Prateek Gupta

“The typical premodern ruler gave money to priests, philosophers and poets in the hope that they would legitimise his rule and maintain the social order.”
― Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

“nothing new, nothing unusual, nothing of any great importance.”
― Matthew Syed, Bounce

“some seem to get trapped in the compulsion to succeed, others take a rebellious stance. Pointing to the blatant cruelties and limitations involved in a cultural pattern which tends to value only the winner and ignore even the positive qualities of the mediocre, they vehemently criticize competition. Among the most vocal are youth who have suffered under competitive pressures imposed on them by parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by making no effort to win”
― W. Timothy Gallwey, The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance

“Many valuables cannot be stored – such as time or beauty.”
― Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind