America, is a delusion, the grandest …

America, is a delusion, the grandest one of all. The white race believes – believes with all its heart – that it is their right to take the land. To kill Indians. Make war. Enslave their brothers. This nation shouldn’t exist, if there is any justice in the world, for its foundations are murder, theft, and cruelty. Yet here we are.

– from The Underground Railroad book by Colson Whitehead

The start up is a magical …

The start up is a magical place. It’s a place where expenses are someone else’s problem. It’s a place where that pesky thing called revenue is never an issue. It’s a place where you can spend other people’s money until you figure out a way to make your own. It’s a place where the laws of business physics don’t apply. The problem with this magical place is it’s a fairy tale. The truth is every business, new or old, is governed by the same set of market forces and economic rules. Revenue in, expenses out. Turn a profit or wind up gone.

– from Rework book by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Whereas most investment books and college …

Whereas most investment books and college curricula focus on teaching how to make good investments, everyone would be better off by learning how not to make bad investments. An investment career is probably among the very few that rewards the skeptic more than the optimist. Buffett is the best investor in the world because he is the best rejector in the world.

– from What I Learned About Investing from Darwin book by Pulak Prasad

It seems to be hard-wired into …

It seems to be hard-wired into most people’s psyches to become more optimistic and risk-tolerant when things are going well, and then more worried and risk-averse when things turn downward. That means they’re most willing to buy when they should be most cautious, and most reluctant to buy when they should be most aggressive. Superior investors recognize this and strive to behave as contrarians.

– from Mastering the Market Cycle book by Howard Marks