Tom Schmidt

“It's a lot easier than you think to 'beat the odds' because the odds are based on average people. Show up and elevate.”

As software costs go down, the moat for software disappears; the moats that remain are network, brand, scale, and data

The biggest mistake in building anything is attempting the final version first​

"The person who experiences the consequences should make the decision."

Traits like conscientiousness and neuroticism are stronger drivers of GPA, income, and educational level than IQ alone

Be an adventurer, an inventor, an entrepreneur, an artist. Suggest your own ideas instead of reacting to everyone else's. Be an active participant in life and contribute to the world around you. Make good conversation. Make good art. Make a good adventure. But above all, make something.

“Everyday products sell. Although it is harder to improve a mature product, if you succeed, there’s no need to create a market.” – James Dyson

The people who get the most done don't agonize over decisions. It's not because they have better judgment. They've just structured their lives so being wrong isn't expensive.

When mistakes are cheap, you can move fast and fix what doesn't work. When mistakes are expensive, you overthink everything and still choose wrong.

This is why startups can... See more

We experience our moments of purest joy at precisely those moments when we are causing it in others.

It is a truism of life—whatever we give out comes back to us multiplied. Which brings me back to the beginning of this message...