Naval’s early podcast interviews with Tim Ferriss, Shane Parish, and Joe Rogan are among those shows’ most popular episodes for good reason.
The now famous “how to get rich” essay was years ahead of its time, and succinctly it explained Naval’s approach to building wealth.
Seek wealth, not money or status. Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. Money is how we transfer time and wealth. Status is your place in the social hierarchy.
— Naval (@naval) May 31, 2018
One of the most talked about tweets of all time.
It almost feels like Naval is sharing ideas that have been previously kept secret amongst an exclusive group of “wealthy” people, and this is his effort to level the playing field. At the same time, these concepts all feel instantly familiar and almost obvious in retrospect.
Play iterated games. All the returns in life, whether in wealth, relationships, or knowledge, come from compound interest.
— Naval (@naval) May 31, 2018
The influence these ideas have had on modern entrepreneurship culture is perhaps best evidenced by the fact that the wisdom shared by Naval in his various posts, podcast appearances, and essays have literally been curated into a book (which has over 16.7 thousand reviews on Amazon with a 4.7 star average).
Naval Ravikant’s work as an angel investor (and building AngelList) is impressive, but his philosophies continue to resonate as more people are introduced to the new digital economy.
Nuggets
Naval’s conversation with Joe Rogan (which was published before Joe switched to Spotify) has over 11.5 million views on YouTube.
To measure the quality of your life, simply do nothing, and see how it feels.
— Naval (@naval) April 18, 2020
People think they can’t change themselves, but they can.
— Naval (@naval) March 20, 2022
People think they can change others, but they can’t.
Everybody wants spirituality, no one wants the truth.
— Naval (@naval) May 24, 2022
A rational person can find peace by cultivating indifference to things outside of their control.
— Naval (@naval) October 14, 2017
Spend your time in the company of geniuses, sages, children, and books.
— Naval (@naval) September 16, 2021
If you’re not ready to be hated, you’re not ready to be famous.
— Naval (@naval) July 13, 2022
Nothing will make you more productive than owning your time.
— Naval (@naval) December 15, 2022
Nothing will make you less productive than selling it.
You’re always making the best choice based on your current understanding.
— Naval (@naval) November 30, 2023
Don’t try to change the choice - change the understanding.
Recommendations
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant — a book collecting the various ideas and concepts that Naval has become famous for over the years. The Almanack was curated and edited by Eric Jorgenson, with illustrations by Jack Butcher, and a Foreword by Tim Ferriss.
How to Get Rich full essay — a one-page compilation of Naval’s famous “How to get rich (without getting lucky)” 2018 Twitter thread. I recommend listening to the podcast version.
Naval Podcast — a podcast where Naval has interviewed thought-leaders such as Vitalik Buterin, the creator of Ethereum, and David Deutsch, a Professor of Physics at Oxford University.
Tim Ferriss interviews with Naval Ravikant: 2015 | 2020
Shane Parish interview with Naval Ravikant on The Knowledge Project: 2019