#261 Dee Hock's Autobiography of a Restless Mind Volume One and Two
Founders
Embracing Clarity and Growth
This chapter explores the intricate relationship between reading, writing, and personal development, advocating for clarity and purpose in communication. It reflects on the significance of individual experiences and the importance of confronting life's challenges, while critiquing traditional educational approaches. The speaker shares their own life journey, emphasizing the lessons learned from adversity and the pursuit of authenticity and creativity.
What I learned from rereading Autobiography of a Restless Mind: Reflections on the Human Condition Volume 1 and Autobiography of a Restless Mind: Reflections on the Human Condition Volume 2 by Dee Hock.
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[4:39] Quotes: Abraham Lincoln | Pythagoras | Mark Twain | Socrates | Napoleon | Leonardo da Vinci
[6:15] One should not read like a dog obeying its master, but like an eagle hunting its prey.
[6:48] Humility and generosity have no enemies.
[7:12] Powerful writing should take one side and stick to it tenaciously, ignoring the other even though it may have merit. Objective writing is impotent.
[8:02] The essential reward of anything well done is to have done it.
[8:07] What becomes known is worthless until it is shared.
[9:25] No dream is so great as the person you might become by remaining true to it.
[11:04] The wise make great use of adversity. The foolish whine about it.
[12:02] Impatience is a perpetual barrier between desire and realization.
[12:46] There are two ways to look at opposition: I want to do it and they will not let me or they want to prevent me and I won’t let them.
[13:54] When we fully attend to management of self, excellent management of all else is unavoidable.
[14:43] A meaningful life cannot be made from denial. It must be made from affirmation.
[15:16] We are each the author of our own life. Whatever we write, masterpiece or trash, it will be published and widely read throughout our life and for decades thereafter.
[16:21] The wise do not feel demeaned by asking for advice or diminished by following it.
[16:37] A wise man goes forth to meet difficulty on rather than agonizing at its approach.
[21:27] Superb design and sluggish effort can never compete with modest design and diligent effort.
[21:45] It is both foolish and weak to defer confronting what cannot be avoided.
[22:04] I have done many great things perfectly—the ones I imagined but never attempted.
[22:09] Delaying what we must do eventually does nothing but lengthen the time and distance we must carry the burden.
[22:30] The most interesting people are always the most interested people.
[22:54] Complaining about life is like hurling sand against the wind.
[23:31] Beginning of Volume 2
[27:29] Certainty is not a property of the universe. It is a construct of the mind.
[28:09] Any idiot can impose and exercise control. It takes genius to ensure freedom and release creativity.
[29:18] Two centuries ago it took a year to send a message around the globe. Now it takes a fraction of a second. We have no idea what this means or what the consequences may be.
[30:04] “Use your head, but follow your heart.” is my advice to all my grandchildren. Come to think of it. It's not bad advice for adults as well.
[30:54] Man is at war with his own nature.
[31:12] There is nothing at all wrong with discipline providing it is self-induced rather than imposed.
[31:26] Books are seductive things. All are worth a look and a touch, some a kiss, others an affair, the best marriage and lifelong devotion.
[32:41] Genius merely articulates what your heart already knows.
[32:45] The young hurl themselves into vast problems that have troubled the world's best thinkers, believing that they can find a solution. It is well that they should for, from time to time, one of them does.
[33:20] Great accomplishment often consists of doing little things well.
[33:35] The superior man is concerned when his deeds are not better than his words.
[34:16] Books are not dead things. They preserve some thing of the intellect and spirit that writes, and are instrumental in forming the intellect and spirit that reads.
[34:42] Ignorant commentaries corrupt brilliant thoughts. That may well prove to be the curse of the internet.
[35:44] Conduct is a silent sermon powerfully preached without cessation.
[36:02] Every organization has one or two heroes who gives it birth, direction, and purpose.
[36:20] Minnows of thought dart about in shallow minds with great agitation. Great whales of thought majestically move through oceanic minds without commotion.
[38:00] The new and novel should be viewed with suspicion. For it is improbable that one generation can be wiser than all ancestors combined.
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“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ”
— Gareth
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“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — Gareth
Be like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast
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