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paulgraham.com
18 links, first saved August 5, 2005, latest June 16, 2025.
- Good Writing
Graham reinforcing that "writing is thinking"… So it's not quite right to say that better sounding writing is more likely to be true. Better sounding writing is more likely to be…
- Founder Mode
This recent essay from Graham has gotten a ton of attention. There are good parts, and in general I prefer Tobi Lütke perspective on this focusing on "legitimacy". I shared this…
- The Best Essay
Graham is a very good essayist, and his thoughts on writing essays are good for those wishing to write better.
- How to Do Great Work
- The Need to Read
Reading makes you a better writer. Writing is thinking. But if you need to solve a complicated, ill-defined problem, it will almost always help to write about it. Which in turn…
- What I've Learned from Users
Graham sharing insights that he's learned from working with so many startups through the Y Combinator program. While this advise is framed for "founders", I think it can apply to…
- The Four Quadrants of Conformism
- Putting Ideas into Words
One of the reasons I focus on writing better is to help me think clearer. Writing is thinking, and the act of writing refines and clarifies your thoughts and ideas. Writing about…
- Beyond Smart
I love the drive behind this article from Graham. Having new ideas, synthesizing existing information into something fundamentally new or different, even if just in your own head,…
- Crazy New Ideas
Thoughtful piece from Paul Graham and evaluating ideas that sound crazy, and being aware of the expertise of the person sharing the idea, and mindful of the impact of the current…
- How to Think for Yourself
I like what Paul Graham writes here and how he frames this topic. Can you make yourself more independent-minded? I think so. This quality may be largely inborn, but there seem to…
- Mean People Fail
It struck me recently how few of the most successful people I know are mean. There are exceptions, but remarkably few.
- Frighteningly Ambitious Startup Ideas
One of the more surprising things I've noticed while working on Y Combinator is how frightening the most ambitious startup ideas are. In this essay I'm going to demonstrate this…
- The Top of My Todo List
If you had to compress them into a single piece of advice, it might be: don't be a cog. The 5 regrets paint a portrait of post-industrial man, who shrinks himself into a shape…
- Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule
- Good and Bad Procrastination
- Founder Control
- What Business Can Learn from Open Source
Paul Graham touches on another good topic