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Originally published on Medium on February 2nd, 2018
I had set a goal to read a lot of books in 2017. I didn’t reach the number I’d laid out, but about halfway through the year I realized I wanted to get more out of what I read, rather than to just get through more. One of the reasons I’ve always enjoyed reading (aside from the reading, and learning) was the desire I have to finish things. This has been good when it’s a good book, but debilitating when it’s a bad book. So one of the untold stories of 2017 is how well I did in giving up on books if they didn’t capture me. But as for the books that I did read, I wanted to remember what impacted me most as I read.
This post is insanely long. I don’t expect anyone to actually read it. Instead, it’s a record for me to remember the books I read in 2017, and the quotes that impacted me. I’ve already referred to this collection of quotes often.
2017 has come and gone. I can still remember New Years Day, the first day of 2017, sitting in a comfortable chair in Portland, going back and forth about which book I would start the year off with. Eventually, it came down to whether I would start with a Kindle book, or a physical one. “Maybe I should flip a coin.” No coins to be found. Where’s my newest physical book? Upstairs. Where’s my Kindle? In my hand. Kindle it is! The ability to make decisions is one of the most important skills we possess.
The House That Jack Ma Built
I don’t know very much about China. But 2017 was a year that I repeatedly had the impression that I ought to know more about China. 20% of the world speaks Mandarin. 1.4 billion people are in China. I’m not a betting man, but my gut tells me the country is important.
“China changed because of us in the past fifteen years. We hope in the next fifteen years, the world changes because of us.” (Jack Ma)
What was most inspiring, to me about Jack Ma was his lack of a technical background. One of the largest tech companies on the planet was conceived by someone who still talks about how he doesn’t fully understand how the internet works.
“I’m not a tech guy. I’m looking at the technology with the eyes of my customers, normal people’s eyes.” (Jack Ma)
“Employees are discouraged from ever complaining — a pet peeve of Jack’s — and encouraged instead to shoulder personal responsibility, carrying out or delegating tasks rather than waiting for orders from on high.”
“Alibaba might as well be known as “1,001 mistakes.” But there were three main reasons why we survived. We didn’t have any money, we didn’t have any technology, and we didn’t have a plan.”
“When building up his team Jack preferred hiring people a notch or two below the top performers in their schools. The college elite, Jack explained, would easily get frustrated when they encountered the difficulties of the real world.”
“Today is brutal, tomorrow is more brutal, but the day after tomorrow is beautiful. However, the majority of people will die tomorrow night.”
“It is not necessary to study an MBA. Most MBA graduates are not useful. . . . Unless they come back from their MBA studies and forget what they’ve learned at school, then they will be useful. Because schools teach knowledge, while starting businesses requires wisdom. Wisdom is acquired through experience. Knowledge can be acquired through hard work.”
“eBay may be a shark in the ocean, but I am a crocodile in the Yangtze River. If we fight in the ocean, we lose, but if we fight in the river, we win.”