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Simplicity

No. 658 – December 7, 2025

Welcome to Brain Food, a weekly newsletter full of timeless ideas and insights you can use in life and work. (Read the archives). Not subscribed? Learn more and sign up.

Tiny Thoughts

Your reputation isn’t what you shout, it’s what people whisper.


Someone always has an advantage. If you don’t know who, it isn’t you.


It’s never about the outcome. It’s always about the day.

Insights

Bruce Lee on simplicity:

“Simplicity is the key to brilliance.”


Philosopher Matshona Dhliwayo on being wise:

“One who looks around him is intelligent; one who looks within him is wise.”


The GOAT Michael Jordan on listening:

“I’m not so dominant that I can’t listen to creative ideas from other people. Successful people listen. Those who don’t listen, don’t survive long.”

The Knowledge Project [Outliers]

How do you get ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results?

Mary Kay Ash built a company by solving that specific problem.

This episode breaks down how she did it. You’ll learn her twenty-three leadership lessons, why pink Cadillacs outperformed raises, and the fundamentals of incentives, recognition, and human motivation that work in any business.

+ Listen to The Greatest Saleswoman In History Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Web/Transcript | X | YouTube

Want more?
+ 23 Lessons from Mary Kay Ash
+ Members have access to all 90 of my highlights from her autobiography in the repository. (Not a member? Join Us.)

Thanks for reading,

— Shane Parrish

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