Philosophy

On the night of my 30th birthday, I was at a bar in San Francisco... I walked out of that bar at midnight, drunk. I didn't even own running gear, I had some comfortable silk boxer shorts on – took off my pants – and took off down an alleyway stumbling south without knowing that a town called Half Moon Bay was nearly 30 miles away. When the alcohol wore off, I had this epiphany. I looked up and saw heaven – I saw the stars – it was the first moment of clarity I had since I'd given up running. It made me realise that perhaps I was on this earth to be a runner – I wasn't happy being a business guy, it was making me miserable. I was comfortable, but miserable.

Ultramarathon runner known for extreme endurance feats and adventures

The Buddha would calmly invite Mara to have tea, demonstrating the importance of befriending what's difficult. The key is learning how to have tea with Mara and embrace even the most intense energies.

Meditation Teacher & Author of "Radical Acceptance

The more we recognize that we are the ocean and the waves represent different aspects of our being, the less any individual wave of difficulty will consume, overwhelm, or define us. We can remember that while these waves are a part of us, they do not encompass our entire existence.

Meditation Teacher & Author of "Radical Acceptance

It seems to be a part of our evolutionary journey to feel separate, living within the confines of an ego-driven narrative, experiencing a sense of limitation and disconnection from others. In essence, we suffer from a mistaken identity, identifying ourselves as individuals rather than recognizing our interconnectedness.

Meditation Teacher & Author of "Radical Acceptance

You cannot fully realize your own self in isolation. It's a collective effort; your uniqueness is essentially shaped by everyone else in the world. Everyone else plays a role in sculpting your distinct identity. Individuality is essentially a community project.

Founding Executive Editor of Wired Magazine & Technology Thinker

Even if it's not your mistake, it could still be your responsibility. That's one element of maturity – owning up to things even when they weren't caused by your actions. What you should truly be striving for as an entrepreneur is creating new standards of success, redefining what success means beyond monetary wealth.

Founding Executive Editor of Wired Magazine & Technology Thinker

While pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. Painful events are a given in life, but the transformation of this pain into enduring suffering lies within our control. The critical aspect isn't the adversity one faces, but how one responds to such adversity. This reaction, rather than the events themselves, forms the narrative of our lives.

Founding Executive Editor of Wired Magazine & Technology Thinker

Don't base one's identity on their opinions. This can be a perilous path because it makes it challenging to change one's mind. Instead, it's preferable to root one's identity in their values and character. In a world that's rapidly evolving, it's essential to anchor ourselves to elements that are stable - our values and character, the principles we uphold.

Founding Executive Editor of Wired Magazine & Technology Thinker

The journey we're on doesn't necessarily have a fixed destination; rather, it's about moving in the right direction. The purpose of life is to decipher your own purpose in life. This isn't a contradictory statement; rather, it's a necessary paradox. We exist in order to uncover the reasons for our existence.

Founding Executive Editor of Wired Magazine & Technology Thinker

I believe wisdom can be seen as a beacon, guiding us towards the noble, beautiful, and authentic aspects of life. It's the mark of a wise individual to have a clear understanding of their path, a path that not only promotes positivity but also steers others towards it. Moreover, wisdom bears an element of compression, of brevity - a distillation of knowledge, capturing the core, the very essence of understanding.

Founding Executive Editor of Wired Magazine & Technology Thinker

Despite being an immediate part of our existence, consciousness is potentially the most complex and elusive aspect of the universe. We haven't even begun to formulate the right questions to unravel its intricacies.

Theoretical Physicist & Public Advocate for Science and Atheism

As Einstein marveled, the universe seems to be comprehensible. It's quite remarkable that we, creatures who evolved dodging predators on the African savannah, have been able to develop quantum mechanics. I find this to be a splendid evolutionary offshoot.

Theoretical Physicist & Public Advocate for Science and Atheism

The phrase 'I don't know' serves as both an invitation and a challenge, a beckoning call to delve into the unknown and piece together the enigmatic puzzle of knowledge. Science, at its core, thrives not on regurgitating established facts but on the exhilaration of unearthing new discoveries.

Theoretical Physicist & Public Advocate for Science and Atheism

Who you are, how you perceive yourself, and how others perceive you, all are enmeshed within this tapestry, which consists of billions of neuronal connections. Alzheimer's, in essence, pulls this tapestry apart, thread by thread.

Alzheimer's disease researcher and Harvard Medical School neuroscientist

The best parenting advice I've ever received came from a friend's father, a humble man from the American South. As he detected my apprehension upon learning of my impending fatherhood, he simply said, 'Andy, you just love them and keep them dry.' This advice, as understated as it may appear, proved to be the most profound parenting counsel I've ever received.

Actor known for 1980s films like "St. Elmo's Fire

In a peculiar way, failure can sometimes be simpler to grapple with. You can simply resist it, dismiss it with a defiant 'to hell with this, to hell with them', and return to square one. Conversely, success can be considerably more subtle and insidious. While initially thrilling, relieving, and intoxicating, it can harbor a profound hollowness, which makes it more challenging and bewildering to confront.

Actor known for 1980s films like "St. Elmo's Fire