Paul Graham: Essays - Volume 1, 1993-2005

by Paul Graham

Genres: Philosophy

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[Jena Alsup · Rating 5 out of 5]

read most of these. overall a lot of them echo the same ideas. i agree with a lot but not all of his takes. these are some of my favorite essays:
- cities and ambition
- how to do great work
- you weren't meant to have a boss
- how to lose time and money
- having kids
- how to start google
- the best essay
- beyond smart
- how to think for yourself
- how to make wealth.

some quotes i like:
- “In an artificial world, only extremists live naturally.”
- “The advantages of youth are energy, time, optimism, and freedom. The advantages of age are knowledge, efficiency, money, and power.”
- “try thinking of your education as your project, and your teachers as working for you rather than vice versa.”
- "People who do great work are not necessarily happier than everyone else, but they're happier than they'd be if they didn't. In fact, if you're smart and ambitious, it's dangerous not to be productive. People who are smart and ambitious but don't achieve much tend to become bitter."
- "When something annoys you, it could be because you're living in the future."
- "One useful trick for judging different kinds of work is to look at who your colleagues will be. You'll become like whoever you work with. Do you want to become like these people?"
- "Suppose you are a little, nimble guy being chased by a big, fat, bully. You open a door and find yourself in a staircase. Do you go up or down? I say up. The bully can probably run downstairs as fast as you can. Going upstairs his bulk will be more of a disadvantage. Running upstairs is hard for you but even harder for him."

[Haydn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of what I would call modern-day, or maybe practical, philosophical essays. Graham must spend a lot of time thinking which, when coupled with real-world experience and a developed writing style, makes for entertaining and insightful reading.

Particular highlights were "How to Make Wealth", "Inequality and Risk", "How to Do What You Love", "Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule", and "Life is Short".

I have two complaints. Firstly, there is no good way to read the essays because there are too many of them. My strategy was to read any whose title grabbed me. I know for a fact I am missing out by doing this. Secondly, the essays are engineer-centric (who Graham calls "hackers"). People who don't know how to code may be bored or offended by some of the material.

[Ani Krishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

redirected the way i approached life, in more ways than one

[Andy Boroditsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book of the year for me, or the reading of the year, in the non-fiction section. The best essays: how to do great work, on stuff, how to make wealth. But I read most of them, it was a pleasure.

Very concise, simple language, clear thinking, great ideas (philosophy), interesting topics (plot).

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

值得常看常新，密切跟踪 Paul 的新思考。这本书也算是断断续续看了三个月了，令人唏嘘。

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

top tier, absolute cinema

[Ashay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise. Clear Thinking. Simple Language - wonderful philosophical essays