People think focus means saying “yes” to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying “no” to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying “no” to a thousand things.
Steve Jobs as attributed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder. 11h 26m 15s
By the way, as you can see I’m making progress on Taleb’s book and loving it. Some of it is a bit dense for listening to at 3x so I have to slow it down and re-listen. Very well-reasoned and thought-provoking ideas.
Ironically this quote isn’t one of his own ideas but support for his ideas. I might have to listen to it a second time in order to pull out small quotes that really represent the whole. Kinda feels like swimming in deep waters right now.
I will say that Taleb talks a bit about ADHD and formal education. As a parent with at least one young child with ADHD these strike close to home. (ADHD runs in my family like the Force does in the Skywalkers.)
The tension between what fits the mold and what fits the child — the possible systematic harm from having a mold. Good questions.
