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Either A) he used a rhetorical device, or B) he tried to be relatable and failed (for you, assuming you represent the typical intended audience) or C) he tried

Either A) he used a rhetorical device, or B) he tried to be relatable and failed (for you, assuming you represent the typical intended audience) or C) he tried to be relatable and succeeded, but you are not part of the intended audience he aimed the piece at. Which is 100%, absolutely, perfectly fine; there is nothing wrong in being in that "very ambitious" group of people Paul Graham is likely refering too. I am not even sure if doing great work is great life advice for the target group, depends on how measures "success at life" or however one would call it. In any case; I think you will get the most out of the article if you do not pay the relatility too much thought: Even if C) would be true and you (or me or others) are indeed not part of the intended audience, I am sure there are still interesting thoughts in the essay on can think about and potentially apply to ones own life.

sph 2mo ago
there is more to 'ambition' than being a maths nerd at a young age. and there is more to great work than being a child prodigy, except for those that have peaked at 21.
- dev_dan_2 2mo ago
  Sure thing! Who would think otherwise? Being part of the incredibly, exceptionally ambitious group that this essay seems to be targeted at can come in all shapes and forms, I would assume. I am even convinced about it. Music, arts, crafts, social activities, literature, organizing, activism, physics, whatever - it would be very strange to assume that one cannot be highly ambitious in any of those or other areas, I think... The only thing that matters for being included in that (small, by definition) group is being very ambitious, no statement was being made about which area that ambition should target (at least not by my me). In case you seem to think that PG thinks so: That might be you reading subtext where there is none, PG might have simply refered to the typical Stanford graduate that pitches him a startup idea, nothing more, nothing less.

sph 2mo ago

there is more to 'ambition' than being a maths nerd at a young age. and there is more to great work than being a child prodigy, except for those that have peaked at 21.

dev_dan_2 2mo ago
Sure thing! Who would think otherwise? Being part of the incredibly, exceptionally ambitious group that this essay seems to be targeted at can come in all shapes and forms, I would assume. I am even convinced about it. Music, arts, crafts, social activities, literature, organizing, activism, physics, whatever - it would be very strange to assume that one cannot be highly ambitious in any of those or other areas, I think... The only thing that matters for being included in that (small, by definition) group is being very ambitious, no statement was being made about which area that ambition should target (at least not by my me). In case you seem to think that PG thinks so: That might be you reading subtext where there is none, PG might have simply refered to the typical Stanford graduate that pitches him a startup idea, nothing more, nothing less.