MJ DeMarco
I followed the science; all I found was money.
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The Greatest Myth of Knowledge ...
Imagine holding a winning lottery ticket, but letting it expire in your wallet—uncashed. Millions lost.
Imagine joining a cutting-edge gym, learning all the lifts, and then never setting foot inside again.
Imagine possessing a map to buried treasure but ignoring it because the journey might be inconvenient, uncomfortable, or demand a few sacrifices.
Imagine mastering everything there is to know about the stock market—RSI, Bollingers, Stochastics— to a level that could rival a billionaire hedge fund quant, and yet never buying a single share.
Imagine owning a loaded gun, and when a serial killer kicks down your door, you freeze, and you get slaughtered.
Imagine having the blueprint to create massive wealth as an entrepreneur, but instead of building the empire, you keep reading more books, tinkering with the idea, waiting for "the right moment."
Each of these scenarios reveals the same brutal truth that kills more dreams than a 9-5 job: the myth of knowledge as power.
Because knowledge isn’t power.
Knowledge is latent, potential power.
Over the last 15 years, I’ve gotten thousands of reader testimonials.
Over time, I noticed an 80/20 pattern: two distinct types of responses.
80% of the testimonials are a declaration of latent, unused potential. They go like this:
Your book was great; I finally understand what I need to do.
I loved your book! What should I read next?
Your book changed my life. I feel ready to pursue what matters.
These people found the treasure map, but they haven’t started digging.
They’ve got a winning ticket, but they haven’t cashed it in.
They’re holding the gun, but they’re not pulling the trigger.
Then there’s the other 20%.
These are the testimonials from people who didn’t just absorb knowledge—they executed. (And yes, these are real testimonials, the 85M seems to be a pattern!):
I sold my company for $85M.
I've read this book three times. It made me my first $100,000. It changed my perspective on life, especially the chapter on speed and execution.
I started a business, and now I earn $30K passively every month.
This man’s book, The Millionaire Fastlane, changed my life. I’ve done $85 million in sales since reading it. Highly recommended.
Do you see the difference? One group collects ideas. The other acts on them.
The same could be said for powerful tools or resources which go unused.
For example, artificial intelligence. Are you using it? Or is it a life weapon you refuse to deploy?
Likewise, I cofounded GoalSumo which is a simple, but powerful goal-setting, goal-planning, and productivity system that laser-focuses ambitious goals into winning days and winning weeks.
This is a powerful resource right out of the box that doesn't require special tweaks or customization; by itself it is potential power, executed daily and it becomes executed power.
So ask yourself: have you become a knowledge zombie? Has knowledge hypnotized you into thinking you're making progress?
Did you read one, or all of my books, and then ask, “What should I read next?”
If so, you’re stuck.
And as my mom used to say, Shit, or get off the pot.
- MJ DeMarco
PS1: Great video here which inspired this post...
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS2yF1dUYfs
PS2: Check out @Andy Black's threads (his signature) as he lists a lot of remedies to this Knowledge Zombism.
This the most self-destructive myth that you absolutely need to fix. If you don't, you'll transform you into an unproductive Knowledge Zombie that achieves nothing.
Imagine holding a winning lottery ticket, but letting it expire in your wallet—uncashed. Millions lost.Imagine joining a cutting-edge gym, learning all the lifts, and then never setting foot inside again.Imagine possessing a map to buried treasure but ignoring it because the journey might be inconvenient, uncomfortable, or demand a few sacrifices.Imagine mastering everything there is to know about the stock market—RSI, Bollingers, Stochastics— to a level that could rival a billionaire hedge fund quant, and yet never buying a single share.Imagine owning a loaded gun, and when a serial killer kicks down your door, you freeze, and you get slaughtered.Imagine having the blueprint to create massive wealth as an entrepreneur, but instead of building the empire, you keep reading more books, tinkering with the idea, waiting for "the right moment."Each of these scenarios reveals the same brutal truth that kills more dreams than a 9-5 job: the myth of knowledge as power.
Because knowledge isn’t power.
Knowledge is latent, potential power.
Over the last 15 years, I’ve gotten thousands of reader testimonials.
Over time, I noticed an 80/20 pattern: two distinct types of responses.
80% of the testimonials are a declaration of latent, unused potential. They go like this:
Your book was great; I finally understand what I need to do.
I loved your book! What should I read next?
Your book changed my life. I feel ready to pursue what matters.
These people found the treasure map, but they haven’t started digging.
They’ve got a winning ticket, but they haven’t cashed it in.
They’re holding the gun, but they’re not pulling the trigger.
Then there’s the other 20%.
These are the testimonials from people who didn’t just absorb knowledge—they executed. (And yes, these are real testimonials, the 85M seems to be a pattern!):
I sold my company for $85M.
I've read this book three times. It made me my first $100,000. It changed my perspective on life, especially the chapter on speed and execution.
I started a business, and now I earn $30K passively every month.
This man’s book, The Millionaire Fastlane, changed my life. I’ve done $85 million in sales since reading it. Highly recommended.
Do you see the difference? One group collects ideas. The other acts on them.
The same could be said for powerful tools or resources which go unused.
For example, artificial intelligence. Are you using it? Or is it a life weapon you refuse to deploy?
Likewise, I cofounded GoalSumo which is a simple, but powerful goal-setting, goal-planning, and productivity system that laser-focuses ambitious goals into winning days and winning weeks.
This is a powerful resource right out of the box that doesn't require special tweaks or customization; by itself it is potential power, executed daily and it becomes executed power.
So ask yourself: have you become a knowledge zombie? Has knowledge hypnotized you into thinking you're making progress?
Did you read one, or all of my books, and then ask, “What should I read next?”
If so, you’re stuck.
And as my mom used to say, Shit, or get off the pot.
- MJ DeMarco
PS1: Great video here which inspired this post...
PS2: Check out @Andy Black's threads (his signature) as he lists a lot of remedies to this Knowledge Zombism.
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