I love this! It reminds me of a similar misconception about writing — an image of Thoreau going into the forest to be a hermit and write Walden. Modern writing is about assembling existing pieces, and a way to accelerate learning is through talking to people.
Hi Christina! That's another excellent piece of mythology that can trap people. I have been working on a draft contrasting different styles (isolation vs. network/engagement) and I think the answer is typically a balance with a bias to fit your personality. I agree that much of modern writing is about synthesis and remix; and often emerges through conversation.
We don't have to live in a temple to become a monk. We don't have to go into the forest to become a writer. There are plenty of ways and the key is to find the unique one that works for each of us.
How did you find, and how do you continue to rediscover your path Frederik? How do you find the inspiration to keep going? I would love to hear from you!
This is exactly the argument I’ve been striving for. All of us (social animals) have hated the false notion that wise people are hermits and enlightened by themselves, leaving no room for discussions and debates (which they usually get the most value from)
Look at the Florence of DaVinci, he was able to co-create and be a genius because there was an intellectual explosion in that city—Michelangelo, Botticelli, Machiavelli we’re all contemporaneous to him (not to mention the Medici’s)
There is no one thing people should do that leads to success. Life and success is not that simple.
There is no best way to do anything and if there was soon others would do it and reduce its effectiveness.
One observation is commonly quoted that reading is a path to success. Reading is only useful if you think about what you learnt and then use that insight to change the way you view the world and change your strategy/actions.
The quality of what you read is important. Most of what you read is rubbish and most news is noise.
I have made a conscious effort to read better quality books and fewer newer books because they are newer doesn't mean they are better.
Excellent article, the quotes from the books were interesting and helped support your ideas and entertain.
Wow I love this piece. Really fascinating and good to learn about his preferences doing social activities vs formal occasions as I share the same sentiment
This was a beautiful piece.. it struck a note with me since I give into reading for umpteen hours under the impression that I am compounding my knowledge.. But every time I discuss with another analyst, it creates a more nuanced perspective on the stock I was researching on.. It's like you get additional pair of eyes that you can look at the same problem from.. Your piece was a wake up call to indeed pick my phone more often.. Thanks..
Great thesis about Buffett doing more than just reading and your writing and book excerpts certainly proved he was doing more. Thanks for sharing your perspective on something well covered. I learned and you got me thinking! 🤔🌟
I always thought the generic advice to read a lot was incomplete and I think you spell. out why in a very convincing fashion. Well done!
Thank you, Simon!
Thanks for this great article
Thank you, Reynaldo!
I love this! It reminds me of a similar misconception about writing — an image of Thoreau going into the forest to be a hermit and write Walden. Modern writing is about assembling existing pieces, and a way to accelerate learning is through talking to people.
Hi Christina! That's another excellent piece of mythology that can trap people. I have been working on a draft contrasting different styles (isolation vs. network/engagement) and I think the answer is typically a balance with a bias to fit your personality. I agree that much of modern writing is about synthesis and remix; and often emerges through conversation.
Eager to read that piece! By random chance, have you heard of https://www.foster.co/ and if so what are your thoughts?
btw I loved this piece so much that I included it in my recent curation of excellent reads 🙂 https://twitter.com/healthwealthgen/status/1461080304278392832
Thank you for sharing & just subscribed! Yes, I'm familiar with Foster. Feel free to shoot me an email if you want to discuss.
Much appreciated — just sent you an email!
We don't have to live in a temple to become a monk. We don't have to go into the forest to become a writer. There are plenty of ways and the key is to find the unique one that works for each of us.
Well said. The world offers many paths and one will perfectly fit who you are.
How did you find, and how do you continue to rediscover your path Frederik? How do you find the inspiration to keep going? I would love to hear from you!
This is exactly the argument I’ve been striving for. All of us (social animals) have hated the false notion that wise people are hermits and enlightened by themselves, leaving no room for discussions and debates (which they usually get the most value from)
Look at the Florence of DaVinci, he was able to co-create and be a genius because there was an intellectual explosion in that city—Michelangelo, Botticelli, Machiavelli we’re all contemporaneous to him (not to mention the Medici’s)
There is no one thing people should do that leads to success. Life and success is not that simple.
There is no best way to do anything and if there was soon others would do it and reduce its effectiveness.
One observation is commonly quoted that reading is a path to success. Reading is only useful if you think about what you learnt and then use that insight to change the way you view the world and change your strategy/actions.
The quality of what you read is important. Most of what you read is rubbish and most news is noise.
I have made a conscious effort to read better quality books and fewer newer books because they are newer doesn't mean they are better.
Excellent article, the quotes from the books were interesting and helped support your ideas and entertain.
Well said and thank you. I agree with the focus on fewer but higher quality books (really any information input).
Yesterday I went down the rabbit hole called Insecurity Analysis. I couldn’t be happier. Leave me alone.
Hi Joseph, glad you enjoyed the work!
Please don’t bother me, I went down this rabbit hole….🤛😀
An excellent essay and reminder that over-emphasizing any one variable can lead you astray. As they say in the game of chess, see the whole board.
Thank you, Cosmo!
You are going to rub a lot of reading fanatics the wrong way ! :D But thanks for showing the mirror as I am reading obsessed as well.
In a way this was a reminder to myself to do more than reading ;-)
Valuable read. Appreciate the well supported dose of reality
Thank you, Jeff!
Great piece
Thank you, Jerry!
Perspective…
Fantastic piece
Thanks, Will!
Wow I love this piece. Really fascinating and good to learn about his preferences doing social activities vs formal occasions as I share the same sentiment
Great article. Keep it up.
Absolutely fantastic! Separating rhetoric from reality. You just rebalanced my thinking. Thank you!
Thank you, Anil!
This was a beautiful piece.. it struck a note with me since I give into reading for umpteen hours under the impression that I am compounding my knowledge.. But every time I discuss with another analyst, it creates a more nuanced perspective on the stock I was researching on.. It's like you get additional pair of eyes that you can look at the same problem from.. Your piece was a wake up call to indeed pick my phone more often.. Thanks..
Thank you Manish! And I agree that conversations with others can unlock new insights, especially if one has been chewing on a question for a while.
Great thesis about Buffett doing more than just reading and your writing and book excerpts certainly proved he was doing more. Thanks for sharing your perspective on something well covered. I learned and you got me thinking! 🤔🌟
Thank you, Nick❤