Words to Start the Week (June 17, 2025)
Nuggets from past notes
“I don’t recall anyone who thought the internal combustion engine could ever have more than a limited use. All these “wise” people demonstrated conclusively that the engine could not compete with steam. They never thought that it might carve out a career for itself. That is the way with wise people. They’re so wise and practical that they always know, down to a dot, just why something cannot be done. They always know the limitations. That’s why never employ an expert in full bloom. If I ever wanted to kill my opposition by unfair means, I would endow the opposition with experts. They would have so much good advice that I could be sure that they would do little work.”
- Henry Ford
“I didn’t want private equity partners. I wanted to own and control. I wanted to work hard for that vision, because I know this is my purpose. When you create and do, you are never going to stop creating and doing because it’s part of what you are. It’s part of your DNA”.
“Small amounts of capital can generate gigantic returns.”
“A good storyteller with a decent idea will always have more influence than someone with a great idea who hopes the facts will speak for themselves. People often wonder why so many unthoughtful people end up in government. The answer is easy: Politicians do not win elections to make policies; they make policies to win elections. What’s most persuasive to voters isn’t whether an idea is right, but whether it narrates a story that confirms what they see and believe in the world.”
“The greatest investors aren’t investors at all. They are entrepreneurs who never sold”
“In fact, the general model for successful tech companies, contrary to myth and legend, is that they become distribution‑centric rather than product‑centric. They become a distribution channel, so they can get to the world. And then they put many new products through that distribution channel.”
- Elad Gil (on the importance of distribution)
“I think you have to be curious about what is required to run a good company at that stage… spend a lot of time looking at all the other companies… You should at least understand them.”
- John Collison (on the emphasis of reading history and understanding how other companies work)