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?'
Peter ThielRead
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.
Interpretation
Success stems from personal fulfillment and the satisfaction of completing a task well.
In this quote, Peter Thiel emphasizes that true success is not merely defined by external achievements or accolades but rather by the intrinsic feeling of accomplishment that comes from doing quality work. He advocates for self-development and the pursuit of ambitions, highlighting that the essence of success lies in the effort and dedication put into one's work, rather than just the end results.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a motivational speech at a professional development seminar.
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?'
People working on bigger ideas on a more protracted timeline will be more on the stealth side. They aren’t releasing new PR announcements every day. The bigger the secret and the likelier it is that you alone have it, the more time you have to execute. There may be far more people going after hard secrets than we think.
What is it about our society where anyone who does not have Asperger's gets talked out of their heterodox ideas?
Every time you write an email, it is in the public domain. There are all these ways where security is not as good as people believe.
Creating value isn't enough - you also need to capture some of the value you create.
A startup is the largest endeavor over which you can have definite mastery. You can have agency not just over your own life, but over a small and important part of the world. It begins by rejecting the unjust tyranny of Chance. You are not a lottery ticket.
When I was publishing my first books, the previous generation of authors was fading away, so I was welcomed because I was a new author.
If a man loves the labour of his trade, apart from any question of success or fame, the gods have called him.
I am proud of having done what I've done. Very proud.
There's a long history of people who spent that $300,000 on their first film and weren't quite ready, and then they never did it again 'cause they were out of synch with where they were, and they would never raise that money again.
At the end of the day, if you're a professional athlete in track and field you are the CEO of your company.
There are two kinds of discontented in this world, the discontented that works and the discontented that wrings its hands. The first gets what it wants and the second loses what it has. There is no cure for the first but success and there is no cure at all for the second. The very worst of my vices and bad habits will abate of themselves if they are brought to an accounting every day.
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