Shane Parrish Quotes

We’ll never be exceptional at anything unless we raise our standards, both of ourselves and of what’s possible.

When understanding is separated from reality, we lose our powers. Understanding must constantly be tested against reality and updated accordingly

the Tranquility of the Mind, “I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good.

If a man does not know to what port he is steering, no wind is favorable to him.

There are two ways to handle such a world: try to predict, or try to prepare.

When things happen in accord with our view of the world we naturally think they are good for us and others. When they conflict with our views, they are wrong and bad. But the world is smarter than we are and it will teach us all we need to know if we’re open to its feedback — if we keep our feet on the ground.

Self-pity feels like comfort and works like poison.

When understanding is separated from reality, we lose our powers. Understanding must constantly be tested against reality and updated accordingly. This isn’t a box we can tick, a task with a definite beginning and end, but a continuous process.

If there were a recipe for accumulated disaster, it would be giving the best of ourselves to the least important things and the worst of ourselves to the most important things.

not having the right perspective or vantage point, ego-induced denial, and distance from the consequences of our decisions.

«Science is much more than a body of knowledge. It is a way of thinking.»

Results are a function of position. You don’t need to be smarter than others to outperform them if you can out-position them. Anyone looks like a genius when they’re in a good position, and even the smartest person looks like an idiot when they’re in a bad one.

Hanlon’s Razor, when practiced diligently as a counter to confirmation bias, empowers us, and gives us far more realistic and effective options for remedying bad situations. When we assume someone is out to get us, our very natural instinct is to take actions to defend ourselves. It’s harder to take advantage of, or even see, opportunities while in this defensive mode because our priority is saving ourselves — which tends to reduce our vision to dealing with the perceived threat instead of examining the bigger picture.

Skim a lot of books. Read a few. Immediately re-read the best ones twice.

Our ego tempts us into thinking we’re more than we are.