472 Quotes by elon musk

Constantly think about how you could be doing things better.

I think it’s important to reason from first principles rather than by analogy. The normal way we conduct our lives is we reason by analogy. [With analogy] we are doing this because it’s like something else that was done, or it is like what other people are doing. [With first principles] you boil things down to the most fundamental truths…and then reason up from there.

Whatever area that you get into, given that, even if you're the best of the best, there's always a chance of failure. So, I think it's important that you really like whatever you're doing. If you don't like it, life is too short. And also, if you like what you are doing, you think about it even when you are not working. It's something your mind drawn to. And if you don't like it, you just really can't make it work I think.

Education is basically downloading data and algorithms into your brain.

In terms of the Internet, it's like humanity acquiring a collective nervous system. Whereas previously we were more like a [?], like a collection of cells that communicated by diffusion. With the advent of the Internet, it was suddenly like we got a nervous system. It's a hugely impactful thing.

When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favour.

When something is important enough. you do it. even if the odds are not in your favor.

America is the spirit of human exploration distilled.

It is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree -- make sure you understand the fundamental principles, ie the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to.