The Reasons We Work
Why do you go to work? Chances are it’s got something to do with money. But as most of us know, it’s more complicated than that. “There is a spectrum of reasons why people do their …
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Are You an Outsider Trying To Change A Broken System?
Elizabeth Warren was one of the key architects in the U.S. government’s response to the financial crisis. In her memoir, A Fighting Chance, Warren draws our attention to the troubling reality of …
Hunter S. Thompson on Living versus Existing
Hunter S. Thompson’s letter to Hume Logan on finding your purpose and living a meaningful life is one of the most popular posts to ever appear on Farnam Street. One reader found it so valuable …
The Four States of Mind
We’re busier than ever. We’re often on autopilot. We “go through the motions” without really paying attention to the decisions we’re making or the implications. This is …
The Meaning of History
“The present is the past rolled up for action and the past is the present unrolled for understanding.” — Will Durant *** In the audio version of The Lessons of History, you can find excerpts of …
The Psychology of Risk and Reward
An excerpt from The Aspirational Investor: Taming the Markets to Achieve Your Life’s Goals that I think you’d enjoy. Most of us have a healthy understanding of risk in the short term. When …
Why We Choke
In sports, ‘choking’ is when an athlete makes a major, unexpected blunder in a high stakes situation. Often, an expert who chokes will act like a clueless novice. Here, we examine why we choke and how …
Will Durant: The Age of Play
A breathtaking passage from Will Durant’s Fallen Leaves: Last Words on Life, Love, War, and God: See him, the newborn, dirty but marvelous, ridiculous in actuality, infinite in possibility, …
Henry David Thoreau on Success
In the classic Walden, Henry David Thoreau echoes Warren Buffett on having an inner scorecard and defining your own success: If one listens to the faintest but constant suggestions of his genius, …
11 Misconceptions about Meditation
Meditation isn’t easy. It takes time and energy. Some people wonder why they should bother with meditation at all. Here is an inversion of meditation. This is what Meditation isn’t. There …
The Role of Race in History
“History,” write the Durants in The Lessons of History, “is color-blind, and can develop a civilization (in any favorable environment) under almost any skin.” The ancient …
William McKnight: The Basic Rule of Management that Propelled 3M
In 1907 William L. McKnight joined Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co (3M) as an assistant bookkeeper. He rose quickly through the ranks and became president in 1929 and chairman of the board in …
Keeping Things Simple and Tuning out Folly
Keeping things simple makes a huge difference and yet we are drawn to the sexiness of complexity. Einstein was a master of sifting the essential from the non-essential. And consider this from Charlie …
Focusing Illusions
My favorite chapter in the book Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life by Winifred Gallagher is called ‘Decisions: Focusing Illusions.’ It’s a really great summary of how focusing on the wrong things …
The Pursuit of Worldly Wisdom
Charlie Munger, the billionaire business partner of Warren Buffett and a major inspiration behind this site, is not only one of the best investors the world has witnessed, but he’s also one of …
Charlie Munger on Avoiding Computers
An anecdote found in Seeking Wisdom, that reminds me of a funny story from university and the use of calculators. First, the excerpt. When someone asked Charlie Munger if he used a computer, he …