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Brain Food: Think Alone

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Shane Parrish (FS) <newsletter@farnamstreetblog.com>

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Sun, Nov 23, 5:36 AM (7 days ago)

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FS | BRAIN FOOD

November 23rd, 2025 - #656 - read online - Free Version

Welcome to Brain Food, your weekly signal in a world full of noise.

Tiny Thoughts

*

It's never about the outcome. It's always about the day.

**

The best are always learning.

Read like crazy.
Think alone.
Keep a journal.
Write stuff down the moment you see it.
Review regularly.
Memorize the big ideas to fluency.
Attack your best ideas.
And never get high on your own supply.

You don't have to be gifted. You do have to be deliberate.

***

When you consistently read biographies, something interesting happens.

Life keeps throwing the same situations at you that you've read about in books. Only now you've seen what worked and what didn't.

Reading gives you pattern recognition for problems you haven't faced yet.

Having someone who solved the same problem you're facing whispering the answer in your ear is basically a cheat code.

Insights

*

W. Somerset Maugham on criticism:

“People ask you for criticism, but they only want praise.”

**

Mary Kay Ash on making others feel important:

“Whenever I meet someone, I try to imagine him or her wearing an invisible sign that says: MAKE ME FEEL IMPORTANT! I respond to this sign immediately, and it works wonders.”

***

Harley Finkelstein on being you:

“I can’t be everything to everyone. I kind of made peace with it years ago—that at this particular phase of my life, this is what I need and this is what I want. It’s also the reason why I’m very particular about who I spend my time with because I do believe that there are genuinely energy vampires and energy catalysts in humans.”

The Knowledge Project [Outliers]

Charlie Munger spent his life studying one question: why do smart people make bad decisions?

In this episode, I explore his timeless framework, The Psychology of Human Misjudgment, and the 25 psychological forces that quietly distort thinking.

+ Listen to the full episode Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Web/Transcript | X

A few of my favorite things ...

A few of my favorite things. (None of these links are sponsored/affiliated. Just things I love.)

These socks. (Warning: Once you try them, you can't go back.)
This matcha, made with this life-changing Autowhisk.
My wallet
My watch

SPONSOR

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* If you're interested in sponsoring the newsletter or podcast in 2026, let me know.

Thanks for reading,

— Shane Parrish

P.S. A little bit of Christmas Wow.

Want to share this edition with a friend? Use this link: https://fs.blog/brain-food/november-23-2025/

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