1
Q
Comparison
A
“Comparison is the theft of joy” -Theodore Roosevelt
2
Q
Being judged by someone’s doctrine
A
There’s no hate like a believer’s love.
3
Q
Still worrying about past regrets
A
These mountains that you carry, you were only supposed to climb.
4
Q
Don’t let other people’s limitations become your constraints.
A
“Just because babies can’t chew doesn’t mean nobody should have a steak dinner!”
Mark Twain
5
Q
Shouting while arguing
A
Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.
6
Q
Useful Co-workers
A
Everyone you work with is a resource. Some are simply entertainment.
7
Q
Problem with parents committing suicide
A
Suicide won’t end your pain; it’ll just pass it to your kids.
8
Q
Don’t let others make you mad
A
Anyone that can easily move you to anger, is someone that can control you.
9
Q
Ignore hateful criticism
A
Don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from.
10
Q
Hard work and free time
A
Free time only feels valuable if you work for it
11
Q
No man is an island
A
There is no liberty when there is no sense of community or shared responsibilities.
12
Q
What type of dad, uncle, role model should you be
A
Be the person you needed when you were younger
13
Q
Move on from sadness
A
Don’t look for happiness in the place you lost it.
14
Q
Living through challenging times
Don’t give up
A
If you’re going through hell, keep going.
15
Q
Don’t dwell on the past
A
You can’t finish the book if you keep reading the same chapter
16
Q
Dying for a cause
A
“I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong.”
Bertrand Russell
17
Q
Learn to envision the end result of any particular course of action
A
Play the tape through.
18
Q
Do what you can
A
“Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.”
Theodore Roosevelt
19
Q
Plan less, act sooner
A
“A good plan vigorously executed right now is far better than a perfect plan executed next week.”
General George Patton
20
Q
Never argue with stupid people
A
“Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with their experience.”
Mark Twain
21
Q
Why do you hate god?
A
“I have not chosen to hate god,
I’ve chosen to love reason.
When you choose to love reason,
You will find no god to hate.”
22
Q
Persuading brainwashed people
A
It is easier to fool someone than to convince them they’ve been fooled.
23
Q
Judging others
A
“We judge ourselves by our intentions, but we judge others by their behavior.”
24
Q
Losing is not weakness
A
“It’s possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That’s not weakness, that’s life.”
25
Make time for planning.
“Wars are won in the general's tent.”
26
Hating others is toxic
“Hate is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies.”
27
Do not regret growing older.
“It is a privilege denied to many.”
28
Don’t be bothered by little things.
“You can tell the size of a person by the size of the things that bother them.”
29
Stupid people
“We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.”
- Ben Franklin
30
Why the wealthy should pay taxes
Those who benefit most from a society have a greater obligation to that society.
31
Why do republicans hate science?
Science is the single best way to separate truth from bullshit.
And those actively shoveling the bullshit can't stand it.
32
Money doesn’t buy happiness...
But poverty doesn’t buy anything.
33
If the punishment for a crime is money...
Then the law is only for the poor.
34
Stupid people always talking.
Empty barrels make the most noise.
35
People shouting to make their point.
The dog who barks the loudest is the most afraid.
36
Helping the poor.
“If you are more fortunate than others, build a longer table, not a taller fence.”
37
Stress is a…
Perception that you cannot overcome obstacles because you lack the resources to do so.
38
Religion is only for the religious
Religion is a blanket knitted with lies to make a few people sleep warmer at night.
39
Money doesn’t buy happiness…
But it let’s you choose your misery.
40
When someone is hostile in an argument
Most people are not only comfortable in their ignorance, but hostile to anybody who points it out
Plato
41
Unloved children & crime
“The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.” -African Proverb
42
When someone leaves your life forever
How lucky I am to have had something that makes saying goodbye so hard…
43
Feelings are tunnels…
We struggle through the dark to get to the light at the end.
44
Define libertarians:
House cats. They are convinced of their fierce independence while utterly dependent on a system they don’t appreciate or understand.
45
Statue of Jesus
I see you have a statue of the first person of color to be killed by the police state.
46
Lyndon B. Johnson on race
“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."
47
Wilhoit’s Law
‘Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.’
48
Praying is worthless
Prayer is like masturbation, it makes you feel good but does nothing for the person you're thinking about.
49
Looking down on poor people
There is no shame in being poor, and there is no excuse for being rude.
50
Fanatical people who are over bearing, insensitive, and harsh
These people are not too Christian,
They are not Christian enough.
They are fanatically zealous,
But not fanatically humble, sensitive, empathetic, or forgiving—as Jesus was
51
Systemic Racism
2023, Newburn, Alabama: 85% black
Office of mayor was 'inherited' by a hand-picked successor. Mayor then chose town council members.
52
Being the one female engineering student:
Your odds may be good, but the goods are definitely odd.
53
When someone is blinded by love
When you look at someone through rose-colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags.
54
When someone falls off the wagon.
Its okay to go through awful places, just don't stop and unpack.
55
Why is it important to invest in our youth
A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.
56
Look for the silver lining
If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life, but the same amount of snow.
57
Don’t worry about an unknown future
“He who suffers before it is necessary, suffers more than is necessary.”
-Seneca
58
Don’t complain
“Never be overheard complaining, not even to yourself.
If you have fewer opinions,
if you just accept things as they are,
you will have less to complain about.”
-Marcus Aurelius
59
Don’t be all about business
“Step by step, action by action, no one can stop you from that.
Focus on the part of this thing that is up to you.
And trust, if you follow the process, that more times than not, you will get the outcome you want.”
-Marcus Aurelius
60
We become like the people we spend time with
“If you live with a lame man, you will learn how to limp.“
-Epictetus
61
Don’t procrastinate
“You could be good today, instead, you choose tomorrow.” -Marcus Aurelius
62
Memento Mori
“Remember you will die.”
Do not take tomorrow for granted.
63
Success requires luck
“Talent is equally distributed, opportunity is not.”
64
Predicting the outcome of systems
“If you show me the incentives, I’ll show you the outcome.”
-Charlie Munger
(Warren Buffets business partner)
65
What do you do when a kid is emotionally overwhelmed?
Do you want to be helped, heard or hugged?
66
Importance of a well rounded news diet
“He who knows only his own side of the case knows little.”
-John Stuart Mills
67
If there is no god, why don’t atheists indulge in their dark desires?
If you need the threat of eternal damnation to be a good person, you’re not a good person, You’re a bad person on a leash.
68
Atheists are morally superior
Good deeds done because one is obligated to do them, while good, are morally inferior to good deeds done that were not required.
69
Anything that can be bought with money is cheap
The only thing valuable in life cannot be bought with money (love, trust, health, time)
70
It’s important for guys to be able to make and fix things
If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
71
You are motivated by money. We are motivated by… (honor, goodness, etc.)
We are all motivated by what we lack the most. 😜
72
Kids persistently acting up
They know how to get their needs met.
73
There will always be regulations…
…it's just a matter of what authority will be issuing and enforcing them.
74
Regulatory Capture
When regulatory agencies are dominated by the interests they regulate and not by the public interest.
75
Libertarianism
If you’ve got money and power, do what you want. No one with less will be able to stop you.
76
If at first you don’t succeed…
find out why.
77
The importance of setting goals
The goals you set, are the goals you get.
78
Practice self-care
No one can pour from an empty cup.
79
If there is no god, what is the purpose of life?
It is like asking:
If there is no master, whose slave shall I be.
80
A man without Jesus in his life...
Is like a fish without a bicycle.
81
And Jesus said unto the sick…
I cannot heal you; you've reach your lifetime spending cap. Get a job, you lazy deadbeats and enroll in a market-based, employer sponsored healthcare plan.
82
God loves you so much...
That he created Hell just in case you don't love him back.
-Christopher Hitchens
83
God sent his only son to die for our sins...
But one time, he just drowned us.
84
If someone doesn't value evidence...
what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it.
- Sam Harris
85
Blaming external factors
A bad workman always blames his tools.
86
Those who can make you believe absurdities...
Can make you commit atrocities.
87
How you treat others
You treat everyone based on what you think they’re worth, including yourself
88
Jack of all trades, Master of none
Specialization is for insects.
Ancient Greeks & Romans
First you’re a student, then you go to war, then you run a business, then you serve in government, and then you become a philosopher.
89
The importance of education for understanding the world
When you don't understand the most basic physics, the most basic math, or the most basic geometry, the world must appear to be full of magic and conspiracies.
90
Never fall in love with the same person twice.
Because the second time you fall in love with the memory and not the person.
91
The importance of choosing the right friends
Surround yourself with the kind of people you want to become, because whatever your friends are—that’s what you are, too.
92
Women fake orgasms…
Men fake relationships.
93
That first thought that goes through you head
…is what you were conditioned think. What you think next defines who you are
94
Developing a personality
If your only good quality is your looks that's all people will want from you
95
Some people don’t deserve your effort
Don’t set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm
96
2 types of pick up trucks
The ones used for work
The ones used by fragile egos
97
You can always spot an atheist
They wear atheist jewelry
They casually quote atheist scripture
They hand out atheist literature
They say, “Have an un-blessed day”
98
The problem with online friendships
It’s asynchronous
It’s performative
It’s one-to-many
99
If you block risk and thrill…
You keep your child fragile and fearful. You prevent them from maturing.
100
The Know Nothing Party
Founded in the mid-1800s to oppose Irish immigration
101
Socialism never took root in America…
because the poor don’t see themselves as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires
102
We don't have "big government" because we like the idea.
We have it because society is big, diverse, complicated, and in need of proper regulation that’s backed by science rather than fantasies.
103
Christians against student loan forgiveness
The foundation of Christian faith is built upon a debt you couldn’t pay that somebody else had to pay for you
104
Republicans boogeymen
Hollywood liberals didn’t destroy the family farm
College professors didn’t move manufacturing jobs overseas
Immigrants didn’t pour opioids into rural communities
Critical race theory didn’t close hundreds of rural hospitals.
105
Perfection is for…
religion and mathematics;
everything else can be a little wonky
106
When you hesitate saying something critical
Make sure your words are short and sweet in case you have to eat them later
107
Do the thing!
Do it scared, do it poorly, do it and fail, but just fucking do it!
108
“Govt. is the problem”
You are the type of person who is most dependent on government.
Why? You need it so you can blame all your problems on it.
109
How powerful is AI
AI dog analogy
Imagine if dogs created humans
Humans are threatened by a dog virus
Dogs never know why they are culled
110
The threat of AI
AI alien message analogy
“We will arrive in 10-20 years”
111
The problem with identity politics
I have this identity; it supersedes everything else. Consequently, you can’t understand what I’m saying. This goes against the fundamentals of the enlightenment project.
112
I didn’t get everything done today
Yes, but how many side quests did you get done along the way
113
“Atheism is a religion, it's a belief in nothing"
Darkness is not another type of light, darkness is the absence of light.
Atheism is not another religion, it’s the absence of religion.
Atheism is a religion like abstinence is a sex position.
114
“Atheism is a religion, it's a belief in nothing"
Darkness is not another type of light, darkness is the absence of light.
Atheism is not another religion, it’s the absence of religion.
Atheism is a religion like abstinence is a sex position.
115
Epictetus mused that if you want to improve at something…
you need to “be content to be thought foolish and stupid.”
116
Fighting with loved ones over something simple
“Years of love have been forgotten in the hatred of a minute.”
- Edgar Allen Poe
117
Define: Tradwife
Women whose full time job is pretending that they don’t have a job.
118
Kiribati
(Key-rah bass)
Small nation state in the South Pacific.
They are abandoning their country because of climate change
119
Everybody asks for honest feedback,
Very few are ready for it,
Even fewer will accept it.
120
Success is based on where you started
"We are not judged by the height to which we have risen, but the depth from which we have climbed."
-Frederick Douglass
121
America becomes more like itself every day.
If you have money: it’s a loving gentle place.
If you don’t: it’s a rapacious, violent place
122
Kids taking risks
Taking risks is how kids get over an anxiety
123
Don’t respond with, “I know”
Respond with, “You’re right.”
124
Modern cars crumple and deform to protect the occupants of the car.
In an old car, YOU are the crumple zone
125
If something can be destroyed by the truth…
it deserves to be destroyed by it.
126
Birthright Citizenship
If my neighbors cow jumps the fence and gives birth in my yard, it’s not my cow or my calf
Only if you treat human beings like animals we trade as commodities and use for food.
127
You want the government to be an instrument of God’s wrath
But never a source of God’s mercy, generosity, or compassion
128
It’s okay to say, “no, I cannot help.”
Givers must set boundaries because takers never do.
129
People will forget what you said…
But they’ll never forget how you made them feel.
130
The true test of character…
Is how you treat someone that can offer you nothing.
131
If I become like you…
who will be like me?
132
The only person coming to save you from your life…
Is the version of yourself that is tired of your current situation
133
Seeing your lover changing
To be in the consistent presence of your greatest desire every day is overwhelming.
And its absence is crippling.
134
Depression v. Being Overwhelmed
Depression is when you’re unhappy but your life is fine.
If your life is shit, it’s situational awareness.
135
Productivity is not linear
A manager is a person who thinks 9 women can deliver a baby in 1 month
136
Do the right thing, even when no one is watching
The opinion of yourself is more than anyone elses opinion
137
The problem with identity politics
You don’t know how you feel, morally, about a situation until you know the color/sex of the people involved
138
Marrying for money
“When you marry for money you earn every penny of it."
Marrying for money means you will fucking owe him. For everything. Every goddamn day.
139
If you’re thinking to yourself, “god, I’m never asking them to do that again” they got what they wanted.
Weaponized incompetence.
140
What is death like?
It’s like going to sleep
You don’t realize you’re in it until you wake up.
If you never wake up—you don’t know you’re in it.
141
We don’t have market competition ?
1980s Chicago school economists said monopolies were efficient.
142
“That’s impossible”
Well, first of all, through god all things are possible, so keep that in mind.
143
Define: Elicitation
Using statements rather than direct questions to avoid triggering their suspicion.
144
Healthcare Metaphor
Imagine paying for Netflix every month, and then paying when you watch a movie, and then getting another bill 3 months later because one of the actors isn’t signed with Netflix so you have to pay him directly.
145
Define: Truth
That which comports to reality
(The only truth I care about)
I want to believe as many true things, and avoid as many false things, as possible.
146
How do you know when someone is attracted to you?
The key to this is the opposite; identify when they are NOT attracted to you. Those signals are much easier to read.
147
Margaret Thatcher said “socialism is great until you run out of other peoples money”
This speaks to her world view: giving money to the poor is the same as destroying it.
148
Why do we stay in abusive relationships ?
A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush.
Uncertainty terrifies us more than misery.
149
Instead of reality as a basis for real
truth…
Christians look to authority to tell them what's "true", what's real is ignored completely
150
What’s a subtle sign that someone was never loved properly as a kid?
- Attention makes them very uncomfortable, positive or negative. -
- They reject compliments.
- Apologize a lot, over explain.
- Doesn’t ask anyone for help.
- Imposter syndrome.
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