by

Tim Ferriss

Be Useful — Arnold Schwarzenegger on 7 Tools for Life, Thinking Big, Building Resilience, Processing Grief, and More (#696)

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Artist's rendering of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Illustration via 99designs

“Don’t just worry about climbing a ladder that someone else has built. No, build your own ladder. Just don’t wait for anyone else. That’s what I did.”

— Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger (@schwarzenegger) is an Austrian-born bodybuilder, actor, businessman, philanthropist, bestselling author, and politician. He served as the thirty-eighth governor of California. His new book, Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life, is out October 10th, and his daily email newsletter Pump Club recently hit more than 500,000 subscribers and continues to grow as a positive corner of the Internet. 

Schwarzenegger has made it his mission to give back. Since his time in the Governor’s house, he’s been working diligently to combat climate change, anti-semitism, ensure fair voting practices, help youth, work with Veterans, and inspire healthy living.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Watch the interview on YouTube here.

Brought to you by Wealthfront high-yield savings account, Eight Sleep’s Pod Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating, and AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement.

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

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#696: Be Useful — Arnold Schwarzenegger on 7 Tools for Life, Thinking Big, Building Resilience, Processing Grief, and More

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The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“Wealthfront Brokerage”), member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The 3.30% Base APY on cash deposits is as of January 30, 2026, is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum balance. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where it earns the variable base APY. The Direct Deposit Plus Investing Program from Wealthfront Advisers LLC and Wealthfront Brokerage LLC provides eligible clients a 0.25% APY increase above the base APY on eligible Cash Account balances (up to an overall boosted rate of 4.30% for a limited time when including the three month 0.75% APY boost for new Cash Account clients) when you direct deposit $1,000/month plus maintain a funded investing account. Wealthfront may change or end the program at any time and determine eligibility at its discretion. Terms and conditions apply. Full details for both promotions at wealthfront.com/promo-terms.

Tim Ferriss, who is not a client, receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage LLC, which creates an incentive that results in a conflict of interest. Tim expresses his own opinions and Wealthfront does not endorse, sponsor, or promote them. This ad may not reflect the experience of other Cash Account clients, and similar outcomes are not guaranteed. Investment advisory services are provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, not bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value. See full disclosures here. 

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Want to hear the first time Arnold Schwarzenegger was on this show? Check out our conversation here, in which we discussed how Arnold uses psychological warfare to win, how Twins became his most lucrative movie, mailing bull balls to politicians, how Arnold made millions before his acting career took off, and much more.

#60: Tim Ferriss Interviews Arnold Schwarzenegger on Psychological Warfare (And Much More)

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

  • Connect with Arnold Schwarzenegger:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

SHOW NOTES

  • [06:37] Recovering from heart surgery.
  • [11:19] Age 10 entrepreneurship.
  • [15:38] Arnold’s dad and the importance of being useful.
  • [21:02] Arnold and his brother: same upbringing, different outcomes.
  • [27:53] Building ladders and never thinking small.
  • [34:49] When Arnold’s self-bet to be a comedic lead paid off.
  • [41:26] We’re all in sales.
  • [46:43] The significance of shifting gears.
  • [50:24] Grieving Franco Columbu.
  • [54:53] Aging.
  • [1:02:17] Arnold’s current state of self-identity.
  • [1:05:07] What Arnold hopes readers take away from Be Useful.
  • [1:12:18] Parting thoughts.

MORE ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“No country ever was built by people sleeping in. Austria was not built by people sleeping in. America was not built by people sleeping in. People struggled, people suffered, people worked their asses off to build this country.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Through comfort no one ever grows.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Don’t just worry about climbing a ladder that someone else has built. No, build your own ladder. Just don’t wait for anyone else. That’s what I did.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I realized then the importance of selling. That no matter what you have—if you have a podcast, if you have a movie, if you have a painting, if you have a car, a technology, a medicine, whatever it is—if people don’t know about it, you have nothing. The more people that know about your product or about your talent, the more you can go and be successful.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger

“You can be the biggest celebrity in the world, but you still get your back pain. You still get your hip pain. You still get your shoulder pain. You still get your elbow pain. You still get numb fingers. You still have to watch your heart. You still have to watch the diet. … This is all so that we stay alive longer. The time you’re born, your time is set. It’s set. The only thing that changes it is you.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I’m the guy that climbs up Mount Everest and sees another bunch of peaks, ‘Oh, my God, I didn’t even know they were there.’ And I climb them. That’s what I do, just a continuous climb. Nothing changes.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger

“In lifting, you can only know how much you lift if you’re willing to fail.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I’m not a self-made man. I have to recognize that my training, my money, everything comes from a lot of different people. … When you recognize that, you now have the responsibility of going out and helping others.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger

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