Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?

#41

Post by melvinram » Thu, May 08, 2008, 5:01 AM UTC

mixmax wrote: post #3

The best advice I ever got was from a board member of a startup I was involved in some years ago. He was a member of the European parlaiment, had started two multi million dollar companies, and generally a guy that you would want to listen to. His advice came at a very early stage of our startup and was very simple: Make a prototype that looks great, nobody will care how the hell it works but it has to look good.

Solid advice!

My first business mentor said it a little differently:

"Perception is everything until they buy!"

Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?

#42

Post by gruseom » Thu, May 08, 2008, 5:03 AM UTC

xlnt wrote: post #28

Alex3917 wrote: post #13

Even the most beautiful paintings, the best novels, and the greatest scientific discoveries were 95% drudgery to create. The reason most people never paint beautiful paintings and write world-changing novels isn't because they aren't smart enough, but because they don't find it fun.

right. they prefer pokemon or football or something that doesn't require much thought or learning. since they are smart enough to do better, they are guilty of having immoral values. they ought to find better things fun, but instead are wasting their lives. edit: looks like 8 people so far noticed that they are guilty and don't intend to change anything.

they are guilty ... they ought to find better things fun

I'm pretty sure what the downmodders are reacting against is the absoluteness of your moralism. Personally, I'm not offended by it. I'm flabbergasted by it.

Edit: this just reminded me of one of the best pieces of advice I ever received: Judge not, lest ye be judged. How's that for swinging back on topic?

Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?

#43

Post by Arubis » Thu, May 08, 2008, 5:04 AM UTC

I've got three:

Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em, then tell 'em, then tell 'em what you told 'em.

When you create, stick to three C's: Clear, Concise, and Complete.

Just Start.

Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?

#44

Post by melvinram » Thu, May 08, 2008, 5:07 AM UTC

melvinram wrote: post #9

"After you go to the bathroom, you don't just stand there and look at what you just dropped in there for all night long. At some point you gotta flush it, man." ~ Kobe Bryant "Whether you believe you can or you believe you can't, you're right." ~ Ron Sutton My other favorite quotes are at: http://melvinram.tadalist.com/lists/906581/public

QUOTES THAT HAVE INFLUENCED ME GREATLY:

* You can tell how badly you want [something] by observing your actions each day. Are they consistent with [attaining your goal]? ~ Brian Tracy

* Character is destiny. ~ Sigmund Freud

* Heaven and hell are a state of mind. ~ The Four Agreements

* We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. ~ Mother Teresa

* There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly. ~ Richard Buckminster Fuller

* After you go to the bathroom, you don't just stand there and look at what you just dropped in there for all night long. At some point you gotta flush it, man. ~ Kobe Bryant

* Whether you believe you can, or you believe you can't... either way you're right. ~ Ron Sutton at The SBRC

* There are some things you can do something about and some things you can't do anything about... don't worry bout stuff you can't do anything about. ~ Dunno

* Work Harder. Play Hardest. ~ Me

* Attraction is not a choice. ~ David DeAngelo

* Intelligence is defined by prediction. ~ Jeff Hawkins

* "Every beginning requires an ending, another revolution around the wheel of life. Death is not sad; the sad thing is that most people dont really live at all." ~ Dan Millman

* Magnify what's best. Focus on what's next. ~ Change How You See Everything book

* Focus attention on opportunities not problems, strengths not weaknesses and what can be done instead of what cant. ~ Change How You See Everything book

* A diamond is just a hunk of coal made good under pressure. ~ Rod Weckworth

* There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see. ~ Leonardo da Vinci

Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?

#45

Post by xlnt » Thu, May 08, 2008, 5:11 AM UTC

gruseom wrote: post #42

xlnt wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

right. they prefer pokemon or football or something that doesn't require much thought or learning. since they are smart enough to do better, they are guilty of having immoral values. they ought to find better things fun, but instead are wasting their lives. edit: looks like 8 people so far noticed that they are guilty and don't intend to change anything.

they are guilty ... they ought to find better things fun I'm pretty sure what the downmodders are reacting against is the absoluteness of your moralism. Personally, I'm not offended by it. I'm flabbergasted by it. Edit: this just reminded me of one of the best pieces of advice I ever received: Judge not, lest ye be judged. How's that for swinging back on topic?

Yes, I know what they are responding to. I also noticed that they, and you, failed to comment on whether what I said is true.

They could do better, but don't, that's practically the definition of immoral. They value the wrong things, again, that's practically the definition of immoral. What am I wrong about? That some of the best things ever made are better than football?

Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?

#46

Post by menloparkbum » Thu, May 08, 2008, 5:30 AM UTC

xlnt wrote: post #45

gruseom wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

they are guilty ... they ought to find better things fun I'm pretty sure what the downmodders are reacting against is the absoluteness of your moralism. Personally, I'm not offended by it. I'm flabbergasted by it. Edit: this just reminded me of one of the best pieces of advice I ever received: Judge not, lest ye be judged. How's that for swinging back on topic?

Yes, I know what they are responding to. I also noticed that they, and you, failed to comment on whether what I said is true . They could do better, but don't, that's practically the definition of immoral. They value the wrong things, again, that's practically the definition of immoral. What am I wrong about? That some of the best things ever made are better than football?

pokemon and football are higher up on the universally accepted scale of morally justifiable hobbies than internet forum flamebaiting. sorry about this - someone needed to let you know.

Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?

#47

Post by adammichaelc » Thu, May 08, 2008, 5:34 AM UTC

"Don't work for money. Then you'll just get rich. And it's harder for a rich man to go to heaven than a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Why would you want to get rich if after you die you can't enjoy the next life?

"Just find what your passionate about and do that. Then you'll love life, you'll be in a great mood for your wife and kids. And you'll make plenty of money to get by."

Norm Nemrow, My Accounting Professor at BYU (My hero)

Edit: I don't think I wrote this exactly the way he said it -- he took an hour and a half to say what I tried to write here in just a couple paragraphs.

Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?

#48

Post by adammichaelc » Thu, May 08, 2008, 5:34 AM UTC

"Don't work for money. Then you'll just get rich. And it's harder for a rich man to go to heaven than a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Why would you want to get rich if after you die you can't enjoy the next life?

"Just find what your passionate about and do that. Then you'll love life, you'll be in a great mood for your wife and kids. And you'll make plenty of money to get by."

Norm Nemrow, My Accounting Professor at BYU (My hero)

Edit: I don't think I wrote this exactly the way he said it -- he took an hour and a half to say what I tried to write here in just a couple paragraphs.

Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?

#49

Post by xlnt » Thu, May 08, 2008, 5:36 AM UTC

menloparkbum wrote: post #46

xlnt wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I know what they are responding to. I also noticed that they, and you, failed to comment on whether what I said is true . They could do better, but don't, that's practically the definition of immoral. They value the wrong things, again, that's practically the definition of immoral. What am I wrong about? That some of the best things ever made are better than football?

pokemon and football are higher up on the universally accepted scale of morally justifiable hobbies than internet forum flamebaiting. sorry about this - someone needed to let you know.

I'm serious. You, apparently, aren't. You're just calling me a troll. I think on PG's scale that is DH0 - Name Calling.

http://www.paulgraham.com/disagree.html

Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?

#50

Post by DaniFong » Thu, May 08, 2008, 5:36 AM UTC

lisa_williams wrote: post #27

I have a vivid memory of being six years old and seeing my dad come in the door of the apartment we lived in at the time. My father came from a working class family. On that day, he had already been going to night school for three years, and would continue for another four years before getting a degree in computer science (this was before the days of easy, short degree programs for adults with jobs). He wore a shirt…

Thank you for the story. I really enjoyed it. Welcome to YC. :-)