{
  "type": "quote",
  "site": {
    "name": "Leafy Quotes",
    "language": "en",
    "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com"
  },
  "formats": "Every page has two versions with the same data: JSON (the page address + .json) and markdown (the page address + .md). Append .json or .md to any `url` in this document.",
  "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/jordan-b-peterson/12-rules-for-life/the-first-step",
  "json": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/jordan-b-peterson/12-rules-for-life/the-first-step.json",
  "markdown": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/jordan-b-peterson/12-rules-for-life/the-first-step.md",
  "id": "5ca346b9-17f8-4429-aec9-8c4a454f359b",
  "slug": "the-first-step",
  "text": "The first step, perhaps, is to take stock. Who are you? When you buy a house and prepare to live in it, you hire an inspector to list all its faults—as it is, in reality, now, not as you wish it could be. You’ll even pay him for the bad news. You need to know. You need to discover the home’s hidden flaws. You need to know whether they are cosmetic imperfections or structural inadequacies. You need to know because you can’t fix something if you don’t know it’s broken—and you’re broken. You need an inspector. The internal critic—it could play that role, if you could get it on track; if you and it could cooperate.",
  "language": "en",
  "author": {
    "name": "Jordan B. Peterson",
    "slug": "jordan-b-peterson",
    "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/jordan-b-peterson"
  },
  "book": {
    "title": "12 Rules for Life",
    "slug": "12-rules-for-life",
    "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/jordan-b-peterson/12-rules-for-life"
  },
  "character": null,
  "chapter": null,
  "chapter_parent": null,
  "page": 93,
  "verified": false,
  "original": null,
  "other_languages": [],
  "topics": [
    {
      "name": "self-knowledge",
      "slug": "self-knowledge",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/self-knowledge"
    }
  ],
  "source": {
    "name": "Wikiquote",
    "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jordan_Peterson#12_Rules_for_Life_(2017)",
    "license": {
      "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
      "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
    }
  },
  "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:01:40",
  "more_from_book": [
    {
      "id": "eea2aa18-b18b-46fe-aa70-a8da049deb3a",
      "slug": "people-organize-their",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/jordan-b-peterson/12-rules-for-life/people-organize-their",
      "text": "People organize their brains with conversation. If they don't have anyone to tell their story to, they lose their minds. Like hoarders, they cannot unclutter themselves.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 250,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "conversation",
          "slug": "conversation",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/conversation"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jordan_Peterson#12_Rules_for_Life_(2017)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:01:41"
    },
    {
      "id": "da8d4236-c124-4179-b461-c8cf6d07bdb7",
      "slug": "it-took-untold",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/jordan-b-peterson/12-rules-for-life/it-took-untold",
      "text": "It took untold generations to get you where you are. A little gratitude might be in order. If you’re going to insist on bending the world to your way, you better have your reasons.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 242,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "gratitude",
          "slug": "gratitude",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/gratitude"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jordan_Peterson#12_Rules_for_Life_(2017)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:01:41"
    },
    {
      "id": "bd8d2989-d7dd-485b-a2d8-aa347b406071",
      "slug": "freud-was-after",
      "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/jordan-b-peterson/12-rules-for-life/freud-was-after",
      "text": "Freud was, after all, a genius. You can tell that because people still hate him.",
      "language": "en",
      "character": null,
      "chapter": null,
      "chapter_parent": null,
      "page": 243,
      "verified": false,
      "original": null,
      "other_languages": [],
      "topics": [
        {
          "name": "humor",
          "slug": "humor",
          "url": "https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/humor"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "name": "Wikiquote",
        "url": "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jordan_Peterson#12_Rules_for_Life_(2017)",
        "license": {
          "label": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
          "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"
        }
      },
      "added_at": "2026-09-25T23:01:41"
    }
  ]
}
