Dee Hock: aphorisms, VISA, and a restless mind

Two Founders podcast episodes I loved were about Dee Hock, the founder and CEO of VISA and more importantly, a person who lived with convictions and with deep thought about institutions and philosophy.

     #260 One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organizations

     #261 Autobiography of a Restless Mind Volume One and Two

One of the podcast episodes is just a collection of aphorisms from his book. They felt like words from a wise older figure, who never gave you the answer but gave you the confidence to look for it yourself. I've added Autobiography of a Restless Mind to my book list.

Favorite Aphorisms of Dee Hock:

In the soils of every satisfaction sprout the seeds of discontent

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What is my life made of: love of nature, love of literature, love of solitude, love of thought, and love of another. One could do much worse.

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If you can’t be precise, be concise. If you can’t be concise, be silent.

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The most interesting people are always the most interested people.

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No matter how exceptional the author, writing can induce no more than what is already inside the reader.

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A poorly lived life fears death. To a richly lived life, death is just another part of the adventure.

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There are few things more dangerous than a large, well developed, vigorous assumption.

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If one knows how to formulate penetrating questions and assiduously seeks answers, education with or without schools is inevitable.

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The happiest and best parts of formal education ate haphazard experiences with others and the eclectic reading of excellent books.

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How did you come to wisdom, compassion, and courage?

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Loneliness is a much better companion than an evil person

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Life has limited meaning until you find someone or something worth dying for

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Many are the books written to tediously expound what is clearly stated in simple proverbs.

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Conduct is a silent sermon powerfully preached without cessation.

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Those who require little of themselves have even less to give others

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Superior people achieve everything in themselves which they expect in others.

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Make it your business to create, not compare; contemplate, not critique. Compliment, not condemn.

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We were inseparable since the age of 14: she was the early bird, and I the worm.

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There are many problems best left alone, since time and patience are powerful memories.

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Those who succeed chance upon opportunities more often than they create them.

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Teach children to think deeply, read precisely, write concisely, and stimulate their curiosity about everything.