The recipe for great work is: very exacting taste, plus the ability to gratify it. - Paul Graham

One of the most consistent mistakes I made when I was younger was to spend my time learning about things that other people thought were interesting — things that were cool or prestigious — instead of trusting my own curiosity.

At any given university, the kids from public schools are smarter than the kids from private schools. This is a necessary consequence of private schools improving kids' admissions prospects, and parents wouldn't send their kids to private schools if they didn't.

Instead of "I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that," we're going to get a long, vague, and conspicuously even-handed discourse about the factors involved in the design and use of pod bay doors.