My number one piece of advice is: you should learn how to program.
Mark ZuckerbergRead
The question I ask myself like almost every day is: ‘Am I doing the most important thing I could be doing?' Unless I feel like I’m working on the most important problem that I can help with, then I’m not going to feel good about how I’m spending my time. And that’s what this company is.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of focusing on meaningful work and prioritizing tasks that have a significant impact.
Mark Zuckerberg reflects on the necessity of dedicating oneself to the most important tasks, positing that true fulfillment in work comes from addressing significant challenges. The quote underscores the idea that individuals should continually evaluate their efforts to ensure they are contributing to what matters most, thus fostering a sense of purpose and satisfaction in their endeavors.
In practice
In a motivational speech to startups about focusing on key objectives.
My number one piece of advice is: you should learn how to program.
I literally coded Facebook in my dorm room and launched it from my dorm room. I rented a server for $85 a month, and I funded it by putting an ad on the side, and we've funded ever since by putting ads on the side.
People can be really smart or have skills that are directly applicable, but if they don't really believe in it, then they are not going to really work hard.
Simply put: we don't build services to make money; we make money to build better services.
The question isn't, 'What do we want to know about people?', It's, 'What do people want to tell about themselves?'
Building a mission and building a business go hand in hand. The primary thing that excites me is the mission. But we have always had a healthy understanding that we need to do both.
Your own positive future begins in this moment. All you have is right now. Every goal is possible from here.
If we go to work at 8 a.m. and go home at 5 p.m., this is not a high-tech company and Alibaba will never be successful. If we have that kind of 8-5 spirit, then we should just go and do something else.
To summarize, using money to motivate people can be a double-edged sword. For tasks that require cognitive ability, low to moderate performance-based incentives can help. But when the incentive level is very high, it can command too much attention and thereby distract the person’s mind with thoughts about the reward. This can create stress and ultimately reduce the level of performance.
Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.
Somewhere behind the athlete you've become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back... play for her.
Infinite striving to be the best is man's duty; it is its own reward. Everything else is in God's hands.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.