People
39 notes, 4 favorites. Often alongside life, thinking and agency.
Start here · 17 min
- the world doesn’t move because you tell it to★(favorite)signull · 3 min
signull argues people never change because they are told to, only when a story or vision shifts what they see, as in falling in love, lasting friendships, and leaders like Jobs.
- A Few Things I’m Pretty Sure About (2026)★(favorite)Morgan Housel · 4 min
Housel on why bad behavior makes sense with more information, how housing affordability drives social problems, why people fear AI after the internet, and why politics runs in cycles.
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meet★(favorite)Henrik Karlsson · 10 min
Karlsson argues we misread people by judging surface interests in a single context, as he did for 15 years with his friend Torbjörn, whom he saw as funny rather than deeply responsive.
All 39 notes
Libera argues that sitcoms can hold life lessons as real as those in books, and walks through the moments from Community that shaped how she sees her own life.
Related
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- Letter to JackChris Oakman
- First we shape our social graph; then it shapes usHenrik Karlsson
- On feeling connectedHenrik Karlsson
Karlsson argues we absorb whatever milieu surrounds us, as historical geniuses absorbed the highly skilled adults around them, so you should deliberately curate both your influences and your audience.
Related
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- On feeling connectedHenrik Karlsson
- Letter to JackChris Oakman
- Seeds of Community: Unexpected Life Lessons From A SitcomAlma Libera
Karlsson argues, building on Erich Fromm, that giving is an act of potency rather than sacrifice, and that genuine care for others is how we generate connection.
Related
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- First we shape our social graph; then it shapes usHenrik Karlsson
- Letter to JackChris Oakman
- Seeds of Community: Unexpected Life Lessons From A SitcomAlma Libera
Housel lists the easy mental shortcuts people take instead of hard thinking, like killing uncertainty fast, blaming complex events on one cause, judging others but excusing yourself, and trusting stories over statistics.
Related
- A Few Short StoriesMorgan Housel
- A Few Things I’m Pretty Sure About (2026)Morgan Housel
- A Few Things I’m Pretty Sure About (2023)Morgan Housel
- I Have A Few QuestionsMorgan Housel
- NewSometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meet★(favorite)Henrik Karlsson 10 min
Karlsson argues we misread people by judging surface interests in a single context, as he did for 15 years with his friend Torbjörn, whom he saw as funny rather than deeply responsive.
Related
- First we shape our social graph; then it shapes usHenrik Karlsson
- On feeling connectedHenrik Karlsson
- Letter to JackChris Oakman
- Seeds of Community: Unexpected Life Lessons From A SitcomAlma Libera
Housel argues we blame bad times on risk but credit good times to ourselves, though luck is just risk in reverse, so the best guard against entitlement is to be nicer the better things go.
Related
- A Few Things I’m Pretty Sure About (2026)Morgan Housel
- A Few Things I’m Pretty Sure About (2023)Morgan Housel
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- Letter to JackChris Oakman
Housel collects short historical stories with lessons on behavior, from drivers ignoring seat belts for decades to Scots massing troops during the Black Death and Apollo astronauts finding the moon underwhelming.
Related
- Psychological Paths of Least ResistanceMorgan Housel
- A Few Things I’m Pretty Sure About (2026)Morgan Housel
- A Few Things I’m Pretty Sure About (2023)Morgan Housel
- I Have A Few QuestionsMorgan Housel
Housel's convictions on money and behavior, from not needing to impress anyone as the best financial asset to expectations inflation, endurance as the key to success, and how ego and impatience override intelligence.
Related
- A Few Things I’m Pretty Sure About (2026)Morgan Housel
- A Message From the Past (Thoughts on Nostalgia)Morgan Housel
- Psychological Paths of Least ResistanceMorgan Housel
- The Luckier You Are The Nicer You Should BeMorgan Housel
Lamade argues that significance, the quiet impact you have on people around you, matters more than success, drawing on a Cornell coach's speech and a gym teacher who built confidence in small kids for decades.
Related
- The Misfit TreeTed Lamade
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- Letter to JackChris Oakman
- Seeds of Community: Unexpected Life Lessons From A SitcomAlma Libera
Lamade argues the imperfect moments are the ones we remember, from his father's habit of buying the first flawed Christmas tree he sees, and asks what we lose by smoothing every flaw out of life.
Related
- Significance > SuccessTed Lamade
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- Letter to JackChris Oakman
- Seeds of Community: Unexpected Life Lessons From A SitcomAlma Libera
signull argues attention works like gravity and pulls hardest toward whoever returns it least, which is why silence, scarcity, and one-sided interest hold our focus in relationships, markets, and culture.
Related
- Psychological Paths of Least ResistanceMorgan Housel
- A Few Short StoriesMorgan Housel
- Don't ask yes/no, ask A/BJakob Greenfeld
- the world doesn’t move because you tell it tosignull
signull argues people never change because they are told to, only when a story or vision shifts what they see, as in falling in love, lasting friendships, and leaders like Jobs.
Related
- How To Send Progress UpdatesSlava Akhmechet
- the physics of attentionsignull
- Illusion of Transparency: Why No One Understands YouEliezer Yudkowsky
- You can't tell people anythingChip Morningstar
An insider's list of what made Stripe great around 2018, starting with nearly everyone being agentic, smart, and conscientious, and what that cost in energy.
Related
- Leader v Follower ModeSlava Akhmechet
- how to give feedbackSlava Akhmechet
- How to recruitSlava Akhmechet
- Stubborn Attachments On Getting Things DoneSlava Akhmechet
How to give feedback people want and feedback they don't: move from a concrete example of their work to how you'd do it, why it matters, and a reusable framework.
Related
- Leader v Follower ModeSlava Akhmechet
- Braindump on what made Stripe greatSlava Akhmechet
- How to recruitSlava Akhmechet
- How To Send Progress UpdatesSlava Akhmechet
Great candidates are rare and have options, so move fast, pour energy into small gestures and their bigger dreams, and leave compensation for the end.
Related
- Leader v Follower ModeSlava Akhmechet
- Braindump on what made Stripe greatSlava Akhmechet
- how to give feedbackSlava Akhmechet
- How to Work W DesignersSlava Akhmechet
Tips for updates to investors, bosses, and other teams: show you take their trust seriously, vary the cadence a little, and build a record of good stewardship.
Related
- the world doesn’t move because you tell it tosignull
- How to Capture AttentionSlava Akhmechet
- Leader v Follower ModeSlava Akhmechet
- On Working with Product ManagersSlava Akhmechet
Great designers see the world from a vantage point you can't share, so working with one means building a common language together until the confusion clears.
Related
- On Working with Product ManagersSlava Akhmechet
- How to recruitSlava Akhmechet
- On Starting a New JobSlava Akhmechet
- How to Capture AttentionSlava Akhmechet
Contrasts two working modes: leaders take a goal, tolerate ambiguity, and figure out the how, while followers need precise tasks and excel within a narrow range.
Related
- Braindump on what made Stripe greatSlava Akhmechet
- how to give feedbackSlava Akhmechet
- How to recruitSlava Akhmechet
- How To Send Progress UpdatesSlava Akhmechet
Start a new job by running two threads: solve one small valuable problem fast and keep scaling up, while talking to everyone to understand what they work on and why.
Related
- How to recruitSlava Akhmechet
- How to Work W DesignersSlava Akhmechet
- Long Range Career AdviceSlava Akhmechet
- Gradient Descent ValleysSlava Akhmechet
PMs own outcomes they don't control, and engineering and PM share strategic goals but diverge tactically by design, so the relationship is part partnership, part healthy tension.
Related
- How to Work W DesignersSlava Akhmechet
- How to Capture AttentionSlava Akhmechet
- How To Send Progress UpdatesSlava Akhmechet
- Leader v Follower ModeSlava Akhmechet
Housel on why bad behavior makes sense with more information, how housing affordability drives social problems, why people fear AI after the internet, and why politics runs in cycles.
Related
- A Few Things I’m Pretty Sure About (2023)Morgan Housel
- A Message From the Past (Thoughts on Nostalgia)Morgan Housel
- Psychological Paths of Least ResistanceMorgan Housel
- The Luckier You Are The Nicer You Should BeMorgan Housel
Eliason argues modern life atomizes rich activities into single efficient elements, like a Peloton ride instead of biking with friends, and that blending exercise, food, work, and friends back together makes life happier.
Related
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- Letter to JackChris Oakman
- Seeds of Community: Unexpected Life Lessons From A SitcomAlma Libera
- First we shape our social graph; then it shapes usHenrik Karlsson
Paul Graham argues nerds are unpopular in school because they care more about being smart than popular, and because schools are artificial places with no real work to do.
Related
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- Letter to JackChris Oakman
- How to Do What You LovePaul Graham
- Life is ShortPaul Graham
A reflection on how friendships fade without a final conversation, why lost people still surface in ordinary moments, and how those who once mattered keep shaping who you are after contact ends.
Related
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- Letter to JackChris Oakman
- Seeds of Community: Unexpected Life Lessons From A SitcomAlma Libera
- First we shape our social graph; then it shapes usHenrik Karlsson
Chapin argues fast connection with strangers is a learnable skill: expect everything and nothing from people, risk looking stupid, match their tempo, be responsive, and stay physically relaxed.
Related
- Reminder: Empathize First!Divia Eden
- To listen well, get curiousBen Kuhn
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- the world doesn’t move because you tell it tosignull
Framing a request as a choice between two options instead of yes or no takes "no" off the table, and the same trick works for your own habits.
Related
- Psychological Paths of Least ResistanceMorgan Housel
- A Few Short StoriesMorgan Housel
- the physics of attentionsignull
- On the importance of infinitesimal actionsJakob Greenfeld
Borrowing improv's offer-block-accept idea, Greenfeld argues that blocking feels safe and high-status but makes life dull, so accept more offers and make interesting ones, the way Californication's Richard Bates does.
Related
- The MirrorJakob Greenfeld
- On the importance of infinitesimal actionsJakob Greenfeld
- Don't ask yes/no, ask A/BJakob Greenfeld
- Elon Musk's, Steve Jobs', Albert Einstein's Secret SauceJakob Greenfeld
When someone upset comes to you for support, empathize before offering advice, even if they asked for advice, because they can't take it in until they feel heard.
Related
- Connecting with people more easilySasha Chapin
- To listen well, get curiousBen Kuhn
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- the world doesn’t move because you tell it tosignull
A busy music publicist only listened to artists who followed up three times, which Sivers uses to argue that persistent follow-up is how you show you care.
Related
- How to Network EffectivelyWill Eden
- There’s no speed limitDerek Sivers
- Create.Derek Sivers
- 6 things I wish I knew the day I started BerkleeDerek Sivers
Greenfeld argues people tend to mirror how you treat them, since popular kids are the ones who like their classmates most, so to stop fearing judgment, mistrust, or rudeness, change your own behavior first.
Related
- Howl with the wolvesJakob Greenfeld
- On the importance of infinitesimal actionsJakob Greenfeld
- Don't ask yes/no, ask A/BJakob Greenfeld
- Elon Musk's, Steve Jobs', Albert Einstein's Secret SauceJakob Greenfeld
Yudkowsky uses Boaz Keysar's experiments to show that we know what we mean and assume others do too, so speakers overestimate how well they're understood, as Chamberlain did in his letter to Hitler.
Related
- SotW: Be SpecificEliezer Yudkowsky
- Taboo Your WordsEliezer Yudkowsky
- You can't tell people anythingChip Morningstar
- Fake ExplanationsEliezer Yudkowsky
Kuhn argues that reflecting someone's words back is cargo-cult listening, and that good listening comes from real curiosity about the details of their situation, without which your advice is usually wrong.
Related
- Connecting with people more easilySasha Chapin
- Reminder: Empathize First!Divia Eden
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- the world doesn’t move because you tell it tosignull
Greenfeld treats vibes as a practical lens: things on your wavelength attract and influence you, so raise your state first, then notice which people, food, music, and work feel off.
Related
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- Letter to JackChris Oakman
- Seeds of Community: Unexpected Life Lessons From A SitcomAlma Libera
- First we shape our social graph; then it shapes usHenrik Karlsson
A step-by-step guide to networking, starting with having a clear goal, on the premise that the people around you often limit what you can accomplish.
Related
- Repeatedly follow-up to show you careDerek Sivers
- Connecting with people more easilySasha Chapin
- It Is Your Responsibility to Follow UpAlexey Guzey
- Reminder: Empathize First!Divia Eden
Kevin Kelly's 101 new bits of life advice written for his 73rd birthday, from criticizing something by making something better to interviewing your parents while you can and being the last to let go of a hug.
Related
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- fun is the only metric that doesn’t liesignull
- PsychokineticsManav B. Ponnekanti
- Letter to JackChris Oakman
A letter to a new high school graduate about adult life: what you repeat becomes who you are, starting with how you get along with the voice in your head.
Related
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- Seeds of Community: Unexpected Life Lessons From A SitcomAlma Libera
- First we shape our social graph; then it shapes usHenrik Karlsson
- On feeling connectedHenrik Karlsson
- NewThe Tail EndTim Urban 5 min
Urban counts his remaining winters, books, and visits home and finds that by high school graduation he had already used up 93% of his in-person time with his parents, so time with loved ones deserves top priority.
Related
- Why I'm Always LateTim Urban
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- Letter to JackChris Oakman
- Seeds of Community: Unexpected Life Lessons From A SitcomAlma Libera
Urban argues chronically late people who hate being late aren't selfish but irrational, then traces his own lateness to denial about how long things take, dread of transitions, and anger at an unproductive day.
Related
- The Tail EndTim Urban
- Sometimes the reason you can’t find people you resonate with is because you misread the ones you meetHenrik Karlsson
- Letter to JackChris Oakman
- Seeds of Community: Unexpected Life Lessons From A SitcomAlma Libera
Explaining a new idea in words rarely works; people only understand once they experience it, which changes how you should pitch, demo, and teach.
Related
- Illusion of Transparency: Why No One Understands YouEliezer Yudkowsky
- the world doesn’t move because you tell it tosignull
- How to think in writingHenrik Karlsson
- Psychological Paths of Least ResistanceMorgan Housel