Rule of thumb: Be skeptical of things you learned before you could read. E.g., religion.

Expose yourself to as much as possible. Attend conferences no one else is attending. Read books no one else is reading. Talk to people no one else is talking to.

I'm just the smallest dot in a big map of human history.

I to the We means that both the individual's effort and the power of the network matter, and they work in tandem. Someone with no skill won't get very far, no matter how strong the network. Similarly, someone with lots of skill but a weak network won't realize his or her fullest potential. So, you need both.

I have a broad range of interests, so I'll always be working on something.

I don't want to be normal. I want to be something else.

Sometimes I have to pause to make the distinction between Ben the teenager and Ben the businessman.