No. 686 – June 21st, 2026
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Tiny Thoughts
People tell you to address your weaknesses while paying you for your strengths.
Your inner monologue determines your outer actions.
The most powerful story in the world is the one you tell yourself.
People want the outcome, not the effort that produces it. When the outcome arrives, what’s left is the effort, and that’s what they complain about.
This hit me when talking to a successful friend. He was complaining to me about how busy he was – the same thing he’s been saying for years. He doesn’t actually want to be less busy if that means being less successful.
Since that conversation, I’ve noticed that a lot of what people complain about is the cost of what they worked hardest to get. It’s less a complaint and more about living with the trade-offs of what they wanted.
Insights
Athlete Eileen Gu on pressure:
“Pressure is just energy. It’s something that can be harnessed and used to push you to new heights.”
Philosopher Howard Thurman on asking the right question:
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive. Because what the world needs most is more people who have come alive.”
Investor and mathematician Jim Simons on beauty:
“Be guided by beauty. I really mean that. I think pretty much everything I’ve done has had an aesthetic component—at least to me. Now, you might think, “Building a company that’s trading bonds? What’s so aesthetic about that?” What’s aesthetic about it is doing it right. Getting the right kind of people, and approaching the problem, and doing it right. And if you feel that you’re the first one to do it right, that’s a terrific feeling. It’s a beautiful thing to do something right.”
The Knowledge Project
A few of my favorite moments from my conversation with Bill Gurley.
0:27 Complex Systems
2:02 The Craft of Investing
5:31 Learn the Bedrock and the Edge
13:13 AI
24:15 Non-consensus Opinions
45:04 Writing and Storytelling
+ Listen and Learn: YouTube – Spotify – Apple Podcasts – X – Web/Transcript
Thanks for reading,
— Shane Parrish