Library

some of my favorite books, papers, movies, quotes and parables

Books

  • Born a Crime
    Trevor Noah · 2016
  • Meditations
    Marcus Aurelius · 180
  • Transcendent Kingdom
    Yaa Gyasi · 2020
  • Ego Is the Enemy
    Ryan Holiday · 2016
  • Will
    Will Smith · 2021
  • Quantum Theory and Philosophy
    Werner Heisenberg · 1932
  • The Psychology of Money
    Morgan Housel · 2020
  • Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life
    Héctor García · 2016
  • Rich Dad Poor Dad
    Robert Kiyosaki · 1997

Papers

  • The Emotional Dog and Its Rational Tail
    Jonathan Haidt · 2001
  • Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement
    Alison Wood Brooks · 2014
  • Impure altruism and donations to public goods: A theory of warm-glow giving
    James Andreoni · 1990

Movies

  • A Bronx Tale
    1993
  • Past Lives
    2023
  • Primal Fear
    1996
  • Whiplash
    2014
  • The Godfather I, II & III
    1972–1990
  • The Shawshank Redemption
    1994
  • 12 Angry Men
    1957
  • Scent of a Woman
    1992
  • The Verdict
    1982
  • A Few Good Men
    1992
  • Finding Forrester
    2000
  • Good Will Hunting
    1997
  • Sleepers
    1996

Quotes & Parables

  • Youth is wasted on the young.
    Maurice Ashley
  • Strong opinions, weakly held.
    Paul Saffo
  • My heart is at ease knowing that what was meant for me will never miss me, and that what misses me was never meant for me.
    Imam Al-Shafii
  • Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man.
    Aristotle
  • Work like everything depends on you, pray like everything depends on God.
    Saint Augustine
  • Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.
    Malcolm X
  • Most successful people are just a walking anxiety disorder harnessed for productivity.
    Andrew Wilkinson
  • It can ruin your life only if it can ruin your character.
    Marcus Aurelius
  • Controlling your time is the highest dividend money pays.
    The Psychology of Money
  • They cannot degrade Frederick Douglass. The soul that is within me no man can degrade. I am not the one that is being degraded on account of this treatment, but those who are inflicting it upon me.
    Frederick Douglass
  • Long ago, a widowed Chinese farmer lived with his only son and their last remaining horse. One day, the son forgot to lock the stable, and the horse ran away. The neighbors said, "What a tragedy!" The farmer replied, "Maybe." The next day, the horse returned—bringing six wild horses with it. The neighbors said, "What a blessing!" The farmer replied, "Maybe." Soon after, while training one of the wild horses, the son fell and broke his leg. The neighbors said, "What misfortune!" The farmer replied, "Maybe." A day later, the army came to conscript all able young men for a deadly war. The farmer's injured son was left behind. The neighbors said, "What good fortune!" The farmer replied, "Maybe."
    Chinese Parable
  • It's said that a man sent three disciples to observe the city of Jerusalem and report back on how people there were living. Two weeks later, the first disciple returned. "They are not living as they should," he said. "There is drinking and partying everywhere. God is far from their minds." After four weeks, the second arrived. "They waste their money on gambling and chasing pleasure," he reported. "They've completely lost their way." Finally, after seven weeks, the third came back smiling. "It is beautiful," he said. "They've built churches, pray every day, and care for one another. God is clearly present in their lives." The other two were shocked. They turned to their teacher and asked how all three could have seen the same city but reported such different things. The teacher replied: "There is no perfect city and no flawless people. You will always find what you are looking for. If you seek sin, you will find sin. But if you seek goodness and God, you will always find them too."
    Source unknown
  • Varys: Power is a curious thing, my lord. Are you fond of riddles? Tyrion: Why? Am I about to hear one? Varys: Three great men sit in a room—a king, a priest, and a rich man. Between them stands a common sellsword. Each great man bids the sellsword kill the other two. Who lives? Who dies? Tyrion: Depends on the sellsword. Varys: Does it? He has neither crown, nor gold, nor favor with the gods. Tyrion: He's got the sword, the power of life and death. Varys: But if it is the swordsmen who rule, why do we pretend kings hold all the power? When Ned Stark lost his head, who was truly responsible: Joffrey, the executioner, or something else? Tyrion: I have decided I don't like riddles. Varys: Power resides where men believe it resides. It's a trick—a shadow on the wall. And a very small man can cast a very large shadow.
    Game of Thrones
  • A man gets a flat tire on a country road, but he realizes he doesn't have a jack. He sees a farmhouse and thinks, maybe they'll have one. On the way over, he starts worrying about how much they'll charge him. Fifty dollars, maybe two hundred. By the time he knocks, he's so annoyed that when the farmer opens the door he says, "You know what, forget it. I don't even need your damn jack", and walks away.
    Suits