Tech — Work — Ramblings

by Mike Kalvas

202304112227 The effort to achieve excellence is worth it

When addressing whether the effort to become excellent is worth it, Richard Hamming says,

The chief gain is in the effort to change yourself, in the struggle with yourself, and it is less in the winning than you might expect. Yes it is nice to end up where you wanted to be, but the person you are when you get there is far more important. I believe a life in which you do not try to extend yourself is not worth living — but it is up to you to pick goals you believe are worth striving for.1

202109071223 The unexamined life is not worth living. Strive for greatness as you see it. We all have to live our own lives, but there's no reason not to strive for greatness. There are many opportunities that anyone can reach for and succeed in, if only they try (202304102024 Great people have a great deal of drive to do great things).

  1. Hamming, R. W. (2020). The art of doing science and engineering: Learning to learn. Stripe Press. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53349431-the-art-of-doing-science-and-engineering ↩