5 ms·

Ask HN: Which is your favourite PG essay?

15 points by deepaksurti 8y ago

If possible, please explain why.

mindcrime 8y ago
"How Not To Die" -- http://www.paulgraham.com/die.html http://www.paulgraham.com/die.html Why? Because it reminds one that one of the most important things to do is just "keep going". Of course there's nuance to that... "keeping going" if you're going in the wrong direction isn't a virtue. But in the context of what he's talking about, and allowing for changes in direction, it remains the case that: If you can just avoid dying, you get rich. Also, bonus honorable mention: "Schlep Blindness" -- http://www.paulgraham.com/schlep.html http://www.paulgraham.com/schlep.html
- quickthrower2 8y ago
  I’m working on a side project that is quite schleppy. Hopefully that’s a good sign. Writing basic JS articles, guest posting, hunting through seo tools for backlinks, keyword analysis etc. There is less real competition than I thought because who wants to and can do this? Not many people because there are much more interesting things to blog about.
HelloFellowDevs 8y ago
"Lies We Tell Kids"[0] It really helped me put the whole two America's thing into perspective where some parents may have an opportunity to lie to protect kids and others don't have the time to entertain lies. At first it made me want to be a pragmatic parent when I have kids, but over time of rereading it I've realized that given the opportunity I'd probably perpetuate the same system in an effort to not have my child be the odd man/woman out. [0]http://paulgraham.com/lies.html http://paulgraham.com/lies.html
mchannon 8y ago
"The Other Half of 'Artists Ship'"[0] The best PG essays come from around this period. The notion that "every check has a cost" has made this essay one of the few I find myself quoting to others. Since I wouldn't be the first to offer an honorable mention, I'd be remissed if I left out: "Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule"[1]. [0]http://paulgraham.com/artistsship.html http://paulgraham.com/artistsship.html [1]http://paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html http://paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html
muzani 8y ago
Hackers and Painters. http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html I believe he even wrote a book on the idea. I guess it runs close to my own philosophy of development. I never liked the mass-development scrum style, which seems more similar to a printer, when it's really just sketching, and then fleshing out details. From a startup standpoint, Startup = Growth http://www.paulgraham.com/growth.html http://www.paulgraham.com/growth.html It gave something solid to actually follow and explains how startups work, in so few words.
HNLurker2 8y ago
Writing, briefly : http://www.paulgraham.com/writing44.html http://www.paulgraham.com/writing44.html This right there influenced bloggers, essayist and many writers as we know. The method of the essay as not as a school subject but as a way of generating and writting the deepest ideas (even recalling something you read 2 years ago).
cvaidya1986 8y ago
http://paulgraham.com/ds.html http://paulgraham.com/ds.html
tmaly 8y ago
What You'll Wish You'd Known http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html

15 points by deepaksurti 8y ago

If possible, please explain why.

"How Not To Die" -- http://www.paulgraham.com/die.html http://www.paulgraham.com/die.html Why? Because it reminds one that one of the most important things to do is just "keep going". Of course there's nuance to that... "keeping going" if you're going in the wrong direction isn't a virtue. But in the context of what he's talking about, and allowing for changes in direction, it remains the case that: If you can just avoid dying, you get rich. Also, bonus honorable mention: "Schlep Blindness" -- http://www.paulgraham.com/schlep.html http://www.paulgraham.com/schlep.html

quickthrower2 8y ago
I’m working on a side project that is quite schleppy. Hopefully that’s a good sign. Writing basic JS articles, guest posting, hunting through seo tools for backlinks, keyword analysis etc. There is less real competition than I thought because who wants to and can do this? Not many people because there are much more interesting things to blog about.

HelloFellowDevs 8y ago

"Lies We Tell Kids"[0] It really helped me put the whole two America's thing into perspective where some parents may have an opportunity to lie to protect kids and others don't have the time to entertain lies. At first it made me want to be a pragmatic parent when I have kids, but over time of rereading it I've realized that given the opportunity I'd probably perpetuate the same system in an effort to not have my child be the odd man/woman out. [0]http://paulgraham.com/lies.html http://paulgraham.com/lies.html

mchannon 8y ago

"The Other Half of 'Artists Ship'"[0] The best PG essays come from around this period. The notion that "every check has a cost" has made this essay one of the few I find myself quoting to others. Since I wouldn't be the first to offer an honorable mention, I'd be remissed if I left out: "Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule"[1]. [0]http://paulgraham.com/artistsship.html http://paulgraham.com/artistsship.html [1]http://paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html http://paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html

muzani 8y ago

Hackers and Painters. http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html I believe he even wrote a book on the idea. I guess it runs close to my own philosophy of development. I never liked the mass-development scrum style, which seems more similar to a printer, when it's really just sketching, and then fleshing out details. From a startup standpoint, Startup = Growth http://www.paulgraham.com/growth.html http://www.paulgraham.com/growth.html It gave something solid to actually follow and explains how startups work, in so few words.

HNLurker2 8y ago

Writing, briefly : http://www.paulgraham.com/writing44.html http://www.paulgraham.com/writing44.html This right there influenced bloggers, essayist and many writers as we know. The method of the essay as not as a school subject but as a way of generating and writting the deepest ideas (even recalling something you read 2 years ago).

cvaidya1986 8y ago

http://paulgraham.com/ds.html http://paulgraham.com/ds.html

tmaly 8y ago

What You'll Wish You'd Known http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html