Taxi Driver Wisdom — interesting quotes from New York City cab drivers

At a used book sale I went to recently, I picked up this little gem of a book — the author went around and had conversations with New York City cab drivers and then published a select number of quotes into this book. I found some of the quotes quite interesting and I wanted to take this lazy Sunday blog post to share a few of them.

On starting a relationship -> “New shoes always hurt”

There are always going to be pains and fights with a new relationship (could be a romantic one, friendship, partnership, work relationship) and you sometimes have to get through some of the issues at first to become a success.

Is God a socialist? -> “You’re not any safer in first class”

A good quote to remind you that just because you are much better off in life does not mean that you are any ‘safer’ in any way compared to another person or that you deserve to be much safer.

On the heat of the moment -> “When your man is mad, wait, wait until he’s in the right mood. Never approach fire with gas”

Applicable to not just men but women too — a big argument can be avoided if you approach people at the right time.

On fate -> “If someone steals your cab, then it wasn’t your cab”

Not to worry, another cab will be just around the corner. But the same quote applies to the things that are in your life too and you have to remember to persevere sometimes.

Defying gravity -> “As a couple gets older, they pleasure each other with laughter instead of sex”

Important to remember that we should be intellectually stimulated with our loved ones.

On vanity economics -> “The worse a town’s economy is, the better looking the guys who work at the local gas stations are”

I found this interesting and I guess it has some truth to it.

On being fickle -> “The things you love are as stupid as the things you hate and are easily interchangeable”

If the quote applies to you then it applies to other people as well. A while ago, I remember one of my coworkers talking about the several thousand dollar bike that he bought for racing and I said “that’s crazy, I would never spend several thousand dollars on a bike” but another coworker pointed out that I purchase badminton rackets for a few hundred dollars which really is the same thing but for a different sport.

On getting to know someone -> “Don’t be conservative with a new love. Be liberal and you will find what you want to know. Don’t stop them at each thing they say or they will try to be careful with you and you’ll never know what sort of person they want to be”

Great advice not just for romantic relationships but with everyone (although I can honestly say that I don’t follow this advice as much as I probably should).

On lust -> “When there is something you want, it seems it is everywhere”

For a period of time, when I wanted a Canada Goose jacket, I saw everyone on the street and at work wearing one. It was weird.

On story settings -> “Travel is to spread your life all over the world”

There are many great things about travel which probably deserves a longer post but I think that every time you travel, you leave a piece of yourself wherever you travel and you take a piece of wherever you were with you when you come back.

Judging character -> “Don’t look at what he is not. Look at what he is.”

I like this quote because it’s also a good way to think about things — why don’t I have a car or why don’t I have a million in the bank. This quote helps to reframe your perspective and give you a sense of gratitude.

On guilty pleasure -> “Never be embarrassed about something you like”

Once, I happened to get into a conversation with another guy at the gym. He was telling me about where he worked, what kind of workouts he liked and me being the nice guy that I am decided to entertain him with conversation. After some time, a girl walked by who, in my eyes, wasn’t super attractive, and she was the girlfriend of the guy I was talking to. They talked about their plans for after the workout and after she left, I looked at her walking away and the guy remarked “She’s really nice to me” — I thought maybe this was his way of compensating for the fact that she wasn’t super attractive but I (hopefully) did not give a judgmental look to make him think that way.

About the author:

Wang is a management consultant, self-published author, Distinguished Toastmaster, co-host of a podcast, Udemy teacher, former Uber driver and all around hustler. He is also obsessed about books and he reads books so that you don’t have to. Want a list of Wang’s top ten formative books in his life and career? Interested in book summaries and recommendations every month? Subscribe to Wang’s e-mail newsletter!