I created this account around October 2014.<p>Nonetheless, I just started to really read HN this year, basically two months ago.<p>I was reading PG's essays and one of them was about what he has learned from Hacker News. After that, it was clear for me that I needed to have a look (a deeper one).<p>I am quite new here, but I am in love with HN's culture and content.<p>It would be cool to see what are the best PG's essays ever in the opinion of HN's community.<p>I am trying to read all of them and it would be cool to focus on the most popular/classical ones.
What you can't say: <a href="http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html</a><p>"Do you have any opinions that you would be reluctant to express in front of a group of your peers?<p>If the answer is no, you might want to stop and think about that. If everything you believe is something you're supposed to believe, could that possibly be a coincidence? Odds are it isn't. Odds are you just think whatever you're told."
I really like How to Disagree[1] which has this wisdom that I've seen ring true at startups, especially when there is loose terminology and no documented communication.<p>> More often than not, two people arguing passionately about something are actually arguing about two different things. Sometimes they even agree with one another, but are so caught up in their squabble they don't realize it.<p>Another great one is Startup = Growth[2] which is great for clarifying the term and setting some expectations to benchmark against.<p>1. <a href="http://paulgraham.com/disagree.html" rel="nofollow">http://paulgraham.com/disagree.html</a><p>2. <a href="http://paulgraham.com/growth.html" rel="nofollow">http://paulgraham.com/growth.html</a>
Each essay contains advice that is insightful depending on what stage <i>you</i>, the reader, are at. Did you just discover startups, or did you just present on-stage at Demo Day? Are you struggling with co-founder issues and how to get started, or how to scale to your first 100 employees?<p>Somone may eventually classify them in a reasonable order. In some sense, this is already what YC's startup guide did: all the advice, sorted in a logical order.
I like "How to Make Wealth" because he doesn't beat around the bush, he just come out and says that "wealth" is nothing more than an "object of the desire to possess" and if you can do something that increases some else's desire-to-possess something that you have or control, then you are creating wealth.<p>> Suppose you own a beat-up old car. Instead of sitting on your butt next summer, you could spend the time restoring your car to pristine condition. In doing so you create wealth<p>Whether or not you agree with this "metaphysics of wealth" it is a good read because it illustrates some intuition behind economic theory.
<i>Stuff</i> is probably among the most impactful and it's especially relevant around the holidays.<p><a href="http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html</a>
Good and Bad Procrastination - <a href="http://paulgraham.com/procrastination.html" rel="nofollow">http://paulgraham.com/procrastination.html</a><p>I love it; it always makes me feel better about putting aside some obligations to work on really meaningful projects. I share this with students sometimes, and it speaks to some of them as well. There's plenty of conversation about finding your passion in the world, but not so much about working hard on your passion.
Sorry if I'm going too far on a tangent here, but has anyone bought his book Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age [0]?<p>It has been on my wishlist for quite a while now. The reviews are quite positive.<p>[0] <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hackers-Painters-Big-Ideas-Computer/dp/1449389554/" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Hackers-Painters-Big-Ideas-Computer/dp...</a>
Haven't read a single one. Frankly I think some members of this community share a preoccupation with pg that borders on being problematic.<p>Perhaps as a reflex I actively avoid such things now.<p>>I am quite new here, but I am in love with HN's culture and content.<p>Granted, HN is a lot better than it was even just a few years ago, but the rose-tinted outlook will pass with time, and you'll see as most of us do that it is a hodgepodge of both gems and utter trash (and everything in between). People here are just as susceptible to groupthink and bias as people elsewhere.<p>If you love javascript you'll fit right in with said groupthink.