A letter to Paul Graham: thank you

The reason I write is because of you, Paul. I was a late bloomer in reading. I still struggle to read quickly, but I can confidently say that your essays have changed my life for the better. I want to walk through a few essays that’ve had the biggest impact on me, and share in hopes that more people can learn from you as well. I believe all your essays to be applicable outside of the conventional definition of “entrepreneur” and think all people should read and understand your work. What We Look for in Founders This was one of the first essays that framed for me what it means to a good builder. In it, Graham discusses key traits he looks for in founders: determination, flexibility, imagination, naughtiness, and friendship. I try to hold that balance between grit and adaptability. I remind myself to stretch my imagination and not play safe. And I place a lot of weight on the people I build with. If we disagree, it has to be constructive, with enough trust to bounce back. Doing Things That Don’t Scale The central idea is that to get initial users, you often need manual, laborious, hands-on work, even if it can’t scale. He emphasizes that doing this teaches you things about users, friction, and business that you’d never see from a distance. And crucially: small numbers don’t matter in the beginning. If you have 10 users and grow 10% a week, that compounds. When I feel overwhelmed or embarrassed doing “manual stuff”, I now see that those are often the richest learning opportunities. Often these manual processes are what makes something magical for the user even though they don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes. The Right Kind of Stubborn - (See “The right kind of stubborn”) How to Do Great Work Graham’s counsel here is simple: Do what you love. He argues that to produce great work, you need to care so deeply you’re willing to go through the grind. I try to check in periodically: Am I still in love with what I do? I write this question in my journal 20 pages ahead so I don’t forget. If not, I think about the changes I need to make. Putting Ideas Into Words Writing clarifies thinking. If you can’t put an idea into words, you don’t fully understand it. By writing down thoughts, exploring them, pushing them to clarity, you sharpen your mind and expose gaps. He often insists you should write early even when your ideas are half-formed. The act of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) forces precision. How to Think for Yourself Graham repeatedly stresses independent thinking over conventional wisdom. He warns that many "good ideas" in startups feel wrong at first. If they feel obvious, someone may already be doing them (sometimes I wonder about Rendezvu because people think it's a good idea…why hasn't someone done this already? See my previous essay). Life Is Short Graham often returns to mortality, urgency, and the need to use your time well. In How to Do Great Work, he warns that delaying the things you truly care about is too costly. He presses the idea that you don't get infinite time, and that the opportunity cost of inaction is high. He implicitly urges you to start now. Don't wait for perfect conditions. Final Thoughts Paul Graham's essays aren't perfect or universally applicable, but they have lessons in there that hold true wisdom. If I were to pick just one essay to start with, I'd suggest Life is Short because that one is spoken from the heart.