“Luck never sent a few hundred emails, wrote an autoresponder, handled a contract negotiation, etc, but both people who do these things and people who don’t do these things attribute a good deal of their outcomes to it.” -Patrick McKenzie

When you have trouble writing, it’s usually because you don’t know what you’re trying to say. Most writing problems are actually thinking problems. And you can't copyedit your way out of poor thinking.

You’re either writing or editing. Doing both at the same time makes both worse.

Small minds discuss people Average minds discuss events Great minds discuss ideas I'm thinking about how the design of social networks pulls us towards the small/average - Instagram is centered on photos of the self, Twitter around discussing news/facts of the day. I want a space for ideas.

Instead of asking: "Do you have any questions?", ask "What questions do you have?" The first almost always results in silence, while the second helps people feel comfortable asking questions.

we'll need a place to get grounded when AI agents take over. a place we can go to for pure humanity. getting grounded with a sea of human thoughts and ideas will feel like a vacation.

Michael Lewis on how your narrative crafts your character: If you listen to people, if you just sit around and listen, you’ll find there are patterns in the way they talk about themselves. Some people are always the victim. Some people always get unlucky. Some people are always in the middle of some impossible project. Some people are always hav... See more

A phrase I heard recently and found useful: I agree with the idea, but I disagree with the tone. Many ideas get dismissed because they are delivered in a cocky or hostile or dismissive tone—or because of who delivers them. Separate substance from style.

Campus provides a low-stakes way to “try on a new way of being”, learn with social accountability, and experiment without hard committing. Each quarter we ask our members for classes, events, bookclubs, or circles they want to host. Many use this opportunity as a chance to engage with an interest more deeply - both as a leader, constructing the cur... See more