Hello friends,
Just a short one for you today. Four quotes and two songs.
These are from a previous post of mine which included my favorite quotes of the year for 2023. This week I would like to share my thoughts on these quotes with you.
1. “No individual mind, however brilliant, can ever safely sit in judgment on the traditions of mankind because the traditions are the result of the trial and error thinking of hundreds of generations…Like a drop of water suddenly standing up on the crest of a wave and announcing that it is going to analyze the sea.”
-Will Durant “The Lessons of History”
In this book, Durant talks about how in his youth he criticized religion, but now as an old man he does not. He says religions are the product of hundreds and thousands of years, and no one man is able to dismiss this amount of human wisdom in his lifetime. He believes that religion may be the most effective way to get man to behave and cooperate within society and dismiss his animal instincts.
This quote supports a strong belief I hold - that we should judge historical figures based on the norms of their time, not the norms of our time. One example of this would be - just because Thomas Jefferson owned slaves does not mean should condemn him entirely.
2. “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”
-Mark Twain
I’ve always felt this saying is somewhat tongue in cheek, but it can be good advice. People do not rally behind “the truth,” they rally behind a good story. I used to laugh at what has become a common phrase in recent years, “my truth.” But what I’ve come to realize is that people actually do have their own truths. Outside of the hard sciences, by and large there is not much objective truth in the world. It’s not always the case, but in many instances, a good story is more important than the truth because the truth can be different for everyone.
3. “Either create wealth or a passive income, or become a monk, or do what you love more than money. What remains is taming the mind and the body, seeking truth, creating love and art. The world has nothing to offer you. And you are free.”
-Naval Ravikant
Naval believes that everyone of sound mind and body has the ability to achieve financial freedom. I’m not sure if I agree with this, but it is a legitimate goal that I am actively trying to attain.
He has a saying, that people need to “solve their money problem.” It is not a selfish desire in his view, but a necessary box to check on the path of a life well lived. Financial freedom will solve many of life’s problems, (not all of them), just all of the money ones. If you don’t care about money then be a teacher, a monk, or write a newsletter.
4. “Spend as little time as possible talking about how other people are wrong.”
-Tyler Cowen
Most of the time it’s not particularly helpful to talk about, or think about how other people are wrong. It can be fun. It can make you feel better about yourself. But unless you are looking for conflict, most of the time it’s a dead end or a distraction to dwell on why others are “wrong.”
My own twist that I would add to this is “spend as little time as possible thinking about things that bother you.” If you lean into your pet peeves and focus on them and talk about them, it’s a good way to make yourself and others unhappy. If you don’t like rabbits, maybe it’s worth examining why that is, but other than that, it’s not a good use of time.
Music
One of my favorite musical “discoveries” of the last year has been The Avett Brothers. I’ve been aware of them for many years, but for a number of poor reasons, I ignored them. I’m not sure what changed, but recently they have been one of my favorite groups, and this is one of my favorite songs by them. It’s simple, yet profound. Light hearted, yet serious.
“Metal surrenders when oak trees meet fenders, and engines go through the front seats.”
Another of my favorite musical “discoveries” has been Lucinda Williams. She is a complete badass and a brilliant songwriter. This has been one of my favorite songs by her recently. This particular song is not about the lyrics for me. It’s just a beautiful melody. It’s uplifting.
Thanks for reading. I hope you have a good week. If you enjoyed this why not share it with a friend?
Mark Twain had a lot of good quotes.