Essays
Explore essays from Intelligent Quotes
Aristotle’s tools for clear thinking
Most reasoning errors trace back to a faulty definition. And a faulty definition can quietly corrupt everything built upon it—a problem Aristotle understood, and one he devoted much of his philosophy to solving with a small set of remarkably durable mental tools.
Read essay →
The joy of anticipation
The anticipation of an experience is often more gratifying than the experience itself. Most people discover this when reality falls short of what they had imagined, and conclude that hoping and dreaming are best given up. But the insight can be turned the other way, and made a source of deliberate joy.
Read essay →
The Pareto principle, properly understood
Most results in life are not produced evenly. A small share of actions tends to produce the majority of results, and recognizing which ones is among the most useful skills a person can develop.
Read essay →
Nothing fails like success: A brutal principle older than humanity itself
In 1915, a Victorian priest discovered a principle that had drained the life out of aristocracies, destroyed empires, and even wiped entire species off the face of the earth.
Read essay →
Predictable defeat: When starting a war is a strategic blunder
When the English historian Arnold Toynbee examined the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922, he identified two patterns that recur throughout military history. When either is present, the result is nearly always the same: strategic defeat for the invading power.
Read essay →
Frontpage
Essays
Random quote
RSS feed