From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
Every acorn is already programmed to become an oak tree, every embryo is programmed to become a baby, and every bud is programmed to become a blossom. Human beings are programmed as well, but we have something an acorn does not; free will. Every moment we live- we either allow the natural intelligence of life to unfold through us- or not. That natural intelligence is love.
Falling in love with your brain ignites a passion for discovering how best to nurture it. I'm particularly fond of one guiding question: 'Is this good for my brain or bad for it?' When you respond to this query armed with knowledge and driven by love, you naturally start making wiser choices.
It's always been the job of comedy to point out hypocrisies and problems – it's a long historical tradition that goes all the way back to Aristotle and Jonathan Swift.
In comparing alternative explanations, it is not necessarily the one with the most evidence apparently in its favour that we should choose but the one with least evidence against it. One solid piece of evidence can demolish a hypothesis.
If you want to do something well you do it 1,000 times, if you want to do something great you do it 10,000 times.
charity and philanthropy are the same. Charity giving is more aligned with money and not so much individual time. Philanthropy is more of a practice and way of being
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.
Don't base your identity on your opinions. This can be a perilous path because it makes it challenging to change your mind. Instead, it's preferable to root your identity in your values and character.
I want to either hit a homerun or walk or even strike out. This means I fail far more often than I succeed. But the important point is that what I lose when I fail is trivial, epsilon compared to what I make when I succeed.
I think intelligence is best understood as an entity that has the ability to improve a metric through repeated exposure over time. By that definition, machine learning algorithms are learning systems — they get better with more data and more exposures.
We all experience challenges. If you always make one thing your excuse or let other people drag you down because of something like your gender, it will become your prophecy. Whatever reason, you will never know for sure. You just have to keep fighting.
The role of the architect is not just to create beautiful buildings, but to improve the quality of human life through the built environment.