life
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“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”
— Steve Jobs
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Choosing quality over quantity means that you’re more invested in choosing things that can stand the test of time over choosing many things that could easily fall apart. It’s a concept that applies to many areas of life.
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Living a Lie: We Deceive Ourselves to Better Deceive Others
“What’s so interesting is that we seem to intuitively understand that if we can get ourselves to believe something first, we’ll be more effective at getting others to believe it,” says William von Hippel, a psychologist at The University of Queensland, who co-authored the study. “So we process information in a biased fashion, we convince ourselves, and we convince others. The beauty is, those are the steps Trivers outlined—and they all lined up in one study.”
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“From the American people.”
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“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
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Philosophers Wealth and Status
While history often highlights wealthy philosophers like Plato or Marcus Aurelius, philosophy has never been exclusive to the rich. Many thinkers, including Socrates, Diogenes, and Epictetus, came from modest or even impoverished backgrounds.
- Socrates lived simply and never sought wealth.
- Diogenes rejected material possessions entirely, living in a barrel and mocking societal norms.
- Epictetus was born a slave before becoming a major Stoic philosopher.
- Karl Marx struggled financially for much of his life while developing his critiques of capitalism.
Philosophy isn’t about wealth—it’s about seeking understanding. In fact, those who face hardship often have a deeper need for wisdom to navigate life’s struggles. The rich may have more leisure time to study, but the poor often live philosophy in practice.
When people are struggling just to survive, philosophy might seem like a luxury they can’t afford. If someone is worried about putting food on the table or paying rent, deep thinking about the meaning of life or ethics might not be their top priority.
But I wouldn’t say that poor people aren’t interested in philosophy—just that their engagement with it might look different. In many ways, survival itself forces people to think philosophically, even if they don’t call it that. Questions like “What is a good life?”, “Is money the only path to happiness?”, or “Why is the world so unfair?” are deeply philosophical, and people in tough situations often wrestle with them daily.
In developing countries, you might not see as many people studying philosophy formally, but that doesn’t mean they don’t reflect on life, fairness, morality, or purpose. In fact, some of the most profound wisdom comes from those who have lived through struggle.
By ChatGPT