Read The Best Advice I Ever Got Online
Authors: Katie Couric
Table of Contents
Introduction: Born on a Sunny Day
Part 1: You’ve Gotta Have Moxie: On Courage and Self-Confidence
Mario Batali, Life Is Not a Recipe
Gail Collins, Ask, and Ye Shall Receive
Bill Cosby, Don’t Be Your Own Worst Enemy
Anna Quindlen, Courage Is the Ultimate Career Move
Helen Mirren, Beware of Fear
Arianna Huffington, A Lot of Greek Chutzpah
David L. Calhoun, Develop Your Own Brand of Self-Confidence
George Lopez, Fortune Favors the Bold
Maria Shriver, Don’t Be Afraid of Being Afraid
Susan Stroman, What’s the Worst That Could Happen?
Tony Hsieh, Be Lucky
Part 2: The Bank of Experience: On Hard Work and Tenacity
Apolo Ohno, It’s Not About the Forty Seconds
Chelsea Handler, Pay Attention!
Michael Bloomberg, The Real Eighty Percent
Jeff Immelt, Be Humbled by What You Don’t Know
Donald J. Trump, Know Everything You Can
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, No Job Is Small
Jimmy Carter, Always Do Your Best
Larry King, Learn How to Listen
Muhtar Kent, In Good Times and in Bad
Ryan Seacrest, The Hardest-Working Guy in Showbiz
Robin Roberts, Determination Makes the Difference
Steven Spielberg, Listen and Learn
Part 3: Never Give In: On Pluck and Perseverance
Drew Brees, Use Adversity as an Opportunity
Michelle Kwan, Fall Down and Get Back Up
Christina Applegate, You Don’t Have the Luxury of Negative Thought
Ken Chenault, Face History and Make History
Matthew McConaughey, You Were Just Having Trouble
Morgan Freeman, You Quit, You Fail
Raúl de Molina, Against Apparent Odds, Never Give Up
Tavis Smiley, Fail Better
Valerie Plame, Life Is Unfair
Part 4: Be Unreasonable: On Passion and Dreams
Biz Stone, Think About What Is Valuable
“Dr. Phil” McGraw, Get Excited About Your Life
Alicia Keys, The Question
Barbara Walters, Follow Your Bliss
Ina Garten, If You Love Doing It, You’ll Be Very Good at It
Joyce Carol Oates, “Here Is Life …”
Chris Evert, Get Off the Sidelines!
Hugh Jackman, Trust Your Gut
Marc Shaiman, Oh, Miss Midler …
Matt Goldman, I Don’t Want to Be Reasonable
Phil Stanton, Inspiration Lives in Unexpected Places
Thomas Friedman, Be an Untouchable, Do What You Love
Wynton Marsalis, Commit with Your Whole Heart
Vera Wang, Life by Design
Part 5: Minute Particulars: On Doing What’s Right
Bob Schieffer, Momo’s Rules
General Ray Odierno, Real Success
Rania Al Abdullah, Through Other Eyes
Jay Leno, Be Open to Other People
Gloria Steinem, Top Ten Pieces of Advice I Just Made Up for Myself—See If Any Help You
Madeleine K. Albright, Never Play Hide-and-Seek with the Truth
Nia Vardalos, Be Polite
Suze Orman, Do What Is Right, Not What Is Easy
Beyoncé, Take Time to Know Yourself
Mehmet Oz, M.D., Take Time to Really Listen
Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas, Remember Where You Come From
Sheryl Crow, Do the Best You Can
Thomas Friedman, Be a Skeptic, Not a Cynic
Whoopi Goldberg, Do Unto Others
Part 6: Don’t Let the Turkeys Get You Down: On Rejection and Resilience
Kathryn Stockett, Don’t Give Up, Just Lie
Malcolm Gladwell, Don’t Turn on Your Greatest Asset
Davis Guggenheim, Don’t Listen to Can’t
Tyra Banks, SMIZE … with Your Booty
Salman Rushdie, Angela’s Asterisks
Colin Powell, It Doesn’t Matter Where You Start
Laura Linney, Never Read Your Own Reviews
Martha Stewart, Gather the Good Things
M. Night Shyamalan, Sadness
Soledad O’Brien, Push Beyond Prejudice
Part 7: Everyone Needs a Cheerleader: On Mentors and Encouragement
Christiane Amanpour, Thank You, Colonel Shaki
Al Roker, Willard’s Way
Wes Moore, Have Faith, Not Fear
Alex Rodriguez, The Power of Words
Curtis Sittenfeld, My Other (Less Neurotic) Half
Jay Leno, In Defense of Class Clowns
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Please
Ellen Levine, Get Over Yourself
Craig Ferguson, Hurry Up and Take Your Time
Maria Elena Salinas, You Never Stop Learning
Mo’Nique, Not Going Through It … Growing Through It
Melinda Gates, The Sky’s the Limit
Part 8: Look Outside Yourself: On Commitment and Contribution
Ken Burns, Do Something Lasting
Jacqueline Novogratz, Commit to Something Bigger Than Yourself
Meryl Streep, Empathy Opens Doors
John Wood, Not Every Path Should Be Linear
Lisa Ling, Give of Yourself
Maggie Doyne, Everything You Need Is Everything You Have
Mitch Albom, Giving Is Living
Michael J. Fox, Be Grateful
Scott Case, You’re Sitting on a Winning Lottery Ticket—Invest It Wisely
William J. Clinton, Be a Good Citizen
Part 9: What Boats Are Built for: On Taking Risks and Seeking Opportunity
Ellen DeGeneres, Be True to Yourself
Condoleezza Rice, Find Your Next Adventure
Matt Lauer, Sometimes You Gotta Go Off Course
General David H. Petraeus, Be Comfortable with the Uncomfortable
Fareed Zakaria, Run Fast, but Don’t Run Scared
Indra Nooyi, Opportunity Will Find You
Jane Lynch, Life Is a Series of Happy Accidents
Marissa Mayer, When There Isn’t a Right Choice …
Eric Schmidt, Say Yes
Maya Angelou, Make Your Own Path
Ruth J. Simmons, A Cold Bucket of Water
Stephen Colbert, Yes … and That’s the Word
Steve Martin, Take Chances
Part 10: Find the Joy: On Wisdom and Happiness
Jimmy Kimmel, Wisdom You Can Eat
Jane Aronson, M.D., Dare to Be Happy
Julie Bowen, Advice I Wish I’d Taken
David Axelrod, Don’t Miss Out on Life
Jay Leno, Marry Your Conscience
Jorge Ramos, Find Your Magic
Kevin Clash, What I’ve Learned from Elmo
Rosario Dawson, Feast on Your Life
Russell Baker, Ten Ways to Avoid Mucking Up the World Any Worse Than It Already Is
Wendy Walker, Positive Energy Is the New Pink
Eric Stonestreet, but mostly, have a really fun time
Conclusion: Doing the Best We Can
Edmund N. Carpenter II, Before I Die