Consulting the Archives...
Generating fresh insights specifically for this topic.
This may take a moment.
Generating fresh insights specifically for this topic.
This may take a moment.
Need to make better decisions about Success? Paul Graham's quotes serve as decision-making shortcuts, distilling complex thinking into clear principles. This collection is organized for quick reference, with full source context for every entry. Whether you're facing immediate choices or building long-term strategy around Success, these insights give you the clarity ambitious professionals demand.
"Simply trying to do something very well is a better guide to life than you might think."
"The most important quality in a founder is being relentlessly resourceful."
"The ultimate vision is to create something that changes how people live."
"Make something people want."
"Great cities attract ambitious people."
"If you want to make wealth, it helps to be in a situation where your performance can be measured."
"The most successful people are those who are able to see things that other people don't see. They're able to see opportunities where others see problems."
"Benevolence is a competitive advantage."
"Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy."
"The real test of a business is whether it can survive without its founder."
"The most successful founders are the ones who are most obsessed with their product."
"The best way to raise money is to have a great product and a great team. If you have those things, the money will follow."
"There is no correlation between being good at school and being good at startups."
"The most important thing is to find a problem that is worth solving."
"The best way to increase your leverage is to work on something that can be scaled. If you're a baker, you can only bake so many loaves of bread. If you're a software engineer, you can write a program that millions of people use."
"The most successful companies are the ones that create the most value for their customers."
"Vision is the bridge between the present and a better future."
"The best way to get approval is not to need it."
"Visionary is a word people use for someone who was right about something that wasn't obvious."
"The way to do great work is to find something you have a natural aptitude for and a deep interest in."
"Success comes from focusing on the right things, not from doing everything."
"The most successful people are often those who are best at avoiding distractions."
Seeing how Paul Graham approaches Success helps you apply the idea with more precision.
Pick one quote to guide a decision today, then return for deeper perspective.
Search More
Jump to another topic, author, or pillar without leaving the archive.
"Use this collection whenever you need Paul Graham's lens on Success."