Curated wisdom from the minds that shaped modern business — distilled into principles, quotes, and essential readings.
Natural aptitude + deep interest + scope. What are you excessively curious about? Curious to a degree that would bore most people.
Morale compounds with great work. Ambitious people feel frustrated when they don't achieve. It is silly to let setbacks destroy morale. Work can be escaping, productive. Be active!
Don't let others define work. Chase outlier ideas. Learn enough to get to the frontier. Interest makes you work harder than diligence. Curiosity, delight, and desire converge.
Earn premium for working fast. Compress life into few years. 36x more productive. A smart hacker worth $80k/year could do $3M of work. A great programmer creates millions in weeks. Startups are not magic — work hard enough to endanger health.
Persistent attached to high decision points. Obstinacy is reflexive resistance. Energy + imagination — a wonderful combination. Resilience means morale not destroyed by setbacks. Energy, imagination, resilience, good judgment, focus on goal.
Wealth is not money. Wealth is stuff we want. You can have wealth without money. The fixed amount myth is wrong. Most businesses create wealth.
Liberati del male, velocemente, con metodo e intelligenza — veleno per i topi. Get rid of evil quickly, with method and intelligence — poison for rats.
Distrazioni esterne? Trova il tempo per imparare qualcosa di valore. Smetti di farti trascinare in tutte le direzioni. Ma attenzione: lavorare sodo senza scopo è anche perdere tempo. External distractions? Make time to learn something valuable. Stop being dragged in all directions. But beware: working hard without purpose is also wasting time.
Siamo governati da modelli mentali. We are governed by mental models.
Pensa al contrario — inversione del pensiero. Think in reverse — inversion thinking.
Attenzione all'eccesso di fiducia, alla riprova sociale, al bias di conferma. Beware of overconfidence, social proof, confirmation bias.
Resta nel tuo cerchio di competenza. Stay in your circle of competence.
Pazienza e selettività — spesso la migliore azione è non agire. Patience and selectivity — often the best action is no action.
Coltiva una lettura vorace. Cultivate voracious reading.
La semplicità vince sulla complessità. Simplicity wins over complexity.Watch on YouTube
Il perfezionismo uccide la produttività. Perfectionism kills productivity.
Sei tu a stabilire il ritmo. You set the pace.
Conosci il valore che porti. Know the value you bring.
Pensa sempre al cliente. Always think about the customer.
Innova costantemente. Innovate constantly.
Resta il più vicino possibile al cliente. Stay as close to the customer as possible.
Definisci cosa vuole il cliente. Define what the customer wants.
Adattati velocemente. Adapt quickly.Watch on YouTube
Investi in ciò che capisci. Invest in what you understand.
Concentrati sui fondamentali del business. Focus on business fundamentals.
Investi in un business che un idiota potrebbe gestire. Invest in a business a fool could run.
Compra quando gli altri hanno paura. Buy when others are afraid.
Cerca aziende sottovalutate — non cercare di prevedere il mercato. Look for undervalued companies — don't try to predict the market.
Reinvesti i dividendi, mantieni i costi bassi. Reinvest dividends, keep costs low.
Non pagare mai più di: valore standalone + VAN delle sinergie. Never pay more than: standalone value + NPV of synergies.
Preferibilmente, paga molto meno. Preferably, pay much less.Watch on YouTube
La raccolta fondi è l'ultima risorsa. Fundraising is the last resort.
La fortuna conta — posizionati per coglierla. Luck matters — position yourself to catch it.
Il networking è utile ma nessuno ti regala le proprie idee. Networking is useful but nobody gives you their ideas.
Conosci i tuoi concorrenti meglio di te stesso. Know your competitors better than yourself.
Conosci la tua copertura e i driver della domanda. Know your coverage and demand drivers.
Non fare troppo, troppo presto. Don't do too much too soon.
Coprire un errore è sempre peggio dell'errore stesso. Covering a mistake is always worse than the mistake itself.
La fiducia è la valuta numero uno. Trust is the #1 currency.
Vendere = mettersi nei panni del cliente. Selling = putting yourself in the customer's shoes.
Cultura e competenza prima di tutto. Culture and competence first.
Non comprare vendite — guadagnatele. Don't buy sales — earn them.
Comunica in modo breve e chiaro. Communicate briefly and clearly.Watch on YouTube
"Il miglior accordo è quello in cui l'altra parte crede di aver vinto."The best deal is the one where the other party believes they won.
"Inquadra la situazione come tu e loro contro il problema."Frame it as you and them against the problem.
"Il mirroring costruisce rapporto."Mirroring builds rapport.
"Mantieni un tono di curiosità calma."Maintain a tone of calm curiosity.
"Il silenzio è d'oro."Silence is golden.
"Fidati del tuo istinto."Trust your instinct.
"Effetto Pinocchio: chi mente usa più parole."Pinocchio effect: liars use more words.
"Etichetta le emozioni: 'Sembra che qualcosa ti stia disturbando?'"Label emotions: "It seems like something is bothering you?"
"Dai l'illusione del controllo."Give the illusion of control.
"Fai domande che portano al 'no' — le persone si sentono protette."Ask questions that lead to "no" — people feel protected.
"Domande aperte: 'Come preferiresti procedere?'"Open questions: "How would you prefer to proceed?"
Find a secret about how the world works — something nobody suspects.
Horizontal progress vs vertical progress.
Globalisation without new technology is devastation.
Small boards — maximum 3-5 people.
The foundations are the most important thing.
No part-time, no remote.
Low salary — maximum $150k. The CEO sets the example with his pay.
No transactional relationships. Attract people who find the mission compelling.
You need equally obsessed people.
Cults are fanatically wrong about something; startups are fanatically right.
Thinkers and leaders believe they don't need sales — they actually do.
If you've invented something new but have no way to sell it, you have a bad business.
A product is viral if its users invite their friends to use it.
Love the problem you're solving.
You must monopolise a solution for a small market.
Avoid any company where the founders dress elegantly for pitches.
Creating truly innovative technology requires going from zero to one — creating something completely new.
The key to creating a monopoly: proprietary technology, network effects, economies of scale, and branding.
We create our own destiny and luck.
Determine your end point.
Our destiny is determined by our actions, not by our origins.
"Più cerchi di essere come un altro, più disprezzi ciò che sei."The more you try to be like someone else, the more you despise what you are — value your strengths.
"Prendi le cose con senso dell'umorismo — mantieni l'equilibrio."Take things with a sense of humour — maintain balance.
"Le opinioni si formano pian piano, col dialogo e con lo scambio."Opinions form slowly, through dialogue and exchange.
"Non sei da solo a giocare — ricorda che anche gli altri sono in campo."You're not playing alone — remember others are on the field too.
"Sii un esempio per i più giovani — e sii consapevole delle tue debolezze."Be an example for the young — and be aware of your weaknesses.
"La sofferenza forgia il carattere."Suffering forges character.
"Ama i tuoi clienti."Love your customers.
"Mostrati calmo e sicuro — mai arrogante o fuori dalla realtà."Appear calm and confident — never arrogant or detached from reality.
"Non essere disperato per i soldi."Don't be desperate for money.
"Orientati al successo, non al denaro."Orient yourself toward success, not money.
"Non limitare la tua visione."Don't limit your vision.
"Sviluppa un forte senso del fare le cose."Develop a strong sense of getting things done.
"Investi nelle relazioni chiave."Invest in key relationships.
People who labour all their lives but have no purpose to direct every thought and impulse toward are wasting their time — even when hard at work.
If there were anything harmful on the other side of death, they would have made sure that the ability to avoid it was within you.
When it allows its action and impulse to be without a purpose, to be random and disconnected: even the smallest things ought to be directed toward a goal.
Don't waste the rest of your time here worrying about other people — unless it affects the common good. It will keep you from doing anything useful.
Never regard something as doing you good if it makes you betray a trust, or lose your sense of shame, or makes you show hatred, suspicion, ill will or hypocrisy.
Your ability to control your thoughts — treat it with respect. It is all that protects your mind from false perceptions.
Stop drifting. Write off your hopes, and if your well-being matters to you, be your own saviour while you can.
No random actions, none not based on underlying principles.
Not to be driven this way and that, but always to behave with justice and see things as they are.
So remember this principle when something threatens to cause you pain: the thing itself was no misfortune at all; to endure it and prevail is great good fortune.
Practice the virtues you can show: honesty, gravity, endurance, austerity, resignation, abstinence, patience, sincerity, moderation, seriousness, high-mindedness.
And that is what you are doing when you complain: hacking and destroying.