Learning
... See moreEvery breakthrough — every invention, every industry, every new frontier — began with a handful of extraordinary individuals free to take extraordinary risks. Washington led men into battle at 22. Carnegie was building his steel empire by 30. Meriwether Lewis charted the American West in his twenties. Sam Colt patented the revolver at 22. Palmer
... See moreAs our ability to concentrate has collapsed, I’ve become more and more convinced that it is the superpower we should long for. Sustained focus is the engine that connects dots and builds things. To concentrate with the intensity of a chess grandmaster on the object of your choosing is to find out what you are capable of—what you are capable of
... See moreYour flashlight is already bright enough to achieve your most ambitious goals, and to my knowledge there aren’t many things you can do to actually increase the intensity of your flashlight’s beam much. This is why most of our energy should be directed towards improving our environment to ensure that our flashlight simply remains fixed on the right
... See moreMany students no longer arrive at college—even at highly selective, elite colleges—prepared to read books.
…the student told Dames that, at her public high school, she had never been required to read an entire book. She had been assigned excerpts, poetry, and news articles, but not a single book cover to cover.
The anecdote helped explain the change
You can have shelves full of unread books and still not be a serious reader. What matters is not what you own, but what you’ve absorbed. As Adler puts it, "Full ownership comes only when you have made [the book you’re reading] a part of yourself." This process isn’t passive — it only occurs when you focus, reflect, and write down your thoughts.
... See moreSkill, on the other hand, must be developed, step-by-step, mostly through failure. The quickness and quality of skill development depends on the quality and immediacy of the corrective feedback a student receives. It also depends on the student’s willingness to re-engage after failing. It is also dependent upon the number and level of students in a
What are the best original sources that everyone else quotes? Find that book and aim to know it.
... See moreEven if you can’t experience the thing directly, try going for information-dense sources with high amounts of detail and facts, and then reason up from those facts. On foreign policy, read books published by university presses -- not The Atlantic or The Economist or whatever. You can read those after you’ve developed a model of the thing yourself,
Bottom Line: Treat your time as a graduate student like a professional musician treats his or her performance repertoire. If you’re not constantly straining yourself to learn more and perform better, you’re in danger of being left behind.