Silicon Investor - Favorite Quotes

[Sun Tzu] Side note, Marcus Aurelius' quotes are from the his book, "The Meditations" ...

Sun Tzu — 7/31/2026 9:54:26 AM

Side note, Marcus Aurelius' quotes are from the his book, "The Meditations" which is really just a bunch of random notes he wrote to himself. He never published it and did not mean it for the public. The manuscript remained obscured until about a 150 years ago (I think) where it was found in some guy's chest.

I find it impressive that a Roman emperor, at the height of Rome's power, made such observations and such notes to himself. I wish more leaders thought like him.

[Stan] Especially since we each have our own flaws and ignorance that can induce resent...

Stan — 7/31/2026 8:59:24 AM

Especially since we each have our own flaws and ignorance that can induce resentment from others towards ourselves.

[Sun Tzu] "When you wake, remember you were born to work with others, not to resent them f...

Sun Tzu — 7/31/2026 6:44:29 AM

"When you wake, remember you were born to work with others, not to resent them for their flaws or ignorance."

— Marcus Aurelius

[Sun Tzu] "The hook hurts, but I'm trying not to wriggle too much." - Gaal

Sun Tzu — 7/30/2026 5:22:53 AM

[Sun Tzu] Accept people they are, but place them where they belong. Always remember you a...

Sun Tzu — 6/22/2026 6:57:02 PM

Accept people they are, but place them where they belong.
Always remember you are the captain of your life.
Acceptance frees you from trying to change anyone.
Boundaries protect your peace.
Not everyone earns the same access, the same closeness, or
the same seat at your table, and that's not cruelty, it's self respect.

[Sun Tzu] In case you forgot: We live on a planet where whales sing songs that travel for...

Sun Tzu — 6/17/2026 9:43:06 PM

In case you forgot:

We live on a planet where whales sing songs that travel for miles.
Where trees can recognize their own offspring and protect them underground.
Where dolphins give each other names and where lightening can create glass in the sand.
Where horses can read human emotions.
Where rain has a smell before it even arrives and where the ocean can glow in the dark.
A planet where the stars we see might not even exist anymore.

[Sun Tzu] "Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set...

Sun Tzu — 3/16/2026 1:18:30 PM

"Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them." - Frank Herbert, Dune

[Sun Tzu] Better to be a diamond with flaws than a pebble without. - Confucius

Sun Tzu — 12/23/2025 4:13:43 PM

[Sun Tzu] Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss peo...

Sun Tzu — 12/22/2025 2:34:18 PM

Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people. - Socrates

[Sun Tzu] The quote is from Kill Bill. I watched both volumes this weekend. The entire mov...

Sun Tzu — 11/16/2025 12:36:29 PM

The quote is from Kill Bill. I watched both volumes this weekend. The entire movie is about revenge. Most revenge movies have only one character consumed by it, but this one is full of them. Including some who hurt themselves just to hurt someone else.

I am not a fan of Quentin Tarantino movies or revenge. But I have known people who really relate to that quote. They feel like they must be the hand of God that rights the wrongs.

Anyways, as far as Quentin Tarantino movies go, this one probably his best. There are a lot of Easter eggs in it.

[Kirk ©] What brought that quote out? It seems like I might have seen it on this weeke...

Kirk © — 11/16/2025 11:57:27 AM

What brought that quote out?

It seems like I might have seen it on this weekend's binge of "The Beast in Me".

The Beast in Me (TV Mini Series 2025) - IMDb

Bing AI said it was from Kill Bill

Google AI still kicks a$$ on MSFT (though I gave it a clue)

The quote is also the title of a fictional book written by the main character, Aggie Wiggs (played by Claire Danes), in the 2025 Netflix psychological thriller limited series The Beast in Me. In the series, Aggie writes a first-person narrative about her experiences with her neighbor, who was once a prime murder suspect, and the book becomes a huge hit. The title of the series itself comes from a Johnny Cash song.

Ah ha! No short-term memory loss for me!

Interesting to compare with AI in browsers this:

"When fortune smiles on something as violent and ugly as revenge, it seems proof like no other that not only does God exist, you're doing his will," The Beast in Me

FWIW, I believe both Christians and Buddhists believe forgiveness is the only way to personal peace or enlightenment.

[Sun Tzu] "When fortune smiles on something as violent and ugly as revenge, it seems proof...

Sun Tzu — 11/15/2025 7:37:11 PM

"When fortune smiles on something as violent and ugly as revenge, it seems proof like no other that not only does God exist, you're doing his will," O-Ren Ishii

[Stan] It is interesting that someone can be blinded by darkness, or by light.

Stan — 10/25/2025 8:01:16 PM

[Sun Tzu] "Why do my eyes hurt so much?", Neo "Because you never used them before," Morphe...

Sun Tzu — 10/25/2025 6:20:54 PM

"Why do my eyes hurt so much?", Neo
"Because you never used them before," Morpheus

[Stan] We live on an island of knowledge surrounded by a sea of ignorance. As our islan...

Stan — 7/23/2025 10:54:45 PM

We live on an island of knowledge surrounded by a sea of ignorance. As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance.

- J. A. Wheeler

[Stan] “Our little systems have their day; They have their day and cease to be: They ...

Stan — 6/5/2025 8:53:22 PM

“Our little systems have their day;
They have their day and cease to be:
They are but broken lights of Thee,
And Thou, O Lord, art more than they.”

~Tennyson, In Memoriam

[Sun Tzu] Freddy: [about Remy's combativeness] Don't do no good calling a man out like tha...

Sun Tzu — 5/20/2025 11:47:04 AM

Freddy: [about Remy's combativeness] Don't do no good calling a man out like that. It's like - blaming a snake for having fangs.

----

I always remember this quote when I get into certain arguments or take offence.

[Sun Tzu] "Most people hate changing their minds,” he said, “but I like to change my mind....

Sun Tzu — 3/15/2025 1:07:49 PM

"Most people hate changing their minds,” he said, “but I like to change my mind. It means I’ve learned something.” - Daniel Kahneman

[Sun Tzu] "Whatever light I may receive, I shall always make it luminous with the light of...

Sun Tzu — 3/13/2025 3:57:38 PM

"Whatever light I may receive, I shall always make it luminous with the light of reason. I shall never believe that I have fallen upon new truths, if it is impossible to see their connection with the truths already known to me." - Salomon Maimon

[Arran Yuan] The ability of matching ones expectation with its capability plus effort.

Arran Yuan — 3/7/2025 12:02:30 PM

[Kirk ©] Happiness is probably making progress towards internal goals set for oneself. ...

Kirk © — 3/7/2025 11:48:57 AM

Happiness is probably making progress towards internal goals set for oneself.

If you are an intoxicated bum living in the streets of SF, then happiness might be getting a 1 month sobriety chip at an NA or AA mtg before returning to your subsidized shelter where your next step towards greater happiness is to get a good job to pay for your own shelter.

That feeling of accomplishment might be far greater than Musk and the whole SpaceX team landing both a Starship booster and the Starship itself, which until now hasn't landed intact.

[Sun Tzu] I used to think that way when I was young. There is a kernel of truth in it. Bu...

Sun Tzu — 3/7/2025 11:01:35 AM

I used to think that way when I was young.
There is a kernel of truth in it.
But overall, it leads to an empty transitory life.

[Stan] re. Happiness. I saw this online many years ago, Happiness = Reality - Expect...

Stan — 3/7/2025 9:44:30 AM

re. Happiness. I saw this online many years ago,

Happiness = Reality - Expectations.

[Sun Tzu] FYI - This is the exact opposite of the Buddhist philosophy which states happine...

Sun Tzu — 3/6/2025 12:35:42 PM

FYI - This is the exact opposite of the Buddhist philosophy which states happiness the natural state of being and that once you purify yourself of the negative emotions and mindset, that which remains is happy and fluid.

[Stan] But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have reason to “be happ...

Stan — 3/5/2025 8:48:57 PM

But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have reason to “be happy.” Once the reason is found, however, one becomes happy automatically. As we see, a human being is not one in pursuit of happiness but rather in search of a reason to become happy...”

Victor Frankl

[Stan] Hard times make strong people. Strong people make good times. Good times make we...

Stan — 2/13/2025 7:46:01 PM

Hard times make strong people. Strong people make good times. Good times make weak people. Weak people make hard times.

[Sun Tzu] I love the last quote! MASH was a great show. A perfect blend of comedy and dram...

Sun Tzu — 10/12/2024 1:39:13 PM

I love the last quote!
MASH was a great show. A perfect blend of comedy and drama, often pointing at a deeper truth.

[Kirk ©] To honor grub #13,000, some of my favorite quotes: "Giving money and power to t...

Kirk © — 10/12/2024 11:47:06 AM

To honor grub #13,000, some of my favorite quotes:

"Giving money and power to the government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."
-P.J. O'Rourke
“Beware of altruism. It is based on self-deception, the root of all evil.”
Ayn Rand
"I'm only paranoid because everybody's against me."
-- Major Frank Burns, 4077 MASH

[Sun Tzu] "The grass is always greener on the side that’s fertilized with bullshit.”

Sun Tzu — 10/11/2024 9:45:44 PM

[Graystone] “Nobody dies a virgin, life fucks us all.” -Kurt Cobain

Graystone — 9/21/2024 8:36:55 AM

[Sun Tzu] "Perfection is impossible. In the 1,526 singles matches I played in my career, ...

Sun Tzu — 9/21/2024 7:45:50 AM

"Perfection is impossible.

In the 1,526 singles matches I played in my career, I won almost 80% of those matches.

But what percentage of points did I win?

54%

In other words, even top ranked tennis players win barely more than half the points they play.

When you lose ever second point on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot.

You teach yourself to think:
'Okay, I double faulted...it's only a point.'
'Okay, I came to the net and I got passed again...it's only a point.'

Even a great shot, an overhead backhand smash that ends up on ESPN's top 10 playlist – that too is just a point.

Here's why I'm telling you this.

When you're playing a point, it has to be the most important thing in the world. And it is.

But when it's behind you, it's behind you.

This mindset is crucial – because it frees you to fully commit to the next point with intensity, clarity, and focus."

–
@rogerfederer

[Sun Tzu] I told my daughter the same thing only a week ago. The key to understanding this...

Sun Tzu — 8/28/2024 3:37:44 PM

I told my daughter the same thing only a week ago.
The key to understanding this quote is to parse it properly.
He didn't say do what love, he said love what you do.

[Jason T] One of my favorite quotes is: "The only way to do great work is to love what you...

Jason T — 8/28/2024 3:17:01 PM

One of my favorite quotes is: "The only way to do great work is to love what you do." - Steve Jobs.

[Stan] If serving is beneath you, then leadership is beyond you. ~ Unknown

Stan — 8/19/2024 4:21:36 PM

[Stan] No finite point has meaning without an infinite reference point. — Jean-Paul Sar...

Stan — 5/20/2024 11:13:24 AM

No finite point has meaning without an infinite reference point.
— Jean-Paul Sartre

[Sun Tzu] "Thinking is difficult, that’s why most people judge." - Carl Jung

Sun Tzu — 5/19/2024 4:29:10 PM

[Sun Tzu] "Practicality is a nightmare. No big dream is practical...Fear is a compass towa...

Sun Tzu — 5/13/2024 5:57:49 PM

"Practicality is a nightmare. No big dream is practical...Fear is a compass toward the extraordinary." - Jim Carrey

[Stan] In the same vein - When I was one-and-twenty I heard a wise man say, “Give crow...

Stan — 5/2/2024 12:38:43 AM

In the same vein -

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
“Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;

Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free.”
But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
“The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;

’Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue.”
And I am two-and-twenty,
And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.

~ A.E. Housman (1896)

[Sun Tzu] “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have ...

Sun Tzu — 5/1/2024 11:45:10 AM

“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” - Mark Twain

My oldest relates to this perfectly <g>

[Sun Tzu] Lol! I've heard that the most successful marriages are between blind women and ...

Sun Tzu — 4/27/2024 6:13:50 PM

Lol!

I've heard that the most successful marriages are between blind women and deaf men.

[Sun Tzu] "Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to chang...

Sun Tzu — 4/27/2024 1:51:00 PM

"Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks." - Warren Buffett

=======

WB meant this as investment advice, but it holds true for anything. It is also another way to restate my previous naval quote on managing conflicts.

[Sun Tzu] "The 1st rule of handling conflict is don't hang around with people who are cons...

Sun Tzu — 4/27/2024 10:24:36 AM

"The 1st rule of handling conflict is don't hang around with people who are constantly engaging in conflict."
~Naval

=====

I've not heard a wiser advice!

[Sun Tzu] Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates. At the first gate, as...

Sun Tzu — 3/9/2024 12:53:13 PM

Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates. At the first gate, ask yourself, “Is it true?” At the second gate ask, “Is it necessary?” At the third gate ask, “Is it kind?”

[Sun Tzu] "Historical facts don’t justify logical fallacies." - Prometheus Research [X] ...

Sun Tzu — 10/4/2023 4:00:23 PM

"Historical facts don’t justify logical fallacies." - Prometheus Research

[X]

Historical facts don’t justify logical fallacies.
— Prometheus Research (@prometheusmacro) October 4, 2023

[/X]

[Sun Tzu] "When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today wi...

Sun Tzu — 6/7/2023 1:10:45 PM

"When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they cannot tell good from evil." - Marcus Aurelius 121 A.D.

[Sun Tzu] "A fit body, a calm mind, and a house full of love cannot be bought - they must ...

Sun Tzu — 4/28/2023 9:19:48 AM

"A fit body, a calm mind, and a house full of love cannot be bought - they must be earned."

[Sun Tzu] A world is ‘irrational’ to decision-makers when the theory they accept does not ...

Sun Tzu — 4/21/2023 10:40:55 PM

A world is ‘irrational’ to decision-makers when the theory they accept does not explain what happens and therefore does not offer policymakers reasonably argued scenarios about the consequences of different actions. -- Minsky

[TimF] [graphic]

TimF — 3/2/2023 12:04:59 PM

[TimF] "You will never understand bureaucracies until you understand that for bureaucra...

TimF — 3/1/2023 11:27:07 AM

"You will never understand bureaucracies until you understand that for bureaucrats procedure is everything and outcomes are nothing. If you have been living in a world where outcomes are everything, you may have a very hard time understanding bureaucratic thinking or practices."

- Thomas Sowell