Get Wisdom shortcut

Use Apple Shortcuts to fetch a random bit of Merlin Mann’s wisdom.

Fetches a random gem of wisdom from Merlin Mann’s living document and displays it. Alternatively, if you activate the shortcut via Siri, it will speak the bit of wisdom out loud to you. 

Inspired by @RyanMorey on Twitter. Learn more about its creation in this blog post.

Download the shortcut ↓

Run This Shortcut

You can run this shortcut from its URL (such as from within a note, calendar event, or to-do item):

shortcuts://run-shortcut?name=Get%20Wisdom

Latest Release Notes

Version 1.4 - July 3, 2023, 11:00pm

  • Refreshed the introductory ‘Comment’ actions to more accurately describe the shortcut and include updated links.
  • Added new ‘Comment’ actions to explain what different sections of the shortcut accomplish.
Version History

Version 1.3 - Jan. 16, 2022, 10:45am

  • Updated to be compatible with Mac (Thanks @nickgertler!)
  • Changed the source to Merlin’s GitHub repo rather than the gist
  • Download version 1.3

Version 1.2

  • Cleaned up the method of getting just the pearls of wisdom.
  • Add attribution to Merlin as part of the response.
  • Download version 1.2

Version 1.1

  • Added the RoutineHub link so users can see where to get the latest version of this shortcut
  • Download version 1.1

Version 1.0

Thanks for checking out this shortcut! It’s part of the HeyDingus Shortcuts Library. If you’re sharing my shortcuts or modifying them (or see a bug or have a feature request), I’d love to hear from you — please give me a shout! And maybe consider a donation if you find this shortcut fun or useful. Thank you. ✌️