The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant Flashcards
(39 cards)
What is Naval’s core philosophy on wealth creation?
Wealth is about assets that earn while you sleep—businesses, products, media, or code that scale with little effort. It’s not about renting your time.
What are the four types of leverage Naval describes?
1) Labor, 2) Capital, 3) Code, and 4) Media. The last two (code and media) are permissionless leverage—scalable and increasingly accessible.
Why does Naval emphasize specific knowledge in wealth creation?
Specific knowledge is knowledge that you can’t be trained for. It’s gained through experience, passion, and personality, and is usually highly valued and hard to replace.
How do Naval’s views differ from traditional financial advice?
Naval discourages trading time for money and saving excessively. Instead, he promotes building wealth through ownership, leverage, and long-term bets.
What does Naval mean by “play long-term games with long-term people”?
Trust compounds over time. Working with honest, high-integrity people leads to long-term success in both business and life.
How does Naval define happiness?
Happiness is peace in the present. It’s not excitement or pleasure, but the absence of desire and internal conflict.
What practice does Naval recommend for developing happiness?
Meditation, mindfulness, self-inquiry, and observing one’s thoughts without judgment help reduce mental suffering.
What role does desire play in unhappiness, according to Naval?
Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want. Letting go of desire brings peace.
How does Naval think about external achievements and happiness?
External success doesn’t bring lasting happiness. Internal peace, acceptance, and alignment with one’s nature do.
What mental models does Naval use in decision-making?
He uses probabilistic thinking, inversion, second-order thinking, and focuses on long-term consequences over short-term results.
What does Naval say about reading and learning?
Read what you love until you love to read. Follow your natural curiosity, and let learning compound like interest.
How does Naval approach making hard decisions?
By removing fear, examining long-term consequences, and reducing ego-driven choices. He focuses on clarity and alignment with values.
What does Naval mean by “learn to love to read”?
Curiosity-driven learning is sustainable and enjoyable. When you love reading, you can teach yourself anything.
What is Naval’s view on self-awareness?
Knowing yourself—your nature, strengths, and desires—is crucial. Self-awareness leads to authenticity and better decision-making.
How does Naval describe the ego’s role in suffering?
The ego creates a narrative and clings to identity, which leads to unnecessary pain. Dropping the ego brings freedom.
What does Naval believe about identity and labels?
Labels limit growth. Avoid defining yourself too narrowly to stay open to evolution and new possibilities.
Why does Naval value authenticity?
Being authentic aligns your actions with your nature, leading to fulfillment and ease instead of internal resistance.
How does Naval view physical health in relation to success?
Health is foundational. Without physical well-being, wealth and success are meaningless. He emphasizes exercise, sleep, and clean living.
What does Naval say about habits?
Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. Small daily actions lead to major life changes over time.
How does Naval structure his day for productivity?
He prioritizes rest, meditation, deep work, and avoids distractions. He keeps life simple and schedules around energy, not time.
Why does Naval advocate for productizing yourself?
When you productize yourself, you scale your output. Instead of renting your time, you create something once that can serve many.
How does Naval think about equity vs. salary?
Equity means ownership and long-term wealth. Salary is short-term and capped. Naval encourages seeking equity in ventures.
What does Naval mean by ‘earn with your mind, not your time’?
You should use leverage—code, media, capital—to separate income from time. Thinking scales, manual labor doesn’t.
How does Naval use meditation for insight?
He uses meditation to observe thoughts without judgment. This helps dissolve ego and reveal deeper truths about self and reality.
