Quotes on being patient as an activist
Planting that seed and letting the tree grow so that, one day, the world can enjoy the fruits of your labor, requires the attitude not of a superhero but of a farmer.
Think through the big decisions carefully, but get things done. Speed the process up where you can, but accept that it’ll take many years to achieve the skills, understanding, and position you need to make a big impact. Pivot when necessary, but keep going.
Don’t aim for instant success. Aim for 20 years of solid growth. Alice wants to maximize her chance of a 1,000% increase in her altruistic output this year. Zahara’s trying to maximize her chance of a 10% increase in her altruistic output. They’re likely to do very different things to achieve these goals. Don’t be like Alice. Be like Zahara.
[Effective altruism] usually does not recommend donating so much that you live in poverty, or working yourself ragged with no time to relax, but instead preaches a more moderate and achievable path of sustainable donations & effort, which can coexist with a pleasant life.”
Greedy maximizers are poor prioritizers who demand great noble efforts and then don’t adequately track outcomes. As much as possible is almost always the wrong approach. I need to appreciate how I’ll falter if my needs aren’t met. If I don’t sleep, I can’t focus. If I don’t eat, I slow down. If I choose the wrong pace, I burn out. I need to protect myself or else I’ll lose. I’m the only tool I have to accomplish anything in the world.”