Tom Freston Quotes & Sayings

“A career path is rarely a path at all. A more interesting life is usual a more crooked, winding path of missteps, luck and vigorous work. It is almost always a clumsy balance between the things you try to make happen and the things that happen to you.”

“Innovation is taking two things that already exist and putting them together in a new way.”

“People often say that a bad event is a 'blessing in disguise.' Trust me, experience will teach you that some are unbelievably well disguised. Everyone gets fired, or decides to make a radical change at some point. Everyone suffers setbacks.”

“Only true love can fuel the hard work that awaits you.”

“When I got fired, I had a feeling of loss because Viacom had been a passionate long-term relationship. But I got my balance back. I guess it's like getting jilted by a girlfriend, a serious girlfriend. You move on.”

“I always imagined myself somehow as an electron around some atom, and you're just, like, bouncing around and spinning. There was a never-ending supply of places to go, people to see, things to do, and fitting it all in became kind of an art.”

“The skills you acquire can always be effectively redeployed. You will look back on setbacks and be grateful for the catalyst that came not a moment too soon.”

“Authenticity is really important, and sometimes that's really hard to get.”

“Sometimes I just like the feeling of being a minority and seeing how far you can push yourself in extreme circumstances.”

“Travel is the best and probably cheapest graduate school you can buy.”