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Is patience a virtue?

Top voices on patience: Naval Ravikant, Sam Altman, James Clear, Cal Newport and 9 others.

13 dated claims from 13 people · 3 views · most recent 18 Sept 2026. Every line below links to the person’s own words.

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  1. Patience compounds: the results worth having take a long time

    Ryan HolidayArvid KahlJames ClearDavid Heinemeier HanssonSam AltmanCal Newport

  2. Impatience with the work is what gets things done

    Ben KuhnNaval RavikantSam AltmanWill Larson

  3. Impatience at the top does real damage

    Daniel W. DreznerKetan Joshi

A viewour reading

Patience compounds: the results worth having take a long time

5 claims filed here, newest first — each in the words of whoever said it.

Learning to think by writing is slow, tedious, difficult work that takes discipline and patience.

  1. Ryan Holiday American author of The Obstacle Is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy This is slow, tedious, difficult work. It takes discipline and patience. The hours and hours of sitting with frustration and confusion. This Is The Most Important Skill You Can Have In Liferyanholiday.net · 7 May 2026
    Their wordsThis is slow, tedious, difficult work. It takes discipline and patience. The hours and hours of sitting with frustration and confusion.

    ↗This Is The Most Important Skill You Can Have In Liferyanholiday.net

    7 May 2026

Show all 5 claims

Patience is a competitive advantage.

  1. Arvid Kahl Software entrepreneur who bootstrapped and sold… Patience, it turns out, is a competitive advantage. When Long-Term Investments Finally Pay Offthebootstrappedfounder.com · 13 Feb 2026
    Their wordsPatience, it turns out, is a competitive advantage.

    ↗When Long-Term Investments Finally Pay Offthebootstrappedfounder.com

    13 Feb 2026

  2. James Clear Writer on habits and decision-making Patience is a competitive advantage. In a surprising number of fields, you can find success if you are simply willing to do the reasonable thing longer than most people. Patiencejamesclear.com · 12 Apr 2023
    Their wordsPatience is a competitive advantage. In a surprising number of fields, you can find success if you are simply willing to do the reasonable thing longer than most people.

    ↗Patiencejamesclear.com

    12 Apr 2023

Remarkable careers take a remarkably large amount of training.

  1. Cal Newport Computer science professor at Georgetown and author of Deep Work I like these examples because they remind of a simple truth: remarkable careers take a remarkably large amount of training. On the Remarkably Long Road to the Remarkablecalnewport.com · 29 Jun 2012
    Their wordsI like these examples because they remind of a simple truth: remarkable careers take a remarkably large amount of training.

    ↗On the Remarkably Long Road to the Remarkablecalnewport.com

    29 Jun 2012

A viewour reading

Impatience with the work is what gets things done

4 claims filed here, newest first — each in the words of whoever said it.

Impatience is a good thing: it is the best way to get faster at things, and being fast correlates strongly with being effective.

  1. Ben Kuhn Software engineer and writer; former CTO of Wave Being impatient is the best way to get faster at things. And across a surprising number of domains, being really fast correlates strongly with being effective. Be impatientbenkuhn.net · 1 Jul 2020
    Their wordsBeing impatient is the best way to get faster at things. And across a surprising number of domains, being really fast correlates strongly with being effective.

    ↗Be impatientbenkuhn.net

    1 Jul 2020

Show all 4 claims

Be impatient with actions and patient with results, because results come out of complex systems and other people.

Filed here becauseBoth at once: impatient with the work, patient with what it returns.

  1. Naval Ravikant Co-founder of AngelList When you do these things, do them as quickly as you can and with your full attention so you do them well. Then be patient with the results because you’re dealing with complex systems and a lot of people. How to Get Rich (every episode)nav.al · 28 Dec 2019
    Their wordsWhen you do these things, do them as quickly as you can and with your full attention so you do them well. Then be patient with the results because you’re dealing with complex systems and a lot of people.

    ↗How to Get Rich (every episode)nav.al

    28 Dec 2019

Once the priorities are clear, get them done quickly: he has yet to meet a slow-moving person who is very successful.

  1. Sam Altman Co-founder and CEO of OpenAI Once you have figured out what to do, be unstoppable about getting your small handful of priorities accomplished quickly. I have yet to meet a slow-moving person who is very successful. How To Be Successfulblog.samaltman.com · 24 Jan 2019
    Their wordsOnce you have figured out what to do, be unstoppable about getting your small handful of priorities accomplished quickly. I have yet to meet a slow-moving person who is very successful.

    ↗How To Be Successfulblog.samaltman.com

    24 Jan 2019

A team that is falling behind can only be fixed by hiring more people; no amount of process or patience will move it.

  1. Will Larson Engineering executive who has led infrastructure… When falling behind, the system fix is to hire more people until the team moves into treading water. Staying on the path to high performing teams.lethain.com · 17 Jun 2018
    Their wordsWhen falling behind, the system fix is to hire more people until the team moves into treading water.

    ↗Staying on the path to high performing teams.lethain.com

    17 Jun 2018

A viewour reading

Impatience at the top does real damage

2 claims filed here, newest first — each in the words of whoever said it.

A leader too impatient to sustain a waiting game will undermine strategies built on economic pressure and waiting out an adversary.

  1. Daniel W. Drezner Political scientist writing Drezner’s World on international relations Trump is lousy at playing a waiting game, and that's what this strategy entails The Trump Administration Strategy Faildanieldrezner.substack.com · 9 Sept 2026
    Their wordsTrump is lousy at playing a waiting game, and that's what this strategy entails

    ↗The Trump Administration Strategy Faildanieldrezner.substack.com

    9 Sept 2026

Panic and impatience in the industry, not the technology itself, are what drive the worst environmental harms of the data centre boom.

  1. Ketan Joshi Freelance climate and energy analyst in Oslo The fundamental drivers of this change are panic and impatience, and that is what is behind the worst impacts of data centre growth, including a material risk to decarbonisation and climate action. Why Anthropic’s ultra-dirty deal shouldn’t surprise you at allketanjoshi.co · 13 May 2026
    Their wordsThe fundamental drivers of this change are panic and impatience, and that is what is behind the worst impacts of data centre growth, including a material risk to decarbonisation and climate action.

    ↗Why Anthropic’s ultra-dirty deal shouldn’t surprise you at allketanjoshi.co

    13 May 2026

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On the topic, but saying something the views above do not cover.

The most significant thing about AI systems is their patience and diligence, not their intelligence.

  1. Robin Sloan Novelist and writer, author of Mr Dis­cussing these AI systems, every­body wants to talk about "intelligence", but I don't think that's the pro­foundest thing about them. Rather, I believe it's the other -ences: patience, dili­gence. Dragoncatcher: 'Ask for what you want' is a key skill for the 21st centuryrobinsloan.com · 18 Sept 2026
    Their wordsDis­cussing these AI systems, every­body wants to talk about "intelligence", but I don't think that's the pro­foundest thing about them. Rather, I believe it's the other -ences: patience, dili­gence.

    ↗Dragoncatcher: 'Ask for what you want' is a key skill for the 21st centuryrobinsloan.com

    18 Sept 2026

Learning a language in a hurry and learning one by slow patient habit are both legitimate; neither refutes the other.

  1. Scott H. Young Canadian writer on learning who taught himself MIT's… Just because we attempted to learn with intensity, doesn’t denigrate learning languages through slow, patient habit. Looking Back at a Year (Almost) Without Englishscotthyoung.com · 2 Sept 2014
    Their wordsJust because we attempted to learn with intensity, doesn’t denigrate learning languages through slow, patient habit.

    ↗Looking Back at a Year (Almost) Without Englishscotthyoung.com

    2 Sept 2014

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