Why do we need quotes? The process of synthesizing information and distilling it into the most accessible form possible is generally useful for disseminating information. I believe that one of the general goals of this board is to increase awareness in topics of rationality, AI alignment theory, the future of labor, etc. debating
So, I believe it is a good idea to begin creating similar, simple and easy to distribute packages of information detailing the principles of contemporary rationality theory. As I am not a book expert on the topic myself, I have provided quotes which I consider to be generally useful. Some I have modified heavily, others I kept largely the same. It should not be hard to find the originals. I have also included some of my invention. Enjoy!
Said without proof, dismissed the same.
Think before you Google.
Good to think something without accepting it.
Trust truth-seekers, be wary of truth assertions.
Accept you are wrong and move on, or not.
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.
Flip your house one box at a time.
Players that are always selfish seldom are spared.
AI is not God.
Knowledge, applied, less useless.
Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.
It is a privilege to be a conscious entity, enjoy it.
Perspective transforms experience.
Dose makes the poison.
Predicting the future with perfect accuracy is impossible.
The improbable is still possible.
Everybody loves you when you are rich and famous.
Nobody loves you when you are rich and famous.
Do not fear death, as when it comes, it will not concern you.
Life is too precious to waste.
Deep down, you know what that means.
Ask for help, you are not Superman.
And even Superman had friends.
And weaknesses.
To cheerfully enjoy the company of those we love, what else is better?
Even if love is neurochemistry and hormones, you are still a biological entity.
Sway with the wind, or break like a dried twig.
Life is not a simulation.[1]
Telling other people that life is a simulation is definitely a good idea!
Calling other people "humans" is generally weird.
Immortality? In a universe with thermodynamics and increasing entropy? No, thanks.[2]
Everybody is going through something, all the time.
Cut yourself some slack.
Create a schedule you actually want to live, within reason.
Remember to live!
Considering oneself above others, such folly, we all end the same.
Do not offhandedly dismiss opportunities as unsubstantial.
We often regret more what we did not do.
Respect yourself and take care of your hygiene, please.
Confidence, even fake confidence, helps sometimes. Do not overdo.
Birds of a feather flock together.[3]
Secure comfort and order, then virtue.
I know nothing.[4]
If you are serious about the pursuit of knowledge, read Faust.
And watch or read "A Beautiful Mind" too, even if only to know how people think about scientists.
Self-sacrifice ad nauseam is a bad idea.
Ask yourself if you enjoyed your day, ask others, change as necessary, if possible.
5–10 minutes of sunlight every morning, even through cloud cover.[5]
Startups sound nice and all but most fail.
A mistake without change is a true mistake.
Little is generally needed for a happy life.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Bad routine routinely kills.
Want to be an effective altruist? Stop arguing what one is, and be one.
Hate moves armies, love, the whole world.
Study foundational texts. If you know someone new to reading, please supervise their choices, less they pick up garbage and screw their foundation.
Someone's garbage is someone else's treasure.
Do not be so hard on past you, they took present you to today.
You become what you give your attention to.
We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.
Live immediately and intently, with enthusiasm, if possible.
Mourning and grieving are important, ignore toxic positivity.
To know so much and to have control over nothing!
Willful ignorance is evil.
In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons.[6]
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
I do not need armies: I have one good friend.
Let me die in my footsteps, before I go down under the ground.
Fearing fear leads to fear about fearing fear.
Seriously, go easy on yourself.
Everybody is trying.
Never quit unless it is to do something else.
Life is kind of a game, do not take it all too seriously.
The tyranny of beauty is short-lived.
Circumstances rule men; men do not rule circumstances.
The tallest tree gets hit by lightning more often.[7]
Diminishing returns in wealth / happiness ratio seem to exist, maybe read about it.
A life without pain would be boring.[8]
My body is a cage, that keeps me from dancing with the one I love, but my mind holds the key.
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.[9]
Rapid context switching dependency can be helped through mindfulness meditation.
Consciousness is more important than intelligence.
If it was, it is probably still a good idea to act as if it was not, otherwise you might be led to some brash decision making and shorter lifespan. Although just living long is not the point of life, for sure, it is more like music.
Not being deathist here; if the heat death model of the expansion of the universe ends up being correct, it might become impossible for information processing / neuronal dynamics / compute to continue, which means that either the quality of your conscious experience would continue to degrade until you could not think anymore, or you would float aimlessly in a void full of black holes and light. Food for thought.
Incredibly cliche, and often not true. However, it is generally a good idea to try hanging out with people that genuinely like you or want the best for you in the long run, if possible.
Socrates and Confucius, surprisingly, both said this allegedly. In different versions of course: I only know that I know nothing. And considering the vast scales of experience, this is likely always true. Likely the same for the largest large language models and future artificial general intelligences out there, they will only know a fraction of the observable universe.
Stanford neuroscientist here discusses why it is a good idea. Also, please, we were cavemen / monkeys at some point in our evolutionary timeline. Surely you need vitamin D and retinal stimulation in the morning to feel good, no?
Generally speaking, everybody ends up buried at some point, in some form of another. Sorry for getting grim. This should be a call to enjoy life as much as possible, right! Although pure hedonism also likely does not work, have never heard a good argument towards pure hedonism generally speaking, and would love to learn if there are any positive ones.
I mean, should I even link this.
Minecraft in creative mode but forever, really? Arcade Fire lyric.
Man's Search for Meaning is incredibly good and I will 100% always cite Viktor E. Frankl.