Who Moved My Cheese?

by Spencer Johnson

First published 1998 · 94 pages · English

18 quotes ★ 3.87 (518,443) Nonfiction

Quotes from the Book

Life moves on and so should we

What would you do if you weren't afraid?

What you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine. The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists.

When you stop being afraid you feel good

The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.

See what you're doing wrong, laugh at it, change and do better.

If you do not change, you can become extinct !

He knew sometimes some fear can be good. When you are afraid things are going to get worse if you don't do something, it can prompt you into action. But it is not good when you are afraid that it keeps you from doing anything.

The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists

It is safer to search in the maze than to remain in a cheeseless situation

Being in the uncomfortable zone is much better than staying in the cheese-less situation .

He asked himself those some questions too many times and felt the fears again that kept him where he was

Sometimes, Hem, things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one of those times. That's life! Life moves on. And so should we.

Smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old.

The More Important Your Cheese Is To You The More You Want To Hold On To It.

It all depends on what you choose to believe.

things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one, of those times, Hem. That's life! Life moves on. And so should we.

I guess we resist changing, because we are afraid of change.

Did you know?

The book uses two mice, Sniff and Scurry, and two little people, Hem and Haw, to illustrate different responses to change.
The "cheese" is a metaphor for what a person wants in life, such as a job, relationship, or possessions.
As of 2018 it had sold almost 30 million copies worldwide in dozens of languages, making it one of the best-selling business books ever.
Author Spencer Johnson had earlier co-written the bestseller "The One Minute Manager" with Kenneth Blanchard.
Johnson published a sequel, "Out of the Maze," in November 2018.
Johnson trained in medicine, earning an M.D. from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, before turning to writing.

About Spencer Johnson

Spencer Johnson, M.D. (1938-2017) was an American physician and author known for writing simple parables that convey practical lessons about life and work. He co-wrote the bestseller "The One Minute Manager" with Kenneth Blanchard before achieving worldwide success with "Who Moved My Cheese?"

More about the author →

About the book

"Who Moved My Cheese?" is a short business parable by physician-turned-author Spencer Johnson, first published by G.P. Putnam's Sons in 1998. It tells the story of four characters living in a maze: two mice named Sniff and Scurry, and two little people named Hem and Haw. All four depend on a supply of "cheese" that one day disappears from its familiar location, forcing each to decide how to respond to the sudden loss.

The "cheese" is a metaphor for whatever we want in life, and the maze stands for the place where we look for it, whether that is a job, a relationship, or a set of comforts. The mice, acting on instinct, simply set off to find new cheese, while Hem resists the change and Haw only slowly overcomes his fear and ventures back into the maze. Along the way Haw scrawls lessons on the walls, distilling the book's central message: change is inevitable, and adapting quickly rather than clinging to the past leads to less stress and more success.

The book became one of the best-selling business titles of its era, spending years on bestseller lists and selling roughly 30 million copies in dozens of languages. Widely distributed in workplaces during periods of corporate change, its simple framework made it a cultural touchstone, though some critics argued its message encouraged uncritical acceptance of upheaval. Johnson later returned to the maze with a 2018 sequel, "Out of the Maze."

Book details

First published: 1998
Length: 94 pages
Reading time: 1 hour
Author: Spencer Johnson
Genre: Nonfiction
Goodreads rating: 3.87 (518k ratings) →

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