LEARNING

Pain plus reflection equals progress.

Once we realize that imperfect understanding is the human condition, there is no shame in being wrong — only in failing to correct our mistakes.

Winning in markets over the long run requires relentless intellectual honesty. You have to be willing to be wrong, learn from it, and update.

I dropped out of high school. I had no mentor, no training. I just refused to stop until I figured it out. Most traders quit right before they would have gotten it.

The most successful investors and entrepreneurs are the ones who never stop learning.

Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they cannot lose.

It is fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.

I started the site when I was 19. I did not know what I was doing. Most great things are started by people who do not know what they are doing.

Reading is the most important habit I have. Every book I read, I learn something that makes me better at everything else.

The most important skill in the 21st century is knowing how to learn.

I would rather be wrong in public and learn than right in private and stay comfortable.

You do not need more information. You need more action on the information you already have.

Your competition is not your enemy. Your competition is your best teacher.

The person who reads is always going to beat the person who does not read.

Find mentors who have done what you want to do. Not people who have only read about it.

Your income is directly related to your skill set. If you want to earn more, learn more.

I failed 13 businesses before 21. Every failure taught me what not to do. That education was priceless.

I've made a lot of mistakes in my career. I own them all. The key is not making the same mistake twice.

I lost $35,000 to a Ponzi scheme. It was the worst and best thing that ever happened to my finances.

The best way to understand something deeply is to explain it to someone else.

Cloning is a very powerful idea. Find someone who's already figured it out and just copy them.

I'm a shameless cloner. I have no original ideas. And that's perfectly fine.

Don't optimize for money. Optimize for learning. The money follows.

I failed at my first business at 16 and lost $5,000. Best money I ever spent.

Zenefits taught me everything about what not to do. Rippling is the version built by someone who already made every possible mistake.