Farnam Street
Mastering the best of what other people have already figured out
This website is named after a street located in Omaha, Nebraska. An amazing place, Omaha is famous for being the home of Warren Buffett, one of the world’s richest men. The headquarters of …
The path to success often comes through avoiding major mistakes rather than pursuing brilliant moves. This isn’t about being passive – it’s about being thoughtful and disciplined …
Albert Einstein and Max Wertheimer were close friends. Both found themselves in exile in the United States after fleeing the Nazis in the early 1930s, Einstein at Princeton and Wertheimer in New York. …
“In an uncertain world, statistical thinking and risk communication alone are not sufficient. Good rules of thumb are essential for good decisions.” *** Three minutes after taking off from …
In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time—none. Zero. You’d be amazed at how much Warren reads—and how much I read. My …
Morality is hard to define, but all non-psychopaths experience strong gut reactions to certain moral violations. One way to understand it is from an evolutionary perspective. Our sense of morality is …
In March of 1933, Eudora Welty, then 23 and looking for writing work, sent this beautiful letter to the offices of The New Yorker. “It’s difficult,” writes Shaun Usher in his …
In 1960 two American artists met for the first time: Sol LeWitt and Eva Hesse. The meeting sparked a bond that resulted in “countless inspirational discussions and rich exchanged of ideas” …
For centuries we’ve wondered about the left hemisphere and right hemisphere divide. The “left hemisphere is detail-oriented, prefers mechanisms to living things, and is inclined to …
In response to Ernest Hemingway on Writing a reader passed along a pointer to Advice to Writers, “a compendium of quotes, anecdotes, and writerly wisdom from a dazzling array of literary lights.” Jon …
Solitude is an important aspect of creative thought. You could make an argument that in our information-overloaded world where our senses are stimulated nearly 18 hours a day, solitude and calming our …
You’re busy. I get it. But what can we do about it? What would you do if your schedule suddenly opened up and we found we have more time? I bet you’d reply with read, travel, and maybe …
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” *** Perception, action, and will are the three disciplines central to the stoic philosophy. They also …
“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer …
Reading is important. It is a way to fill in the gaps left by formal education and a meaningful way to better ourselves. Reading is the raw material of the mind. What you put in shapes what you see …
“College doesn’t make fools; it develops them. It doesn’t make bright men; it develops them. A fool will turn out a fool, whether he goes to college or not, though he’ll probably turn out a different …