Agalia Tan

Author Ben Short reminds us why the hard work is worth it:

"... looking at the work done and the work still to do, most people would have written the whole thing off as too much sweat for too little gain. But I didn't want an easy life. I wanted a beautiful one."

recovery feels less like a break and more like an achievement unlocked.

We don’t want to be mere consumers. We want to be associated with game-changing moments, places and people. [Merch] gives us a new form of wealth, not by association, but by association. The more we get to associate ourselves with knowledge and creativity and cultural activity, the greater is our social distinction and higher our cultural status.”

fictional points of reference

Embrace these powerful tools by all means, but do so with intention and clarity. Augment, but don't offload. Because efficiency without engagement isn't progress – it's a fast track to professional atrophy.

The mathematical genius Alexander Grothendieck once had a metaphor for solving problems. He suggested that instead of forcing open an impossibly hard kernel with a hammer and chisel, one should simply let it sit in water and wait. Over time, the shell softens and opens with ease. This is also true in writing; time is the only non-substitutable ingr... See more

Good character is not about maximizing virtues but moderating them: to be sensitive without being fragile, confident without being cocky, steadfast without being stubborn, driven without being reckless, focused without being obsessed.