Paul Graham Quotes

Reading history books can be useful, but the best thing is to read old books.

Implementing something doesn't guarantee that you understand it, but it's among the best evidence that you do.

Make customers discover you. Those are the only people whose opinions of you really matter.

The word "screed" is a sign of intellectual dishonesty. In practice it means no more than "something someone wrote that I disagree with," but by hiding this in the noun you use to describe the work, you make it seem as if this were some intrinsic feature of it.

If you're criticizing a good writer and the sentence you use to describe what they said is more unequivocal than the one they wrote, you've probably misinterpreted them, because a good writer says things as unequivocally as possible.

Most people don't realize that the word "dated" doesn't mean old-fashioned. Something can be both dated and also perfectly aligned with current fashions. Indeed, it's almost certain that something perfectly aligned with current fashions is also dated.

There are few sources of energy so powerful as a procrastinating college student.

Don't join a company or industry that has contempt for its customers. You can make a lot of money that way, and of course it gives you a feeling of superiority, but you'll never do great work for a market you despise.

Disappointed to learn that AUROC has nothing to do with aurochs.

When startups fail the reason is almost always that they haven't made what people want.

Histories of 20th century art will be portraits of the time and place in which they were written.

Found in Johnson's dictionary:

Morkin: A wild beast, dead through sickness or mischance.

Being strong-willed is not enough, however. You also have to be hard on yourself. Someone who was strong-willed but self-indulgent would not be called determined. Determination implies your willfulness is balanced by discipline.

At every period of history, people have believed things that were just ridiculous, and believed them so strongly that you risked ostracism or even violence by saying otherwise. If our own time were any different, that would be remarkable. As far as I can tell it isn't.

Let's start with a test: Do you have any opinions that you would be reluctant to express in front of a group of your peers?

If the answer is no, you might want to stop and think about that. If everything you believe is something you're supposed to believe, could that possibly be a coincidence? Odds are it isn't. Odds are you just think whatever you're told.