My Favorite Seth's Riffs

11 Jul 2026 #writing

Yesterday, I found Seth Godin’s riffs: a collection of his best quotes from his blog. He’s one of the writers I’ve stolen from.

Here are my favorites:

“Seek out the smallest viable audience, not the largest possible one.”

The smallest viable audience is you: who you were years ago or who you are now.

Write or create for your younger self. And if you make something just for you, at least one person will like it.

That’s why I write some of my books for my younger self. And they’re a success if at least one person outside my circle buys them.

“Write until you are not afraid to write.”

I published my first LinkedIn post in 2024, years after writing my first blog post.

But even after hundreds of posts, I still was afraid of hitting “Post.” I thought people will make fun of me. I only logged in after a couple of days of publishing. Just entering my password felt threatening. But nobody really cared.

Prove yourself wrong!

“There’s no such thing as writer’s block. There’s fear of bad writing. Simply write.”

Sure, there’s fear of bad writing.

But I’ve suffered from “I have too much on my head” block. When that happens: pause and handwrite everything you have on your mind. Empty your cup. Or walk. Walking fixes almost everything.

And there’s also “I need momentum” block. When that happens: read others’ blogs and find something to steal. When you find something, stop reading and write your own.

“We’re not born a genius, it’s a skill. And skills can be learned.”

With enough time, everything is figurable.

You don’t need 10,000 hours to reach mastery. There are shortcuts. OK, “shortcuts” sound like cheating. Instead, let’s call them: learning strategies for faster results.