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Sandeep Raju Prabhakar

3 min readLiving document

Pocket wisdom

A growing collection of short, mysterious phrases (aphorisms, proverbs, maxims) that I keep coming back to for clarity and perspective when life feels a little unclear.

  • life
  • philosophy

Over the years, I’ve developed a bit of a fascination with short, thought-provoking nuggets of wisdom (aphorisms, quotes, proverbs, maxims, adages, apothegms, whatever you call them). There’s something captivating about how a few words can distill deep truths, sparking reflection or offering direction when life feels a bit unclear.

I often find myself revisiting these collected bits of wisdom when I need perspective, clarity, or even a little inspiration. Somehow, they transcend time and act like little beacons, showing up exactly when you need them most, whether you’re lost in thought or just lost in general.

So, I’ve decided to curate them here, publicly. Think of this as a living document that I’ll update whenever I stumble upon something new that speaks to me. A perpetual work-in-progress, much like life itself.

You might find some of these vague, and lacking context. That’s intentional. I prefer to leave them as they are: short, mysterious, and open to interpretation. There’s a certain magic in their brevity. I like that, depending on where you are in life or what you’re going through, the same phrase can take on entirely different meanings.

So, here they are, in no specific order. Take from them what you will. They’ve helped guide me, and I hope, in some small way, they can do the same for you.

Fail often, but fail forward
What you don't know can't hurt you
Control the controllables
The dose makes the poison
Don't count other people's money
Being busy creates opportunities
Success is on the other side of your ego
There are no right answers to wrong questions
A rising tide lifts all boats
The things you run from are inside you
The best way out is always through
Never trust a man who earns a salary
The squeaky wheel gets the grease
The map is not the territory
The road to hell is paved with good intentions
Perfect is the enemy of good
There is no cure for curiosity
Adjust your sails to the wind
Ask, or remain a fool
The teacher appears when you're ready
The tree is known by its fruit
What you resist, persists
We suffer more in imagination than in reality
No one ever steps in the same river twice


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