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The question

In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to?
Paul Graham

Co-founder of Viaweb and of the startup accelerator Y Combinator; essayist

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here
When I ask myself what I've found life is too short for, the word that pops into my head is “bullshit.” I realize that answer is somewhat tautological. It's almost the definition of bullshit that it's the stuff that life is too short for. And yet bullshit does have a distinctive character. There's something fake about it. It's the junk food of experience. If you ask yourself what you spend your time on that's bullshit, you probably already know the answer. Unnecessary meetings, pointless disputes, bureaucracy, posturing, dealing with other people's mistakes, traffic jams, addictive but unrewarding pastimes.

Graham's own essay site, paulgraham.com, 2016 source ↗

Others on this question

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Allyson Felix United States sprinter, 2003–2022
What I'm not willing to accept is the enduring status quo around maternity. I asked Nike to contractually guarantee that I wouldn't be punished if I didn't perform at my best in the months surrounding childbirth. I wanted to set a new standard. If I, one of Nike's most widely marketed athletes, couldn't secure these protections, who could?
Recorded Opinion piece, The New York Times, 22 May 2019 source ↗
Richard Ford Novelist and short-story writer
Don’t read your reviews. […] Don’t write reviews. (Your judgment’s always tainted.) […] Don’t write letters to the editor. (No one cares.)
Recorded The Guardian Review, 20 February 2010 source ↗
Simone Biles United States artistic gymnast
I just felt like it would be a little bit better to take a back seat, work on my mindfulness. And I knew that the girls would do an absolutely great job and I didn't want to risk the team a medal for kind of my screw ups because they've worked way too hard for that. So I just decided that those girls need to go in and do the rest of the competition.
Recorded Post-competition press conference, Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Tokyo Olympics, Rev, 27 July 2021 source ↗
Joyce Carol Oates Novelist, short story writer and essayist
I’ve turned down opportunities constantly. I turn down invitations to do things for money. I have almost no interest in making money.
Recorded Academy of Achievement interview, 20 May 1997 source ↗

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