Principles

My contrarian and not-so-contrarian beliefs, separated by core principles and hard-won life lessons.

Enduring Value

History fascinates me. It is a lived experiment of humanity's attempt at creating longevity, and ultimately something, whether a manuscript, empire, or governance system, that outlives its creator.

There is no natural reason to do this. Our animal instinct tells us to survive. Yet in its midst, we have masters, da Vinci, Napoleon, and the like, who hold a grudging, irrational desire to create a legacy that ripples beyond their generation.

I'm interested in what gives certain works this kind of longevity, and why some individuals devote their lives to building something they may never live to see fully realized.

Mastery

Mastery opens with a quote from Von Goethe:

Everyone holds his fortune in his own hands, like a sculptor the raw material he will fashion into a figure. But it’s the same with that type of artistic activity as with all others: We are merely born with the capability to do it. The skill to mold the material into what we want must be learned and attentively cultivated.

We are all born with an innate inclination toward something. I believe the chief objective of life is to discover and cultivate this.

However, our culture glorifies prestige, quick wins, and flamboyant displays of accomplishment, which increasingly blur our true desires from childhood. To spend long stretches of unfruitful work on something is quietly scorned. It is unusual to sustain decades-long relationships with something with no immediate payoff.

It's necessary to tease out distractions and rekindle our relationship with intuition, and subjects that bring out an "emotional quality" in its intensity. Mastery is a critical and overlooked aspect of fulfillment.

Seriousness

Seriousness is deep engagement and caring about creating enduring value. Katherine Boyle's writing on shields of irony captures how often irony dulls seriousness to defend against "caring too much".

I think all great work is approached with unusual conviction and caring.

Obsession

Self-made success is one of the most peculiar and incredible human phenomena. Growing up without a silver spoon puts your odds of success at near zero. Yet some of the most exceptional people in history rose from nothing.

This deeply fascinates me. I think this is one of the root nodes of what makes humanity exceptional: the raw drive, determination, and pure obsession to create something, to literally go against the natural mechanics of the world. I am always excited to hear stories about this, and it deeply motivates my work (see curations).

Hard-Won Lessons in Life

Inspired by Principles by Nabeel.

1. Your time estimates are always wrong. Always multiply your expectations by at least 2x.
2. Get really good at reading bullshit. It is often disguised as prestige and status.
3. You know much less than you think. Always assume this baseline.
4. Ride the intoxicating force (anger, regret, etc.) to push yourself to work harder.
5. Stick with your convictions ruthlessly. If the group does not align, leave rather than conform for the sake of harmony.
6. Sticking with habits means creating artificial routines for yourself: drink the same coffee, wear the same clothes, eat the same thing, run every morning.
7. Prioritize fulfillment over optics early on. Passion and obsession will naturally lead to recognition much more than the other way around.
8. Never conflate good talkers with good doers. You need to battle-test capability before drawing conclusions.
9. Don't feel compelled to market yourself without substance. Trust that the quality of your work will bring the right people to you. If you are not at that point yet, focus on your work, not your marketing.
10. From Alex Karp: If you are not naturally good at something, don't do it. Find the thing you are asymmetrically good at.