Elevate yourself so you can quickly adapt to the world, rather than waiting for the world to release a new version that accommodates you.
Means of production are things that can create value on their own. More importantly, independent and complete means of production can still generate value even when they don’t rely on other factors of production.
There is an inherent difference between the tasks humans and machines excel at. Humans are conscious and skilled at planning and making decisions in complex situations, but they are not good at processing large amounts of data. Computers, on the other hand, excel at efficient data processing but cannot make basic judgments that come easily to humans.
On the project's homepage ("20 under 20," a program that encourages students to pursue business success over academics), Peter Thiel cites Mark Twain to illustrate his philosophy: I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
True education doesn't happen in school—at least not in China.
Work comes in two types: less than 5% is breakthrough work, which heavily depends on the individual; the other 95% is maintenance work, where there's not much difference between people.
Education is sometimes not about teaching, but about selection—and more often than not, that selection just provides a justification.
When you think of yourself as a waste, it's very hard to live a happy life. One of the needs after adulthood is the need for recognition.
If a person has many identities that define them, they won't easily experience spiritual disillusionment. For them, there's no such thing as unemployment; they've simply lost one identity.
Lü Bu can shout "Righteous Father, look down upon me" wherever he goes because his martial arts are unrivaled. Without this kind of utilitarian value, you'd scream until your throat gives out and no one would answer. If you're not protected from birth, your life is already doomed.
Any so-called backing you find later in life will only want to use you, not protect you. Once you lose your usefulness, they'll dispose of you in a flash—like throwing away dirty gloves.