Naval Ravikant

A vacation is a very expensive way to schedule the time to read a book in peace.

Play long-term games with long-term people.

There is no failure, only feedback.

Success is the inevitable byproduct of learning (not education).

A busy mind accelerates the passage of time. A calm mind slows it down.

What you really want is a challenge at the edge of your capability.

Once you pick the right thing to work on, and the right people to work with, then work as hard as you can.

Calm the stomach. Move the body. Rest the mind.

Self-image is the prison. Other people are the guards.

People spend too much time doing and not enough time thinking about what they should be doing.

All the problems of older times were scarcity… now they’re all abundance based.

Don’t settle, and don’t struggle.

No one can compete with you on being you. Most of life is a search for who and what needs you the most.

The quality of your mind is the quality of your life.

Your goal in life is to find out the people who need you the most, to find out the business that needs you the most, to find the project and the art that needs you the most. There is something out there just for you.

Sing the song that only you can sing, write the book that only you can write, build the product that only you can build… live the life that only you can live.

Three things in life – your health, your mission, and the people you love. That’s it.

There is something out there just for you.

Enjoy yourself. Do something positive. Project some love. Make someone happy. Laugh a little bit. Appreciate the moment. And do your work.

In any situation in life, you always have three choices: you can change it, you can accept it, or you can leave it.

You need Proof of Work to get a meeting with a busy person.

Study microeconomics, game theory, psychology, persuasion, mathematics, and computers.

If you aren't happy having $100,000, you're not going to be happy if you have $100 million.

If you're not passionate about the field you're engaged in you won't have the grit or perseverance to compete with those who are.

A large fraction of what people around you believe is mistaken. Internalize this and practice coming up with your own worldview.

Most older, successful people will tell you that their life was best when they lived it unapologetically, on their own terms.

Never take investment advice from someone who has to work for a living.

Trade time for skills. Skills for money. Money for more time. Then, repeat.

The most successful people I know believe in themselves almost to the point of delusion.

The more easily you get offended, the less intelligent you actually are.

The worst way to build a relationship is to try to build a relationship.

Someone with half your IQ is making 10x as you because they aren't smart enough to doubt themselves.

The most valuable personal finance asset is not needing to impress anyone.

Read what you love until you love to read.

My 1 repeated learning in life: 'There Are No Adults'. Everyone's making it up as they go along. Figure it out yourself, and do it.

The foundation of learning is reading.

Networking is overrated. Become first and foremost a person of value and the network will be available whenever you need it.

The ability to stay calm during conflict is a superpower.

Persistence beats timing. Execution beats luck. Not immediately, but eventually.

If you can’t be happy with a coffee, you won’t be happy with a yacht.

A taste of freedom can make you unemployable.

Most people can't handle boredom. That means they can't stay on one thing until they get good at it. And they wonder why they're unhappy.

If you cannot decide, the answer is no.

A happy, calm, and peaceful person will make better decisions. So if you want to operate at peak performance, you have to learn how to tame your mind.

Free education is abundant, all over the Internet. It's the desire to learn that's scarce.

Knowing how little you matter is very important for your mental health and your happiness.

Value your time. It is all you have. It’s more important than your money. It’s more important than your friends. It is more important than anything. Your time is all you have. Do not waste your time.

The smarter you get, the slower you read.

The more seriously you take yourself, the unhappier you’re going to be.

Living a life of integrity pays off, but it takes a very long time.

The greatest superpower is the ability to change yourself.

If you want to be great, walk the rope without a boss and without a net.

All benefits in life come from compound interest, whether in money, relationships, love, health, activities, or habits.

Be quiet, work hard, and stay healthy. It’s not ambition or skill that is going to set you apart but sanity.

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

Be patient, it takes 10 years to build a career in anything.

You get rewarded for unique knowledge, not for effort. Effort is required to create unique knowledge.

The modern devil is cheap dopamine.

Choose the non-emotional response to any given situation and see how much easier your life becomes.

The winners of any game are the people who are so addicted, that they continue playing even as the marginal utility from winning declines.

All modern diseases are diseases of abundance. We punish ourselves by constantly entertaining our minds and bodies.

Reading a book isn’t a race - the better the book, the slower it should be absorbed.

Smart people talking to other smart people tend to have very short conversations.

A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought - they must be earned.

Learn to sell. Learn to build. If you can do both, you will be unstoppable.

Karma is just you, repeating your patterns, virtues, and flaws until you finally get what you deserve.

If you want to make the wrong decision, ask everyone.