Ryan

Shouting into the abyss until I find a few equally obsessive and curious friends. Hunting for knowledge at the intersection of seemingly paradoxical statements.

[Ryan @rnolan94]

Will Durant for your Monday morning existential crisis.

Most men of forty are but a reminiscence, the burnt-out ashes of what was once a flame.

Happiness is in making things.

Panta Agan - everything in excess.

[Ryan @rnolan94]

Read enough philosophy and it all starts to sound similar.

Nuances become largely semantic - each author is trying to find precise language to describe their experience of a core insight (presence, gratitude, insecurity, consciousness, values, etc.).

Incremental writing doesn’t necessarily create new insight, it just splinters a core insight into an analytical subtopic (which likely starts to miss the point).

This is a core limitation of western philosophy: we attempt to use language to understand and describe that which can only be experienced.

Language will never accurately capture the complexity of experience.

So the focus on finding increasingly precise language to describe experience actually gets you further away from the real insight by removing the depth and complexity of experience itself.

This is fine though once you realise the purpose of the wisdom of others isn’t to give you tactical, implementable advice, but to provide inspiration to try something different in your life.

[Jay Alto @theJayAlto]

working theory: the secret to life is having an investment in the future. starting a movement. having a child. joining a moonshot. mentoring someone. tackling existential risk. it forces you out of the radical individualism popular today, and into the collective duty we all need.

[Ryan @rnolan94]

Traditional fundamental analytical edge is dying.

There are three concepts to master in the new world:
1. Memetics (short run)
2. Time horizon (long run); and
3. Earned insights (from 10k+ hours of operating)

AI has driven the cost of information acquisition to zero, so if you can acquire data you should assume everyone else can, too.

And if everyone has the same information as you, then your months of analysing viability / PMF / business quality will get you no closer to alpha.

The real meta is understanding where large pools of money and attention will be directed, and beating them there by a few days.

By extension, anything that can be conceptually understood is no longer alpha. 1k hours of research has been encoded into 1m tokens / $0.10.

Real insight lies underneath your 10k hours of operating, selling, buying, trying and failing.

And in an era where all knowledge is instant, the short curve trade is perpetually crowded, so extend your time horizon to find fresh air.

[Ryan @rnolan94]

A job can't give you real feedback on your intelligence or ability.

You're always creating content for others to critique from a position of power, context, or hierarchy. The self-doubt this causes is noise, not signal.

True validation only comes from building something and letting the market decide

[Ryan @rnolan94]

Everything takes longer than you expect

The startup with the buzzy launch has been at it for >12 mo. The overnight millionaire launched 15 years ago

Don't compare or seek quick results. Commit for 5+ years and you'll be world class.

Time horizon is the last source of alpha

[Ryan @rnolan94]

Impractical musings on meaning

[Lawrence Yeo @moretothat]

Knowledge is not understanding

[Ryan @rnolan94]

This statement is unreal. I’ve lived this and seen it in my friends - nothing can compensate you for the joy you lose if you can’t truly follow your curiosity.

So many smart, ambitious people live lives devoid of meaning, and this is why.

[Lawrence Yeo @moretothat]

Curiosity can't be replaced

[Carl Jung Archive @QuoteJung]

Carl Jung, damn.

[Ryan @rnolan94]

@frankdotlee @ycombinator @paulg yes pls! can I get a copy?

[Ryan @rnolan94]

@ehalm_ Keen! Following

[Naval @naval]

Escape competition through authenticity.

[Naval @naval]

Engaging in politics habituates and rewires the brain to value agreement and signaling. It weakens the ability to reason independently and clearly.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits. Your net worth is a lagging measure of your financial habits. Your weight is a lagging measure of your eating habits. Your knowledge is a lagging measure of your learning habits. You get what you repeat.

[Naval @naval]

People who live far below their means enjoy a freedom that people busy upgrading their lifestyles can’t fathom.

[Adam Grant @AdamMGrant]

The first rule of intelligence: don’t talk about your intelligence.
It's something you prove, not something you claim.
#IvyLeague

[Naval @naval]

White paper is the new slide deck.