENT MOMENT. I rather mean that we focus on the pain and pleasure caused by our actions today instead of considering the long term effects of our decisions.

The small decisions, repeated over the years, that determine the quality of your life. Things like neglecting your friends, skipping exrecising, smoking cigarettes, Netflix real life replacement, choosing work over family… Does that bring you closer to the person you want to be?

How to achieve living your days to the fullest?

Here is another Jordan B. Peterson quote:

“You must determine where you are going in your life, because you cannot get there unless you move in that direction. Random wandering will not move you forward. It will instead disappoint and frustrate you and make you anxious and unhappy and hard to get along with (and then resentful, and then vengeful, and then worse). ”

So many people hate making schedule associating it with some sort of a prison. The key is to:

Set the schedule to have the day you want.

Not the prison! Of course that there will be a bit of responsibility… Maybe 20% has to be some responsibility, you have to schedule that damn responsibility! You have to negotiate with yourself like with someone you care for.

If you get only 50 %, aim for 51 % next week. Plan the life you would like to have. You have to understand you are not your own servant, negotiate with yourself. It’s not like cracking a wip and then procrastinating, and cracking a wip and then procrastination. Boring….

What you do now is going to say of the future. You need to know what your damn time is worth. When you waste 6 hours per day look at how many it 9ts overy the years! If you waste time you are going to suffer existentially long term.

If for 10 years you did not avoid what you knew you needed to do, what would your life be like?

We don’t know the limits to that. You are not everything you could be and you know it. But there is a REAL promise in that. There is another way you can act in the world. Imagine that many people! The remarkable things! We are already lifting people up to poverty faster than ever. There is a lot of inequality but overall we are lifting people’s lives.

I often ask undergraduates how many hours you waste. During the day is a classic answer 4 hours  The classic half a year work weeks per year. 50 thousands a year. What if you finally stop WASTING the opportunities which are around you. Things you do and don’t do are far more important than you think.

3. “Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.”

We are bombared with images of successful human beings straight from our phone while supping a morning coffee. In the moments of waekness we may start to believe that what social media provides us is a true story, whereas these are just “snapshots” of one’s success, without a broader context.

The second we feel like we’ve “made it”, a quick scroll through Instagram will remind us that we are a tiny fish in a very big pond… There always will be someone or something smarter, richer, or better looking than you are.

But here’s the part most people miss. The fact is, that you don’t know a shit about their story…You don’t know the priviliges with which they started…or the price that they paid to become the person they are.

Oftentimes, if it’s true it’s already an advanced chapter of someone’s story, so don’t compare your “Chapter 1” to someone else’s “Chapter 30”.

So, in every single situation, instead of comparing yourself to others, compare yourself to the person you were yesterday. Are you a better human being than before? Stronger, nicer, and more aware and connected to other quality human beings than you were yesterday? That’s only what matters.

4. “Work as hard as you possibly can on at least one thing and see what happens.”

Devote yourself fully to something at least once in his life and see where it leads you. Explore your fullest capacity… adopting the mindset “I will either make this work or die”… Univers support truly devoted warriors.

No matter of the outcome, if toy achieve syuccess of failure, you will become a person who knows from experience what he is truly capable of.

5. “Accept the fact that this journey will not be smooth and that no matter what happens, you will take responsibility for your life. ”

Life is rough, but if luck comes your way you should be grateful for that. Life is very difficult and we work all day, and some of us have a very hard time sometimes. It’s not fair. Should they be bitter? Violent? These things don’t help.

“I don’t think that you have any insight whatsoever into your capacity for good until you have some well-developed insight into your capacity for evil.”

We like to imagine ourselves as paragons of goodness and virtue and assume that whatever we’re doing is “good” because we’re the ones doing it (and can rationalize any action given enough time).

But the truth is, all of us, you, me, and everyone you know are capable of more evil than we possibly realize. For example, the man who believes himself “immune” to addiction will be far more likely to experiment with narcotics (and put himself on a dangerous path) than the man who has suffered the pain of addiction firsthand and knows he’s only one misstep away from drug-induced destitution.

6. “The way that you make people resilient is by voluntarily exposing them to things that they are afraid of and that make them uncomfortable.”

In the Western world, we no longer have to face the elements, hunger, physically fight against animals or wander for miles seeking clean water.

We live in a world of unprecedented ease and comfort. Almost everything we need is available with the click of a button. Modern humans became not only incapable of defending or providing for themselves but incapable of suffering the mildest of inconveniences.

We take things for granted, and and it’s made us weak.

To be a strong, grounded man capable of achieving his deepest desires…you must familiarize yourself with some sort discomfort, and even expose yourself to face your fears instead of avoiding it.

Do things that scare you and cause discomfort to become a more capable man as a result. More in the topic of becoming a modern warrior? Check our selection of 33 Powerful David Goggins quotes, one of the toughest men alive.

7. “If you don’t say what you think then you kill your unborn self. When you have something to say, silence is a lie.”

Most men today aren’t living, they’re merely existing. Men today have lost their backbone, they’ve lost the fire in their belly and the passion in their soul. Every day, they are given an opportunity to speak their truth, to stand their ground, to authentically express themselves and share with the world who and what they really are.

But they rarely take it.

Dr. Peterson’s quote that “when you have something to say, silence is a lie”, serves as a helpful reminder that it is your duty and obligation to speak up when necessary.

While others ignore injustice and bury their heads in the sand, it is your duty to speak up. To stand for your values and ethics. To make it known when boundaries have been crossed.

8. “You’re going to pay a price for every bloody thing you do and everything you don’t do. You don’t get to choose to not pay a price. You get to choose which poison you’re going to take.”

No matter what decision you make, you are always paying a price…whether you’re conscious of it or not.

The decision to play small, stay safe, and stick to the status quo comes with the price of unrealized potential, boredom, and stagnant life.

The decision to go all out, take bold risks, and challenge the status quo comes with the price of being misunderstood, of suffering for years (possibly decades) in pursuit of the uncommon, and of facing judgment and ridicule from the very people who should support us.

9. “Work as hard as you possibly can on at least one thing and see what happens.”

Few men understand the true meaning of “hard work.” I’m not referring to physical labor but rather to the experience of giving everything you have to a project or passion.

The simple fact is most men are dabblers. We pathologically half-ass our way from one career, business, or pursuit to the next, failing to go all out and risk everything in pursuit of our ambitions.

But at least once in his life, every man should shun this way of being and commit to something with his entire being. Whether met with failure or success, the experience of leaving nothing on the table…of exerting yourself to your fullest capacity…of adopting the mindset “I will either make this work or die”…will leave you a stronger man who knows from experience what he is truly capable of.

10. “You might be winning but you’re not growing, and growing might be the most important form of winning.”

All too often, we predicate our success on the attainment of some externality…a certain number in our bank account…a house in a specific neighborhood…a stunning girlfriend with a perfect body…

But we forget that success is not about someone outside of ourselves…it’s about who we become through the process of pursuing our goals.

I know countless men who seem to be “winning”. They have enough money to buy an NFL team…a harem of beautiful women at the beck and call…six-pack abs and arms big enough to give Arnold a run for his money…but they aren’t fulfilled.

Their success bred stagnation and they abandoned the pursuit of personal, professional, and spiritual growth long ago.

If you aren’t growing as a man (emotionally, spiritually, mentally, physically and professionally), you aren’t winning.

When it’s all said and done, growth is the only thing that matters. So commit to growth and trust that the rest will take care of itself.

11. “You must determine where you are going in your life, because you cannot get there unless you move in that direction. ”

Random wandering will not move you forward. It will instead disappoint and frustrate you and make you anxious and unhappy and hard to get along with (and then resentful, and then vengeful, and then worse).

Get clear on your purpose and your life will change forever.

every man must, at some point in his life, commit to a course of action. He must pick a goal, an ideal for his life, a path and a purpose, and stick to it no matter what.

A man without purpose, a man who has no direction in his life and no destination he is trying to reach, is like a leaf in the wind. He will be blown to and fro in the slightest gust and his lack of vision will derail his success and lead to unnecessary pain.

There’s absolutely no doubt you can be slightly better tomorrow than you are today.

12. “Men and women aren’t the same. And they won’t be the same. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be treated fairly.”

Despite the controversies around Jordan B. Peterson, he believes in equality of women and men, with a concern of their biological differences.

He has officialy admitted that he would have called a transgender women she/her, therfore he confirms that people should be called by prounouns, they select for their own.

How about LOVE and relationships? What does a perfect positive relationship look like?

You may say: Utopia! Not at all! 

You don’t want a full bliss, and a partner who is petting you with compliments about how nice you are. Constantly….

Crises are fine as long as they are manageable.

A real relationship is a wrestling match. I’m not a narcissistic partner who never wants to be challenged or someone who delivers exactly what he was told to deliver. Or mistreat them. You don’t want any of that!

You want someone who makes you smile and who you can rely on and they will help you when you need.

People need so little encouragement, they don’t necessarily get. You cannot overestimate the power of that. It’s a chain reaction and a lovely thing to see the encouragement of one another. 

You have the responsibility to those whom you love so they manifest themselves in a manner which is the most beneficial to them in the long run.