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← Being told to be realistic about your ambitions is how ambitions fail;…
17 connected korrents · 14 moments from 14 Apr 2011 to 21 Sept 2026.
Everything filed under ambition
ambition
Everything filed under startups
startups
Everything filed under agency
agency
Everything filed under motivation
motivation
Everything filed under humility
humility
Everything filed under courage
courage Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Read this korrent: Being told to be realistic about your ambitions is how ambitions fail; the boundaries people accept about what they can do are the ones that stop them. Being told to be realistic about your ambitions is how ambitions fail; the boundaries people accept about what they can do are the ones that stop them. Last stated 2 months ago
24 Aug 2026
MH
Masud Husain — holds since 2026-08-24 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Most people never sit down to decide what success or "enough" would look like for them, and so end up chasing growth indiscriminately. — tap to centre the map on it Most people never sit down to decide what success or "enough" would look like for them, and so end up chasing growth indiscriminately. Last stated 2 months ago
28 Aug 2026
RH
Ryan Holiday — holds since 2026-08-28 — tap for who they are
Same subject: We should act on the assumption that we have almost no idea what the best futures would look like, so committing today to any particular vision would be a great mistake. — tap to centre the map on it We should act on the assumption that we have almost no idea what the best futures would look like, so committing today to any particular vision would be a great mistake. Last stated a year ago
3 Aug 2025
WM
William MacAskill — holds since 2025-08-03 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Letting people follow their own interests is desirable because no one can predict where they will come out — tap to centre the map on it Letting people follow their own interests is desirable because no one can predict where they will come out
MF
Milton Friedman — holds since c. 1962 — tap for who they are
Same subject: The question to put to a young person is what they want to do, not what they want to be — the roles are a costume and asking about them is cruel. — tap to centre the map on it The question to put to a young person is what they want to do, not what they want to be — the roles are a costume and asking about them is cruel. Last stated 7 months ago
11 Mar 2026
JK
Jeff Kaplan — holds since 2026-03-11 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Declining many-worlds because it extrapolates past what we can observe is methodologically respectable and still a failure of nerve. — tap to centre the map on it Declining many-worlds because it extrapolates past what we can observe is methodologically respectable and still a failure of nerve. Last stated 3 years ago
22 Apr 2024
SC
Sean Carroll — holds since 2024-04-22 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Entrepreneurs benefit from setting ambitious goals, even though most people do not need grand ambitions at all. — tap to centre the map on it Entrepreneurs benefit from setting ambitious goals, even though most people do not need grand ambitions at all. Last stated 2 months ago
26 Aug 2026
DH
David Heinemeier Hansson — holds since 2026-08-26 — tap for who they are
Same subject: The value of an ambitious experiment target is not hitting it but the conversation about what would have to be true to hit it. — tap to centre the map on it The value of an ambitious experiment target is not hitting it but the conversation about what would have to be true to hit it. Last stated a year ago
5 Oct 2025
AC
Albert Cheng — holds since 2025-10-05 — tap for who they are
Same subject: We hope things turn out as we want but fail to do what is needed to make them real — tap to centre the map on it We hope things turn out as we want but fail to do what is needed to make them real
JW
John Wooden — holds since c. 2001 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A drop in agency is the earliest sign of burnout, arriving before you consciously notice you are burning out. — tap to centre the map on it A drop in agency is the earliest sign of burnout, arriving before you consciously notice you are burning out. Last stated 3 years ago
10 Jan 2024
CH
Cate Hall — holds since 2024-01-10 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A founder who picks an idea because the market wants it will give up, because nobody can persist at something that was never important to them. — tap to centre the map on it A founder who picks an idea because the market wants it will give up, because nobody can persist at something that was never important to them. Last stated 2 years ago
19 Jun 2024
AS
Aravind Srinivas — holds since 2024-06-19 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A general inclination of all humankind is a perpetual, restless desire of power after power that ends only in death — tap to centre the map on it A general inclination of all humankind is a perpetual, restless desire of power after power that ends only in death
TH
Thomas Hobbes — holds since c. 1651 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A business can use stewardship of a community publication as a top-of-funnel customer acquisition strategy without needing the publication itself to generate revenue directly. — tap to centre the map on it A business can use stewardship of a community publication as a top-of-funnel customer acquisition strategy without needing the publication itself to generate revenue directly. Last stated a month ago
21 Sept 2026
CC
Chris Coyier — holds since 2026-09-21 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A CEO can master both peacetime and wartime leadership, but it is hard — tap to centre the map on it A CEO can master both peacetime and wartime leadership, but it is hard Last stated 16 years ago
14 Apr 2011
BH
Ben Horowitz — holds since 2011-04-14 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A company can produce a good commercial without a large budget — tap to centre the map on it A company can produce a good commercial without a large budget Last stated 4 years ago
21 Mar 2023
DH
David Heinemeier Hansson — holds since 2023-03-21 — tap for who they are
Same subject: “Why now?” is the wrong question to make a founder answer — the honest answer can simply be that you started now. — tap to centre the map on it “Why now?” is the wrong question to make a founder answer — the honest answer can simply be that you started now. Last stated 3 months ago
28 Jul 2026
BS
Blake Scholl — holds since 2026-07-28 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A belief nobody else shares is a warning, and a belief everybody shares is also a warning; the right number of people who agree with you is small but not zero. — tap to centre the map on it A belief nobody else shares is a warning, and a belief everybody shares is also a warning; the right number of people who agree with you is small but not zero. Last stated 3 months ago
28 Jul 2026
SA
Sam Altman — holds since 2026-07-28 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A business can have market fit, real advantages, and sustained effort behind a hard product and still fail if it doesn't give customers a strong enough reason to switch from what they already use. — tap to centre the map on it A business can have market fit, real advantages, and sustained effort behind a hard product and still fail if it doesn't give customers a strong enough reason to switch from what they already use. Last stated 5 months ago
2 Jun 2026
JJ
Justin Jackson — holds since 2026-06-02 — tap for who they are
At the centre
Being told to be realistic about your ambitions is how ambitions fail; the boundaries people accept about what they can do are the ones that stop them.
Holds Read this korrent →
Most people never sit down to decide what success or "enough" would look like for them, and so end up chasing growth indiscriminately.
Holds
We should act on the assumption that we have almost no idea what the best futures would look like, so committing today to any particular vision would be a great mistake.
Holds
Letting people follow their own interests is desirable because no one can predict where they will come out
Last stated c. 1962
Holds
The question to put to a young person is what they want to do, not what they want to be — the roles are a costume and asking about them is cruel.
Holds
Declining many-worlds because it extrapolates past what we can observe is methodologically respectable and still a failure of nerve.
Holds
Entrepreneurs benefit from setting ambitious goals, even though most people do not need grand ambitions at all.
Holds
The value of an ambitious experiment target is not hitting it but the conversation about what would have to be true to hit it.
Holds
We hope things turn out as we want but fail to do what is needed to make them real
Last stated c. 2001
Holds
A drop in agency is the earliest sign of burnout, arriving before you consciously notice you are burning out.
Holds
A founder who picks an idea because the market wants it will give up, because nobody can persist at something that was never important to them.
Holds
A general inclination of all humankind is a perpetual, restless desire of power after power that ends only in death
Last stated c. 1651
Holds
A business can use stewardship of a community publication as a top-of-funnel customer acquisition strategy without needing the publication itself to generate revenue directly.
Holds
A CEO can master both peacetime and wartime leadership, but it is hard
Holds
A company can produce a good commercial without a large budget
Holds
“Why now?” is the wrong question to make a founder answer — the honest answer can simply be that you started now.
Holds
A belief nobody else shares is a warning, and a belief everybody shares is also a warning; the right number of people who agree with you is small but not zero.
Holds
A business can have market fit, real advantages, and sustained effort behind a hard product and still fail if it doesn't give customers a strong enough reason to switch from what they already use.
Holds