A new book by Scott F. Peterson
When Words Wake Us
The wisdom we borrow, the truths we discover, and the words that shape our lives.
Paperback and ebook on Amazon · 15 chapters · quotes, scripture and honest reflection
A new book by Scott F. Peterson
The wisdom we borrow, the truths we discover, and the words that shape our lives.
Paperback and ebook on Amazon · 15 chapters · quotes, scripture and honest reflection
Why this book exists
Life teaches us through every experience we encounter — the victories we celebrate, the mistakes we regret, the choices we make, and the challenges we endure. Each lesson leaves its mark, shaping how we react and who we become.
For decades, Scott F. Peterson kept a thought book. Every quote, scripture and saying that steadied him went into it. In the hard seasons he went back to it looking for one remembered line — and often found a different one that fit the moment better. He came to call those small miracles.
Over time he began writing his own thoughts alongside the borrowed ones. When Words Wake Us is that collection, opened up: the quotes, the scripture, and a short, honest reflection on each one. Not a lecture. A companion for the seasons that ask more of you than you thought you had.
Inside the book
Each chapter gathers quotes around one theme, and every quote carries Scott's own reflection on what it cost him to learn it.
The moment the light switch flips. Epiphanies rarely bring new information — they strip away old assumptions so the truth can stand in plain sight.
Not only how to survive change, but how to celebrate it. Change is constant; progress is optional. The choices made today shape the destiny ahead.
Time is fixed; patience is flexible. A paradox sits at the center of it — it usually takes a long time to learn to be patient, and be happy about it.
When we embrace responsibility, experiences stop happening to us. We learn to shape them into an asset — and higher expectations follow.
The sharpest knife has two sides honed to a razor's edge. Business experience is a sharpening stone; so is life. Both are needed.
Principles lay the foundation for future action. Live by your values and they stop being conscious choices and become character.
The wisdom of Solomon, and what it still says about how we should live and how we should treat one another.
Epiphanies usually arrive mid-challenge. Faith does not grow by chance — it grows by choice, and only once heart and mind are ready to receive it.
Faith is bolstered by seeking and finding. We do not always get answers when we want them, but help comes when it is needed.
Seeing people through an open heart reveals their intrinsic worth — and our own. We do not have to be perfect to be worthy of love.
There is no legacy of greater worth than a life well lived — and none greater still than watching your children build their own.
Honor, respect, humility, love, perseverance, responsibility: the guiding lights that call us back in an ever-darkening world.
The central unit of love, learning and growth. The beauty of family love lies in how unconditional it is.
Service is the action that quiets a multitude of personal worries. In serving, we learn we were never struggling alone.
The moments that sway a decision, change a course, and wake a soul to accomplish more than it believed possible.
Read a page
A quote, then Scott's reflection on it. This one is from Chapter One.
"There are two great days in a person's life — the day we are born, and the day we discover why."
Mark Twain
This quote is a poignant thought from a well-loved 19th-century writer. Mark Twain made a lot of money writing stories and articles that were ultimately published across the globe. He needed the money from writing because he struggled in several business endeavors and ultimately declared bankruptcy — although he made enough money later in life to repay all his debts.
The thought shared here is key to a happy and joyful life. Finding out why we were born can include things from financial legacies to being the best neighbor we can be. Each of us has some innate abilities to impact the world. Our lives may impact a few or many, but what really matters is that we leave a positive impact on this world, regardless of its size.
I think a great impact or legacy is to ensure that our names are remembered for the good we do. Finding out how we can leave these good names is a big part of finding out why we were born.
Lines from the book
"Faith does not grow by chance. It grows by choice."
Chapter 8 · Faith Growth"Time is fixed; patience is flexible."
Chapter 3 · Patience and Time"The person standing on top of a peak did not just fall there."
Chapter 1 · Life Lessons"There is no legacy of greater worth than that of a life well lived."
Chapter 11 · LegacyWho it is for
The author
Scott has been a student of personal behavior most of his life. He has come to understand that there are circumstances in every person's life that create, direct or guide each of us to act in the many different ways that define us.
Scott grew up in less than normal family situations. He did not even realize how unusual it was until he went to college, served an LDS mission in Central America, and then returned to marry Marsha, his eternal sweetheart. Once he saw the family situation Marsha grew up within, he deemed her young life to be near utopia.
Several years ago, a church leader visited with Scott and suggested he pen some of the observations and experiences that helped change his life from what was to what is now. While the writing itself was helpful, the greater awareness came in realizing how deeply his life had changed because of choices he made. He hopes readers glean some of their own epiphanies along the way.
Alongside his writing, Scott has spent three decades in business — today in franchise development and AI visibility, helping owners grow what they have built.
Beyond the book
The same conviction that runs through these pages — that actions define us — is how Scott spends his working days: helping owners build something worth leaving behind.
When a customer asks ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI who to call in your town, someone gets named. Run Scott's free four-minute check and find out whether it is you.
Run the free checkScott works with people looking to own a franchise, and with owners ready to turn one successful location into a system others can run. Start with a conversation, not a pitch.
Talk to ScottScott speaks to teams, congregations, classes and leadership groups on values, epiphanies and legacy — and can arrange bulk copies for your group or study class.
Ask about a talkGet the book
Both editions of When Words Wake Us are published through Amazon KDP. Grab a copy for yourself, and one for the person you thought of while reading this page.
Prefer to talk to a person?
Call or text Scott at 801-717-5200
Email scott@fransurge.com
Scott's other book, Defined by Actions, is the companion to this one.
Questions about the book, a bulk order, a talk for your group, or one of the businesses above — this reaches him directly.
Questions
Partly. Section Two is openly about faith, and scripture appears throughout — Scott writes from a Latter-day Saint background and does not hide it. Sections One and Three are about life, work, patience, responsibility, family and legacy, and read as well for someone who came for the life lessons as for someone who came for the faith.
No, and most people won't. It is built to be opened anywhere. Each quote and reflection stands on its own in a page or two, which makes it work as a morning read, a nightstand book, or something you reach for when a particular day calls for it.
Many are — writers, leaders, scripture. Others are Scott's own thoughts, written over years in the same notebook. He says some of his are slight derivatives of the ones that moved him, made more direct to what he was feeling at the time.
Defined by Actions is Scott's first book — an examination of thirteen values and habits, with a personal evaluation tool to grow them. When Words Wake Us is the companion: the quotes and scripture that shaped those values, with the reflections behind them.
Yes. Use the form above or call Scott at 801-717-5200 and tell him how many you need and when. He can also join a class or group discussion by phone or video.
Yes — teams, congregations, leadership groups and classes, on values, epiphanies, responsibility and legacy. Mention your group, the date and roughly how many people in the form above.