"Stop trying to be interesting. Be interested"
About this Quote
In an economy that rewards constant self-branding, "Stop trying to be interesting. Be interested" reads like a small act of rebellion disguised as advice. Codie Sanchez isn’t selling bohemian mystique; she’s selling leverage. The line pushes back on the performance of personality - the curated hot takes, the hustle-posting, the anxious need to be seen - and replaces it with a quieter, more useful posture: attention.
The intent is practical. Entrepreneurs live and die by information: what customers actually do, where margins hide, which boring industry is quietly printing money. Trying to be interesting makes you broadcast. Being interested makes you listen. That shift changes outcomes: you ask better questions, you notice unglamorous details, you build relationships that aren’t transactional from the first sentence.
There’s subtext, too: "interesting" is often code for status-seeking. It’s the LinkedIn version of charisma, optimized for applause rather than understanding. Sanchez’s framing punctures that. Curiosity becomes the more scalable flex, because it doesn’t depend on being the loudest person in the room; it depends on being the most present. Ironically, that’s also how people become genuinely compelling. We’re drawn to those who make us feel observed rather than outshouted.
The context is late-stage attention culture, where identity is treated like a content pipeline. Sanchez’s quote works because it offers a simple swap: drop the exhausting project of self-invention and adopt a stance that produces both social and financial returns. Interest, here, isn’t softness; it’s strategy.
The intent is practical. Entrepreneurs live and die by information: what customers actually do, where margins hide, which boring industry is quietly printing money. Trying to be interesting makes you broadcast. Being interested makes you listen. That shift changes outcomes: you ask better questions, you notice unglamorous details, you build relationships that aren’t transactional from the first sentence.
There’s subtext, too: "interesting" is often code for status-seeking. It’s the LinkedIn version of charisma, optimized for applause rather than understanding. Sanchez’s framing punctures that. Curiosity becomes the more scalable flex, because it doesn’t depend on being the loudest person in the room; it depends on being the most present. Ironically, that’s also how people become genuinely compelling. We’re drawn to those who make us feel observed rather than outshouted.
The context is late-stage attention culture, where identity is treated like a content pipeline. Sanchez’s quote works because it offers a simple swap: drop the exhausting project of self-invention and adopt a stance that produces both social and financial returns. Interest, here, isn’t softness; it’s strategy.
Quote Details
| Topic | Self-Improvement |
|---|---|
| Source | Contrarian Thinking (Codie Sanchez) , social post / newsletter advice (2020s) |
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