Reflections II
Pragmatic and spiritual aphorisms
An aphorism is a pithy observation; a concise statement of principle.
It is your haste in signaling your intelligence that is most unintelligent.
The highest level of peace comes from self-respect.
I went looking for strength and all I found was gratitude.
I went looking for gratitude and all I found was strength.
Fake adventure, fake war, fake sex, and fake rewards are sucking the light out of people’s eyes.
The tragedy is when people value being perceived as smart more than they value actual learning.
How odd that Communists are usually ugly!1
It is the part of the bozo to always have all the answers.
The one who hates what he does but loves bragging he is busy. There are not many worse fates.
The most underrated skill is knowing what to ignore.
The social pressure to conform is a persistent tyranny, but one that fails to oppress he who reads deeply and writes honestly in solitude.
Lean into your cringe.
The essence of speech is signaling.
Seek to understand the timeless. Contemplate the timeless. Aim to be timeless.
Capitalism and human nature are almost the exact same thing.
May you listen music that makes your hair stand up and comedy that makes your stomach hurt.
Always ask: is this the rule or the exception?
The business guy who shows you how to get rich who got rich by showing people how to get rich.
Don’t underestimate the power of asking people short, simple, open-ended questions.
Whenever you feel the urge to stuff yourself with junk, processed food, remind yourself that your body is a body, not a trash can.
Engage in sociopathic reading.
They scream at a game with all their heart and soul without putting any heart and soul into their own pursuits.
They know more about the running backs with great vision than they do of their vision of their own future.
Truth, love, freedom—the supreme goods.
There is infinite beauty to contemplate, if you would only look.
Only philosophy lovers are truly alive.
Conviction convinces.
You are not your thoughts.
Anything other than your health being your top priority is idiocy.
The mistake is thinking people care what you do. You are free.
Actually, it makes sense.
Super powerful stuff here, Jeff - I assume lots of these are original! I love a good aphorism roundup.
Particularly:
"Anything other than your health being your top priority is idiocy."
and
"The mistake is thinking people care what you do. You are free."
I've been thinking about these 2 things for a really long time, and basically came to the conclusion that "nobody will pay you to do the most important things in your life: fulfil your purpose, have a calm mind, a healthy body, and meaningful relationships"
These are all great! I especially like:
“The tragedy is when people value being perceived as smart more than they value actual learning.”
This one works if you swap out “smart” with almost any other positive trait (cultured, wealthy, virtuous, etc.) It speaks to what is actually valued: status.