Goethe, Montaigne, Tesla and The Delight of Solitude

Three Point Thursday | 3 Timeless Maxims

To curious minds,

Happy Three Point Thursday.

Here’s 3 quotes I’m thinking about:

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“One can be instructed in society, one is inspired only in solitude.”

—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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“The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.”

—Michel de Montaigne

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“Be alone, that is the secret of invention; be alone, that is when ideas are born.”

—Nikola Tesla

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Without solitude, you’ll never understand yourself.

You’ll never introspect. You’ll never discard superficial mimetic desires—you’ll never get closer to figuring out what you truly want. You’ll never rigorously examine your assumptions, beliefs, or habits. You’ll never honestly question the character of the people in your life. You’ll never be able to do deep focused work. You’ll never let your imagination bring ideas to you.

You’ll never have time to just think.

I encourage you to create space for genuine solitude. Free of input. Free of screens. Free of work. Free of other people telling you what to do. Free of the incessant noisy blabbering of society.

In today’s hyper-connected, overstimulated, perpetually distracted world, it’s more powerful than ever.

La vita è bella,

Jeff