The 58 Best Quotes From The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant
"Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them."
—Naval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant is an Indian-American entrepreneur, investor, and writer, known for his profound insights on business, investing, and life. As the co-founder of AngelList and the chairman of the board of Affirm, he has invested in over 200 companies, including giants like Uber, Twitter, and Stripe. In his book, The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, Naval shares a wealth of wisdom distilled from his essays and advice on a diverse range of topics, from achieving success in business and investing to finding happiness and purpose in life.
With too many pieces of advice to instill into a few takeaways like I usually do, I’ve compiled a list of his best quotes broken down into 5 categories:
Health
Wealth
Happiness
Business
Life
With a genuine desire to help others reach their full potential, Naval provides bits of wisdom to help others live a more fulfilling, happy, and successful life.
Best Quotes From The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant
Health
"The three big ones in life are wealth, health, and happiness. We pursue them in that order, but their importance is reverse.
Wealth is important, but it's not the most important thing. You can have all the money in the world, but if you're not healthy or happy, it won't mean anything.
Health is even more important than wealth. If you're not healthy, you can't enjoy your wealth. You can't travel, you can't spend time with your loved ones, and you can't do the things you love.
And happiness is the most important thing of all. If you're not happy, nothing else matters. You can have all the wealth and health in the world, but if you're not happy, you'll still be miserable.
So make sure you put happiness first in your life. Pursue your passions, spend time with the people you love, and do things that make you happy. Because happiness is the most important thing of all."
"Doctors won't make you healthy. Nutritionists won't make you slim. Teachers won't make you smart. Gurus won't make you calm. Mentors won't make you rich. Trainers won't make you fit. Ultimately, you have to take responsibility. Save yourself.”
"If you're not feeling well, see a doctor. But don't expect a magic pill. The real work is up to you."
"Fit and healthy people focus way more on what they eat rather than how much."
"Health is a journey, not a destination. It's something you have to work at every day."
"Fit and healthy people focus way more on what they eat rather than how much they eat. They're more concerned with getting the nutrients they need than with counting calories.
This is because they understand that the quality of food is more important than the quantity. When you eat nutrient-rich foods, you're giving your body what it needs to function at its best. This means you'll have more energy, you'll be less likely to get sick, and you'll be able to maintain a healthy weight.
On the other hand, when you eat processed foods, you're not giving your body what it needs. These foods are often high in calories, sugar, and unhealthy fats. They can also contain artificial ingredients and preservatives that can harm your health.
If you want to be fit and healthy, it's important to focus on what you eat rather than how much you eat. Eat nutrient-rich foods that will give your body what it needs to thrive. And avoid processed foods that can harm your health."
"Health is wealth. It's the most important thing you have. Take care of it."
"Don't wait until you're sick to start taking care of your health. Prevention is the best medicine."
"Health is not something that happens to you. It's something you create. The choices you make today will shape your health tomorrow. So make sure you're making choices that are aligned with your health goals."
"The best way to predict your future health is to look at your current health."
"The modern world steers us away from the way humans are meant to live. We spend too much time sitting down, eating processed foods, and not getting enough exercise. This is leading to a rise in chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and cancer.
We're also constantly bombarded with stimuli, from our phones to our TVs to our social media feeds. This can lead to anxiety, depression, and attention deficit disorder.
The modern world is also making us less social. We're spending more time alone, and we're losing touch with our communities. This can lead to loneliness, isolation, and even mental illness.
We need to find ways to live more in line with our natural human instincts. We need to move more, eat less processed food, and spend more time with the people we love. We also need to reduce the amount of stimuli we're exposed to, and we need to find ways to relax and de-stress.
If we can do these things, we'll be well on our way to living healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives."
"Your health is your responsibility. No one else is going to take care of it for you.”
"The best way to stay healthy is to eat healthy foods, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly. But it's also important to manage stress, find healthy ways to cope with negative emotions, and connect with loved ones."
"It's been 5,000 years and we're still arguing over whether meat is poisonous. On the one hand, we have the traditional wisdom of our ancestors, who told us that meat is unhealthy and can lead to disease. On the other hand, we have the modern scientific consensus, which says that meat is a healthy part of a balanced diet.
So who should we believe?
I think the answer is that both sides are right. Meat can be unhealthy, but it can also be healthy. It all depends on how it's raised, processed, and cooked.
Factory-farmed meat is typically high in saturated fat and cholesterol. It's also often contaminated with hormones and antibiotics. This type of meat can be unhealthy, especially for people who are at risk for heart disease or cancer.
On the other hand, pasture-raised meat is much healthier. It's lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, and it's free of hormones and antibiotics. This type of meat is a good source of protein, iron, and zinc.
So, if you're going to eat meat, it's important to choose wisely. Choose pasture-raised meat whenever possible, and cook it in a healthy way. This will help you avoid the health risks associated with meat and enjoy the benefits of this nutritious food."
Wealth
"Wealth is the ability to do what you want, when you want, with who you want, and how you want."
"The best way to get rich is to create something that people want and are willing to pay for."
"Live below your means. This will free up money so you can invest and grow your wealth."
"Wealth is the ability to do what you want, when you want, with who you want, and how you want.
It's not about having a lot of money. It's about having the freedom to do the things that you love and to live the life that you want to live.
There are many ways to create wealth. You can start a business, invest in real estate, or create a product or service that people want.
But the most important thing is to find something that you're passionate about and to work hard at it. If you're passionate about what you do, you'll be more likely to succeed.
And if you work hard, you'll eventually achieve your financial goals.
So don't be afraid to dream big. If you want to be wealthy, start working towards your goals today."
"Enjoy your wealth. Don't be afraid to spend it on things that make you happy."
"Wealth is a journey, not a destination. It's something you have to work at every day."
"Money is a tool. It's not the goal. The goal is to be happy and fulfilled.
Money can help you achieve your goals, but it's not the only thing that matters. There are many other things in life that are more important, such as relationships, health, and happiness.
So don't get caught up in the rat race. Don't spend your life chasing after money. Instead, focus on the things that are truly important to you.
If you do that, you'll be much more likely to find happiness and fulfillment in life."
"Don't be afraid to fail. Failure is a part of the process."
"Invest in yourself. The best investment you can make is in your own education and skills."
"Don't be afraid to fail. Failure is a part of the learning process.
In fact, failure is often the best teacher. When you fail, you learn what doesn't work. And you can use that knowledge to improve your chances of success next time.
So don't be afraid to take risks. Don't be afraid to try new things. And don't be afraid to fail.
If you keep trying, eventually you'll succeed."
Happiness
"Happiness is a choice you make and a skill you develop."
"A personal metric: how much of the day is spent doing things out of obligation rather than out of interest?"
"Politics, academia, and social status are all zero-sum games. Positive-sum games create positive people."
"A hack for happiness is asking yourself what the positive it is in the situation. This is not a direct quote and poorly paraphrased but look it up."
"The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts."
"Happiness is a choice you make and a skill you develop. It's not something that happens to you. It's something you create. The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts. If you want to be happy, you need to think happy thoughts. This means focusing on the good things in your life, not the bad. It means being grateful for what you have, not what you don't have. And it means letting go of negative thoughts and emotions, such as anger, resentment, and fear.”
"Happiness is the state when nothing is missing. When nothing is missing, your mind shuts down and stops running into the past or future to regret something or to plan something. In that absence, for a moment, you are truly happy."
"The more you focus on the good things in your life, the happier you will be."
"Gratitude is the key to happiness."
"Be present in the moment and enjoy the little things."
"Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them. It's not the feeling of having everything you want, but the joy of wanting what you have. It's not about being perfect, but about being yourself. It's about finding your purpose and living your life to the fullest.”
"Helping others is a great way to be happy."
"The hardest thing is not doing what you want—it's knowing what you want. Most people go through life without ever really knowing what they want. They drift from one thing to another, never really finding their passion or purpose.
But if you want to live a truly fulfilling life, you need to know what you want. You need to find your passion, your purpose, and your reason for being.
Once you know what you want, everything else will fall into place. You'll be able to make decisions that are aligned with your goals, and you'll be able to take action that moves you closer to your dreams."
"Live your life with intention and purpose."
Business
"Learn to sell. Learn to build. If you can do both, you will be unstoppable."
"The most important skill for getting rich is becoming a perpetual learner.
The world is changing rapidly, and the only way to keep up is to constantly learn new things. This means reading books, articles, and blogs, taking online courses, and attending conferences.
It also means being open to new ideas and being willing to experiment. If you're not willing to learn, you'll be left behind.
So make learning a priority in your life. It's the best way to ensure your success in the long run."
"Productize yourself. Find a way to package your skills and knowledge into a product or service that people can buy."
"The best way to predict the future is to create it.
If you want to know what the future holds, don't just sit back and wait for it to happen. Take action and create the future that you want.
The decisions you make today will shape your tomorrow. So make sure you're making decisions that are aligned with your goals and dreams.
And don't be afraid to take risks. If you want to achieve something great, you need to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone.
So go out there and create the future that you want. The world is your oyster."
"Be creative. Don't be afraid to think outside the box. This is what will help you stand out from the competition."
"The best way to grow a business is to focus on your strengths.
Every business has strengths and weaknesses. The key to growth is to focus on your strengths and to outsource or partner with others to address your weaknesses.
If you try to do everything yourself, you'll spread yourself too thin and you won't be able to focus on what you do best.
So identify your strengths and weaknesses, and then focus on leveraging your strengths to grow your business."
"Be humble. Don't be arrogant or boastful. This will turn people off and make it difficult to build relationships."
"The best way to build a successful business is to solve a real problem.
People don't buy products or services because they're cool or because they're shiny. They buy them because they solve a problem.
So if you want to build a successful business, start by identifying a real problem that people are facing. Then, create a product or service that solves that problem in a unique and compelling way.
If you can do that, you'll be well on your way to building a successful business."
"Be passionate. If you're not passionate about your business, it will be difficult to succeed. Find something you're truly passionate about and build a business around it."
"Be yourself. Don't try to be someone you're not. This will help you connect with your audience and build genuine relationships."
Life
"The only way to do great work is to love what you do."
"Don't be afraid to be different. In fact, be weird."
"Life is a single-player game. You're born alone. You're going to die alone. All of your interpretations are alone. All your memories are alone. You're gone in three generations, and nobody cares. Before you showed up, nobody cared. It's all single player."
"Specific knowledge is found much more by pursuing your innate talents, your genuine curiosity, and your passion.
You can learn a lot of things from books and courses, but the best way to learn is by doing. And the best way to do is by following your passions.
When you're passionate about something, you're more likely to stick with it. You're more likely to put in the hard work and dedication that it takes to master it. And you're more likely to learn something that you can actually use in the real world.
So if you want to learn specific knowledge, find something that you're passionate about and start doing it. The more you do it, the better you'll get at it, and the more knowledge you'll acquire.
And who knows, you might even find your calling in the process."
"Don't compare yourself to others. Just be the best version of yourself."
"Live in the present moment and enjoy the little things.”
"The best way to predict the future is to create it.
If you want to know what the future holds, don't just sit back and wait for it to happen. Take action and create the future that you want.
The decisions you make today will shape your tomorrow. So make sure you're making decisions that are aligned with your goals and dreams.
And don't be afraid to take risks. If you want to achieve something great, you need to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone.
So go out there and create the future that you want. The world is your oyster."
"Follow your dreams and never give up."
"In any situation in life you have three choices, you can change it, you can leave it, or you can accept it. Look up the extended version of this quote."
"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."
"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."
What’s your favorite advice from Naval?
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