What happens when you die:
They divide up your shit.
They summarize your life in 500-1000 words.
People who knew you less say sorry to people who knew you more.
Everyone eats, drives home, and wakes up the next day and goes to work.
Whatever you’re worried about won’t be in those 500 words.
You can dare greatly or not at all, but you’re gonna die either way.
Might as well squeeze every motherfucking drop out.
Thomas Jefferson died on the 4th of July. Not just any 4th. The exact 50th anniversary of the Declaration he wrote. And on that same day, hundreds of miles away, his old friend and rival John Adams died too. You cannot make this up. Here's the story.
Everyone knows Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence at just 33 years old. Fewer people know the size of the mind behind it.
He was a relentless genius. He taught himself law, architecture, multiple languages, science, and farming. He designed his own home, Monticello, and kept refining it for forty years like he physically could not leave a good idea alone. He tinkered and invented constantly, including a better plow blade that he refused to patent because he believed useful ideas should belong to everyone, not be locked up for profit.
He was a book addict on a scale that's hard to picture today. He owned close to 10,000 books in his lifetime. And when the British burned the Capitol and destroyed the Library of Congress in 1814, Jefferson sold his personal collection of roughly 6,500 volumes to the nation to rebuild it. The Library of Congress today essentially grew back from his bookshelves.
He served as the nation's first Secretary of State, its second Vice President, and its third President. As President he pulled off the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the size of the country in a single stroke, and sent Lewis and Clark to map a continent.
He founded the University of Virginia, designed its buildings himself, and was so proud of it that he asked it to be carved on his tombstone, alongside writing the Declaration and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Not one word about being President. He wanted to be remembered for what he built and what he taught.
And then the ending almost no one learns. He died on July 4, 1826, fifty years to the day after the nation was born. Adams, dying the very same day, reportedly murmured "Thomas Jefferson still survives," not knowing Jefferson had already passed hours earlier.
Two founders, two old rivals turned friends, leaving the world together on the country's golden anniversary.
Thomas Jefferson. The mind that wrote a nation into existence.
Today, on my final day as Director of National Intelligence, I’m releasing never-before-seen communications and documents exposing how Dr. Fauci provided millions in US taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, worked with politicized elements within the Intelligence Community to suppress the truth about his actions and hide the virus’ lab-leak origins, and lied to Congress while under oath in 2024. It’s time you know the truth.
https://t.co/3YJSstB7d4
@farzyness The ac went out in my Model Y. My scheduled service was for Monday at Elmo Rd. Couldn’t wait any longer. Today was brutal. They told me they consider it a safety issue, gave me a loaner and took it in right away.
Elon Musk’s greatest gift to the world isn’t his companies.
It’s his approach.
Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, etc. only exist BECAUSE of his approach.
Always set gigantic goals that not only are inspirational - they will legitimately make the world a far better place to live. This is your magnet to find the right talent.
Use 1st principles to solve every problem. Literally any problem. Doesn’t have to be technical.
Always tackle the biggest bottleneck first - regardless of how painful. What’s the key thing that’s holding progress? Always drill down until you find it.
Hold everyone accountable equally - always judge people by their merits.
Don’t be afraid to loudly tell the truth. Especially if it’s important.
Embrace who you are to the fullest - never care about what anyone thinks of you.
Fully believe in your work. Without that, you can’t work as hard as possible to beat the completion. Surviving the tough moments is easier when you’re obsessed about what you’re trying to solve.
There’s much more, but if 10% of the human population embraced this, the world would instantly become a RADICALLY better place.