Could civil liberties really be a cause, rather than just an effect? I think so. I think a society in which people can do and say what they want will… - Paul Graham

I think a society in which people can do and say what they want will also tend to be one in which the most efficient solutions win, rather than those sponsored by the most influential people.

The people most likely to grasp that wealth can be created are the ones who are good at making things, the craftsmen. Their hand-made objects become store-bought ones.

People tend to underestimate how much things can change, and this causes them to undervalue ideas that aren't viable now but could be in the future.

Pretentiousness seems a specifically juvenile flaw. I expect to find it in high school and college kids, but I'm surprised to find it in adults. I think the reason is that experience beats it out of you.