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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.
Peter Thiel
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the power and control individuals can exert over their own entrepreneurial ventures, discouraging reliance on luck.

Peter Thiel's quote highlights the significant influence entrepreneurs can have when creating startups. It suggests that rather than leaving success to chance—akin to a lottery ticket—individuals can take charge of their destiny and actively shape their business ventures. By doing so, they not only take control of their lives but also impact the world around them in meaningful ways.

Themes

StartupSuccessAgencyControlEntrepreneurship

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech at a startup conference to inspire budding entrepreneurs.

More from Peter Thiel

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.
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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?'
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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.
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What is it about our society where anyone who does not have Asperger's gets talked out of their heterodox ideas?
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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.
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Creating value isn't enough - you also need to capture some of the value you create.
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