In reality, wealth is measured by what one delivers, not how much effort it costs. If I paint someone’s house, the owner shouldn’t pay me extra for d… - Paul Graham

Automatically disbelieving authorities isn't independent-mindedness. It's just conformism with the sign bit flipped.

Now that I've been through being a kid, growing up, and then having kids, it's clear that the main thing that differentiates people is simply whether they make an effort. Whether they're content to drift along with the current, or whether they try to swim.

A painting is never finished. You just stop working on it.” This idea will be familiar to anyone who has worked on software.