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  return _jsxs(_Fragment, {
    children: [_jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "I love this book so much. I am obsessed with numbers and how they help explain the world around us and this book is really a great reminder of a lot of historical events i.e. The fall of Rome can really be seen when you look at population growth across Europe between 200 AD and 1300 AD."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Iberia, Italy, and the Balkans barely grew, while Northern Europe saw its population double, triple, or even quadruple."
    })]
  });
}
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Atlas of World Pop History

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  return _jsxs(_Fragment, {
    children: [_jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Been holding this book forever, but after watching the anime 'Monster' I got inspired to read it. The main antagonist in the anime is a character who is inspired by Nietzsche's philosophy. The German Ubermensch."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Nietzche attracts a lot of uninteresting and bad people (i.e. fake intellectuals). I am still a huge fan though. I find the arguments between the Christians vs Nietzscheans to be quite intriguing."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Some of my favorite quotes:"
    }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.ul, {
      children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.li, {
        children: "\"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster.\" - This is the plot of the anime 'Monster' and the main character is a doctor who saves a child who turns out to be a monster. The doctor then becomes obsessed with the monster and tries to understand him, but in the process, he could lose his own humanity."
      }), "\n", _jsx(_components.li, {
        children: "\"Whoever despises himself still respects himself as one who despises.\" - I love thinking about this and the implications of it."
      }), "\n", _jsx(_components.li, {
        children: "\"Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.\""
      }), "\n", _jsx(_components.li, {
        children: "\"The one who cannot obey himself will be commanded. That is the nature of living creatures.\""
      }), "\n", _jsx(_components.li, {
        children: "\"Verily, I have often laughed at the weaklings who thought themselves good because they had no claws.\" - This is literally modern Europe. The end of history. No dynamic changes. Just an endless repetition of more bloat. Demographic collapse and a society that has accepted our best days are behind us. Quite pathetic."
      }), "\n"]
    })]
  });
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Beyond Good and Evil

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  return _jsx(_Fragment, {});
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function MDXContent(props = {}) {
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    ..._provideComponents(),
    ...props.components
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  return MDXLayout ? _jsx(MDXLayout, {
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    children: _jsx(_createMdxContent, {
      ...props
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The Blank State

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  return _jsx(_components.p, {
    children: "IN PROGRESS"
  });
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      ...props
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Bubbles and The End of Stagnation

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  return _jsx(_components.p, {
    children: "Never found the time to complete this book but I can strongly recommend it for anyone interested in the rise of Russia. All things considered, she had very humble beginnings coming from provincial nobility in Stettin and pushed Russia into its golden age. A lot of similarities with Napoleon coming from Corsica. I'd say the book is great example of why Karl Marx became so popular in the following century."
  });
}
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    ...props.components
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Catherine the Great, A Portrait of a Woman

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  return _jsxs(_Fragment, {
    children: [_jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "THE fundamental book anyone interested in geopolitics should read."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "My thoughts:\nThe Muslim world has the most odd borders of any civilization. Touching Christian Europe, Hindu India, Buddhist SEA, Jewish Israel, China and Tribal Africa while being adversarial to all of these."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "The last 200 years Europeans managed to revive 3 historical nations that are destined to be adversaries to the Muslim world:"
    }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.ol, {
      children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.li, {
        children: "Greece being revived (Turk barrier in Balkans)"
      }), "\n", _jsx(_components.li, {
        children: "Israel splitting Arab world"
      }), "\n", _jsx(_components.li, {
        children: "India taking South Asia and stopping Islamic expansion to SEA."
      }), "\n"]
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "I can't see how the Muslim world can prevent inevitable clash with their neighbors for the entire 21st century, if not for moderating forces such as MBS being in charge."
    })]
  });
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Clash of Civilizations

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  return _jsxs(_Fragment, {
    children: [_jsx(_components.hr, {}), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "title: \"Decline of the West\"\nauthor: Oswald Spengler\ndate: December 12th, 2025\nrating: 8\ncoverImage: https://imgcdn.saxo.com/_9788367583725\nspineColor: \"#1e1e1e\"\ntextColor: \"#fff\""
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Henry Kissinger has always been a huge inspiration of mine, and he is also the person who eventually led me to read Oswald Spengler. Spenglerism is crucial for understanding both the past and the modern world, as well as for gaining deeper insight into 1930s German conservatism."
    })]
  });
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      ...props
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Demons

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  return _jsxs(_Fragment, {
    children: [_jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "An authoritative book on the art of diplomacy, written by the controversial goat of diplomacy himself, Henry Kissinger. Without a doubt my favorite book of all time. A masterpiece that provides a comprehensive overview of the history and practice of diplomacy, exploring its role in shaping the world order and the challenges it faces in the modern era!"
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Important insights:"
    }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.ol, {
      children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.li, {
        children: "The book starts off interestingly by focusing on some of my favorite historical figures, Périgord, Metternich and Bismarck.\nThe book is a great introduction to the history of diplomacy, and the importance of diplomacy in the modern world."
      }), "\n"]
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Henry Kissinger's analysis suggests that the three major geopolitical forces of today, China, India, and the United States lack traditional diplomatic experience for various historical reasons. He argues that:"
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "China has historically seen itself as a dominant power in East Asia and has focused inward, ignoring much of the rest of the world. This has shaped its approach to diplomacy as largely self-referential and centered on its own region."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "India has a long history of regional division and was not a unified state until relatively recently in its history. This fragmented past impacts its approach to international relations, making it less experienced in the continuous practice of diplomacy."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "The United States developed its foreign policy significantly during the Cold War, a period characterized by ideological conflict with the Soviet Union. This experience was less about traditional balance-of-power diplomacy and more about a binary, adversarial approach focused on ideological and strategic competition.\""
    }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.ol, {
      start: "2",
      children: ["\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "My favorite chapter so far is the one on the Congress of Vienna. It's a great example of how diplomacy can be used to shape the world order after a major conflict. Kissingers focus on how Napoleon III and Bismarck both wanted to destroy the status quo is incredible."
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "Furthermore, I have never been a fan of Napoleon III, but after reading this book those feelings have only been reassured. The 30 years war (1618-1648) gave France a 200 year dominance over Europe thanks to a weak Central Europe, but Napoleon III gave Bismarck the perfect excuse to unite Germany and create a strong Central Europe, permanently changing the balance of power in Europe and leaving France 'stuck' without any room to expand.\nA valuable lesson explaining how wanting it all will give you nothing. Napoleon III wanted to change the Metternich system, but turns out France was the one benefitting the most from the system. He sped up the process of a unified Germany & Italy, which left France isolated. In my view, one of the most incompetent leaders in modern history. We can partly blame his incompetence for the two world wars."
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "Another interesting point, that really isn't revolutionary, but still worth mentioning, is the similarity between the British Empire and the United States.  The question internally in both nations become when to play a role in geopolitical affairs. The only threat to Britain has always been a huge nation forming in Europe - Napoleonic France and Nazi Germany are good examples. When that isn't the case Britains focus was elsewhere (Colonialism for example). The situation today is worrying because the only threat to the US is a Eurasian juggernaut forming and that's certaintly the case today with Russia, Iran and China allying up. (Despite obvious historical grievances)"
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "The more I study the more clear it is that luck plays a crucial part in almost all famous successes. True of Bismarck (only appointed because of meltdown in royal circles), true of the likes of SpaceX (an explosion away from bankruptcy) and Steve Jobs (tried to sell early and was turned down), true of Napoleon Bonaparte... We just don’t see all the stories of very able people trying really hard who get taken out by bad luck early in the story. Also though, everybody has bad luck and those who survive long enough to get good luck are very perseverant."
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n"]
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "If you are a truthseeker like myself, I can only recommend you give this book a chance. It will open up more rabbit holes than you could ever imagine."
    })]
  });
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Diplomacy

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  return _jsx(_components.p, {
    children: "Probably the most misunderstood book in political discourse despite how much midwits love bringing it up."
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End of History

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  return _jsx(_components.p, {
    children: "One of the first political books I read back in 2018 when it all started. I was very left leaning when my mindset was that history started in 1939. The more aware of history I became, the more conservative. I wouldn't recommend anyone reading this unless curious about the socialist fervor"
  });
}
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Evolutionary Socialism

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    children: [_jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "I have been obsessed with Spinoza since I first discovered him back in 2018 when I would daily bike to the library in pursuit of completing the puzzle in my mind. Growing up in one of the world’s most secular countries, my worldview was thrown into contrast when my first girlfriend was Turkish and I had never really given religion any validity or thought. After the breakup I went through a big change in the way I view religion and Spinoza was the stepping stone for that. At times I refer to myself as a pantheist, whether or not I am changes overtime but regardless I find Spinozas description of God quite compelling."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "For people not familiar with Spinoza's philosophy: God = the universe = the natural order. Everything, including your thoughts, actions, suffering, and joy, is part of God’s unfolding logic. There is no free will, only cause and effect."
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Ethics

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  return _jsx(_components.p, {
    children: "Danish education fails us when it comes to understanding our part of the world."
  });
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Frederick II - A Medieval Emperor

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  return _jsx(_components.p, {
    children: "I have been hearing about George Soros since I was 16 getting into political rabbit holes and there's a lot of noise around his name. Love him or hate him, he's one of the smartest people among us. Possibly the best book I have read together with Diplomacy by Kissinger."
  });
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George Soros: A Life in Full

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  return _jsx(_components.p, {
    children: "This book caught my attention while at the local library and I initially thought it would be a waste of time since I already have a few apps on the AppStore but there's actually a lot of gems here. Not a book you read page to page but rather use to supplemeant your weak sides."
  });
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iOS 15 Programming Fundamentals with Swift

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  return _jsxs(_Fragment, {
    children: [_jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "This is the first time I link an article on my website but I simply fell in love with this piece on Kalergi. You would do yourself a huge favor understanding the vision of Kalergi despite all the low IQ attempts at ruining his legacy. Incredible man: https://www.palladiummag.com/2022/11/09/the-mirage-of-european-sovereignty/"
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Richard Kalergi is one of the most interesting figures in European history. I am obsessed with Germanic thinkers and he's just one of them - my reading the last 12 months have been dominated by German thinkers like Kalergi, Spengler, Kissinger and Nietzsche."
    })]
  });
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The Mirage of European Sovereignty

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  return _jsx(_components.p, {
    children: "If you don't have time to read the book yourself I can strongly recommend the Founders Podcast. Been a fan since he first started. Great guy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6AEeD4rQBA"
  });
}
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The Lessons of History

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      children: "IN PROGRESS"
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Mediations wasn't my favorite book due to it's dry nature. I am a big believer in stoicism, but to really benefit from the book it requires frequent reading. I found more value from people recommending the book and it's quotes than the book itself. (Ryan Holiday is a good example)"
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Mediations

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    children: [_jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "IN PROGRESS"
    }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.ul, {
      children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.li, {
        children: "This 'book' is a brief introduction to Jean Monnet but it's clear without a doubt Jean Monnet resembles the modern-day EU bureaucrat."
      }), "\n", _jsx(_components.li, {
        children: "It's hard to know what to give him credit for and things to blame him for. The European Union is clearly as he envisioned, yet Europe is weaker than ever the more unified we have become. I don't think solely blaming the EU for this development is intellectually honest or benefical."
      }), "\n", _jsx(_components.li, {
        children: "Jean Monnet died in 1979, so soon 50 years ago. Europe is incredibly different today than 50 years ago. The idealism hasn't held up to reality so far."
      }), "\n", _jsx(_components.li, {
        children: "\"The nations of Europe are too circumscribed to give their people the prosperity made\npossible, and hence necessary, by modern conditions. They will need larger markets. And\nthey will have to refrain from using a major proportion of their resources to maintain\n\"key\" industries needed for national defence and made mandatory by the concept of sov·\nereign, protectionist States, as we knew them before 1939\" - I fully agree with this sentiment but I don't think the EU has been able to deliver on this promise. Italian unification is comparable - idealist promise that didn't hold up to reality."
      }), "\n"]
    })]
  });
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JEAN MONNET, A GRAND DESIGN FOR EUROPE

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  return _jsx(_components.p, {
    children: "I won't spoil this book since it's very short but I strongly recommend finding the PDF online and reading it."
  });
}
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The Last Question

Shoe Dog

Rome and Persia - 700 Years of History

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  return _jsxs(_Fragment, {
    children: [_jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "I have always been obsessed with The Matrix and its core idea ever since I was first introduced to it. My favorite show of all time is arguably Naruto Shippuden, where the main villain's philosophy revolves around projecting his \"Dream World\" onto the moon, forcing every human into a Matrix-like state: asleep in a cocoon, their energy harvested by a tree while they remain trapped in a permanent dream."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "That fascination led me to search for the origins of this way of thinking, and Jean Baudrillard's work is my latest exploration of the idea. I'm not finished with Simulacra and Simulation yet, but it will be my main read this summer while I'm busy writing my own book."
    })]
  });
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Simulacra and Simulation

Skin in the Game

Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle

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  return _jsxs(_Fragment, {
    children: [_jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "This book is for anyone underestimating Jeff Bezos. I have always found a lot of interest in him due to his childhood/ethnic background being relatively similar to mine. His ancestors are Danish peasants from the same island as my parents and he is raised by a Cuban stepfather (Essentially making him Danish and Cuban just like me..)"
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Jeff Bezos is without a doubt one of the smartest people around. If you aren't a believer in wealth = intellect, all you need to confirm his intellect is taking a look at him ranking his teachers at the age of 6 and winning tons of competitions early on."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "If you aren't much of a reader, I can strongly recommend the episode he did on Lex Fridman. It is one of the greatest podcasting episodes in history and a great introduction to the thinking of Bezos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcWqzZ3I2cY"
    })]
  });
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      ...props
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The Everything Store

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    children: [_jsx(_components.h1, {
      children: "Notes"
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Chapter 1:"
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Ben Horowitz is from a different era but it's quite clear how 'nerdy' early Silicon Valley was - these people were math geniuses prior to any entrepreneurial success."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Just before the chapter ends, he talks about the pivot NetScape was forced to make. To make a long story short, Microsoft copied their service but made it much cheaper and better. To be a thorn in Microsoft sides, Netscape did the same and made a cheaper version of Microsoft's original product. Sounds like geopolitics."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Horowitz on his relationship with Mark Andreessen: \"People often ask me how we’ve managed to work effectively across three companies over 18 years. Most business relationships either become too tense to tolerate or not tense enough to be productive after a while. Either people challenge each other to the point where they don’t like each other or they become complacent about each other’s feedback and no longer benefit from the relationship. With Marc and me, even after 18 years, he upsets me almost every day by finding something wrong in my thinking, and I do the same for him. It works.\""
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Chapter 2:"
    }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.ol, {
      children: ["\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "Raising money in the dot com crash. Nothing too surprising - what actually was surprising is how Ben Horowitz always seems to be on the winning side no matter the odds."
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "the power of individuals (Bill Campbell), breaks communist philosophy that humans are replacable. Pretty ironic considering Ben Horowitz' own ancestors were avid communists."
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "The struggle of their stock guidance - \"Should we try to minimize the initial damage by taking down the\nnumber as little as possible or should we minimize the risk of another reset? If\nwe reduced the number by a lot, the stock might fall apart. On the other hand, if\nwe didn’t lower it enough, we might have to reset again, which would cost us all\nthe credibility we had left. My controller, Dave Conte, raised his hand with what\nwould be the definitive advice: “No matter what we say, we’re going to get\nkilled. As soon as we reset guidance, we’ll have no credibility with investors, so\nwe might as well take all the pain now, because nobody will believe any\npositivity in the forecast anyway. If you are going to eat shit, don’t nibble\""
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "Peacetime CEO vs Wartime. Quote from the book: \"I let them present all forty-five slides without my asking them a single question.\nWhen they finished I said, “Did I ask for this presentation?” Those were the first\nwords I spoke as I made the transition from a peacetime CEO to a wartime CEO.\nBy virtue of my position and the fact that we were a public company, nobody\nbesides me had the complete picture. I knew we were in deep, deep trouble.\nNobody besides me could get us out of the trouble, and I was through listening\nto advice about what we should do from people who did not understand all the\npieces\""
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "After selling Loudcloud to EDS, Bill Campbell gave some interesting advice: \"If we hadn’t\ntreated the people who were leaving fairly, the people who stayed would never\nhave trusted me again. Only a CEO who had been through some awful, horrible,\ndevastating circumstances would know to give that advice at that time\""
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n"]
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Chapter 3:"
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Chapter 4:"
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Chapter 4 is definitely the most productive chapter so far. I'd suggest skipping the first three, if you are solely reading the book for productivity gains."
    }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.ol, {
      children: ["\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "Startup CEO’s shouldn’t play the odds. When you are building a company, you must believe there is an answer and you cannot pay attention to your odds of finding it. You just have to find it. It matters not whether your chances are nine in ten or one in a thousand; your task is the same."
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "Life is struggle"
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "Don’t put everything on your shoulders. Nobody takes losses harder than the one most responsible."
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "Play long enough and you might get lucky. This is true in any aspect of life!"
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "Follow the principle of Bushido - the way of the warrior; keep death in mind at all times. If a warrior keeps death in mind at all times and lives as though this day might be his last, he will conduct himself properly in all manners. Same can be said about CEO’s and startups."
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n", _jsxs(_components.li, {
        children: ["\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
          children: "The positivity delusion."
        }), "\n"]
      }), "\n"]
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Chapter 5:"
    })]
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THE HARD THINGS ABOUT HARD THINGS

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    children: [_jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "This book is pretty short but a good mental model for when to quit."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "TLDR: Everything worth doing in life is controlled by \"The Dip\". The Dip you experience after initial success of any project is there to weed out people don't want the result bad enough to do the work. Make it your best friend."
    })]
  });
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The Dip - A Little Book That Teaches You When To Quit

The Final Pagan

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  return _jsx(_components.p, {
    children: "Great book and I recommend it to anyone who is into geopolitics. A great manual on how you survive as a small country when a new power shows up."
  });
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The Mongol Storm

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    children: [_jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "I didn't like the book as much as anticipated. Felt like overrated slop."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "He did have a point when he said “The 'Instagram Generation' now experiences the present as an anticipated memory.” though."
    })]
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Thinking, Fast and Slow

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      children: "I could write a longer Substack article about this topic, but I really find it beyond fascinating. It is especially difficult for foreigners to understand, but I think once they understand the uniqueness of Northwestern Europe they'll understand a lot of European history."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "Recently I had exactly this conversation with a Lebanese, who couldn't really understand what makes Poles and Germans so different - after all, according to her, they're both just bland white people."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "For any Americans reading this, I also think it is a pretty good divider between \"white\" nations (To use your terms) and then European nations. It might be confusing, but Serbian are European, but are they white? Yes, they might have lightskin, but culturally they arguably have more in common with the rest of the world than they do with Scandinavia / Northwest Europe."
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The Weirdest People in the World

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    children: "I bought this after David Reichs appearance on Dwarkesh Patels Podcast. Great episode. I will probably spend a lot of freetime exploring the rabbit hole of genetics in 2026."
  });
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Who We Are

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      children: "Dropped this book. Was quite lackluster."
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      children: "Best parts were definitely focusing on their time meeting Paul Graham from YC."
    })]
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Without Their Permission

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      children: "The bible for startups in Silicon Valley."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.p, {
      children: "The first principles on (1) what to work on (2) how to work on it to create massive value and (3) how to capture part of the value to build a valuable company."
    }), "\n", _jsx(_components.h1, {})]
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    children: _jsx(_createMdxContent, {
      ...props
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  default: MDXContent
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