The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.
The First Principle
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself – and you are the easiest person to fool.
Losing Reputation
Lose money for the firm, and I will be understanding. Lose a shred of reputation for the firm, and I will be ruthless.
Starting In A Market Everyone Is Laughing At
If you start a company in a market everyone knows is going to be big, then you will have a ton of competition. If, however, you start a company in a market everyone is laughing at, you won’t have too many competitors.
Hyperlearners
For a highly motivated learner, it’s not like knowledge is secret and somehow the Internet made it not secret. It just made knowledge easy to find. If you’re a motivated enough learner, books are pretty good. Now, if you’re the kind of person who gets stuck on Chapter 5 and will give up if you don’t have someone to answer questions, don’t try and pick up the Feynman lectures on physics. That’s true whether it’s online or offline. A MOOC (massive open online course) is an attempt to gather a group and encourage students, almost like a typical classroom, forcing you to interact during the lecture so that it kind of wakes you up and keeps you engaged. A hyperlearner doesn’t have to have those things.
Missionaries vs Mercenaries
Confusing State and Society
Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher.
Pursuing Something Important
Pursue something so important that even if you fail, the world is better off with you having tried.