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

When people criticize an action on the grounds of the "optics," they're almost always full of shit. All they're really saying is "What you did looks bad." But if they phrased it that way, they'd have to answer the question "Was it actually bad, or not?"

So the optimal plan, if you can manage it, is to have a few trusted friends you can speak openly to. This is not just a way to develop ideas; it’s also a good rule of thumb for choosing friends. The people you can say heretical things to without getting jumped on are also the most interesting to know.

When a misbehaving child knows he's going to have to give in and do as he's told, the final stage of resistance is to do it really slowly.