Lessons From the Greatest
One lesson for each extraordinary person I've learned from.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve been reading a wildly broad range of things. This exposed me to many of the greatest minds that have existed. I thought it would be a good moment to pause and think about what I took from these encounters.
For each person, I’m only allowed to write a sentence. I structured it roughly chronologically for it to be a bit easier for myself. Obviously, there’s an absurd number of people whom I know little to nothing about.
-Pythagoras
Wisdom begins with silence.
-Africanus
Nobody is exempt from envy and betrayal; not even those who changed the course of history.
-Hannibal
If you don’t finish the job, you’re leaving things to chances.
-Julius Caesar
Maybe a bad solution is better than no solution?
-Augustus
Designing an empire requires broad thinking.
-Trajan
Strength and character can reunite scattered, but still connected, pieces.
-Marcus Aurelius
Don’t complain; life is brief and that’s okay.
-Constantine
Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.
-Leonardo Da Vinci
Deeply attentive observation can take you where no one has yet gone.
-Machiavelli
Only a wise prince can be well advised.
-The Medici Family
Cultivate culture and re-think how processes are carried out.
-Hernan Cortés
Burning your ships causes an unparalleled desire to win.
-Copernicus and Galileo
The truth above all.
-Thomas More
If you cannot think how perfect looks like, you won’t get there.
-Isaac Newton
If we are disciplined enough, Nature will teach us a great deal about the world.
-Edmond Halley
Helping a remarkable person reach their full potential can do much more for society than oneself could on their own.
-Benjamin Franklin
Industry and frugality will take you far.
-Adam Smith
Helping man understand a new part of the world can have a large impact on people’s welfare.
-Charles Darwin
Everyone else agreeing on something does not make the thing true.
-Oscar Wilde
The highest values can corrupt you the most easily
-Alberdi – Mitre – Sarmiento – Roca
A handful of great people can give shape to a prosperous country.
-Fyodor Dostoevsky
Not all questions need to be answered.
-Sigmund Freud
An outstanding insight does not necessarily have to lead to a theory.
-Carl Jung
The thing we know the least about is our own self.
-Aldous Huxley
Sedation and hedonism are not the right path.
-Osamu Dazai
Some people live truly hard lives.
-Winston Churchill
‘If you are going through hell, keep going.’
-George Orwell
Totalitarianism is a tangible potential reality and can lead to widespread insanity.
-Viktor Frankl
We are molded with seemingly inhuman resilience.
-Ray Bradbury
‘You don’t have to burn books in a world of nonreaders, non-knowers.’
-Richard Feynman
Immense pleasure and fun can be found in thinking.
-Robert Pirsig
Be careful while pursuing knowledge.
-Murray Gell-Mann and John Gribbin
Deep complexity can arise from only a handful of elements and a bit of time.
-Lee Kuan Yew
Occasionally, a truly able and well-intentioned person comes around; give as much power to them for as long as possible.
-Steve Jobs
‘Only those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.’
-Charlie Munger
‘The best way to get what you want is to deserve what you want.’
-Warren Buffett
Compounding yields unbelievable results, but it takes time.
-Graham Hancock
There’s great merit in offering alternative versions to commonly held views.
-Jordan Peterson
In order to help others, begin with yourself.
-Elon Musk
Taking risks is necessary for achieving extraordinary things.
Final Remark
This was a much tougher exercise than I thought it would be. It reminded me how much I have yet to read; it’s a daunting amount. An immense number of incredibly talented and wise people were not included in this post. Hopefully, they’ll be so in a future one.