People don’t rise from nothing. We do owe something to parentage and patronage. The people who stand before kings may look like they did it all by themselves. But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world

Remember that having innate talent is not a goal. Expanding skills and knowledge is.

You could not be where you are without the challenges you’ve faced, the mentors you’ve had, and all the many people who have created the world you live in. When you believe you are the sole cause of your success, you commit what psychologists call the fundamental attribution error. You attribute your success to yourself. No. Your success, in the wa