It's good to test yourself and develop your talents and ambitions as fully as you can and achieve greater success; but I think success is the feeling you get from a job well done, and the key thing is to do the work.
Peter ThielRead
The first question we would ask if aliens landed on this planet is not, 'What does this mean for the economy or jobs?' It would be, 'Are they friendly or unfriendly?'
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of safety and interpersonal relationships over economic concerns in the face of the unknown.
Peter Thiel's quote highlights a fundamental human instinct to prioritize our safety and the nature of our relationships with others, even in hypothetical scenarios involving extraterrestrial life. Rather than immediately considering the economic ramifications of such an event, our first instinct would be to ascertain whether these visitors pose a threat or are allies, underlining our intrinsic need for security and understanding when confronted with the unfamiliar.
Themes
AliensSafetyRelationshipsEconomyFear
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about science fiction films, one might quote this to illustrate our concern for safety over economic implications.
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