We seek consensus about the Book of Mormon. Joseph F. Smith wrote, "If you have built for a man a better house than his own, and he is willing to accept yours and forsake his, then, and not till then, should you proceed to tear down the old structure. Rotten though it may be it will require some time for it to lose all its charms and fond memories of its former occupant. Therefore let him, not you, proceed to tear it away. Kindness and courtesy are the primal elements of gentility."
Elon Musk: "If you want to create something valuable financially, you don't pursue that. It's best to pursue providing useful products and services. If you do that, then money will come as a natural consequence, as opposed to pursuing money directly."
You cannot make people change their worldview easily. It is far easier to tell people they were right all along than to convince them they were wrong. Meet people where their beliefs already are.
Seth Godin
Warren Buffett:
“I have everything I want in life.”
“I could have ten houses instead of one. Would I be happier? Never.
I could have ten cars instead of two. I wouldn’t be happier. That would drive me crazy.”
↓
“I could have a 400-foot yacht.
But then I’d have to manage a crew of dozens.
Some would steal from me.
Some would fight with each other.
Who knows what else would happen?
If I wanted to be a ship captain, I’d have gone into a different profession.”
↓
People think wealth is having more things.
But true wealth is;
Not having to buy things you don’t want,
Not having to work with people you don’t want,
And being able to use your time as you wish.
That is the essence of financial freedom.
(Charlie Rose, 2009)
Brunson regarded his critics. “There’s a lot of people that have a lot of negative stuff to say,” he said. “But when you prove them wrong, you really don’t have to say stuff to them.”
Even on a planet consumed by friction, with a media/tech ecosystem designed to monetize public anger by rewarding rudeness and confrontation, you don’t have to return volley, you don’t have to engage. You can just…ignore it.
“They don’t deserve it,” Brunson said.
Wait, was that the high road? In the open air? In 2026? Jalen Brunson had offered a rare sighting of public civility. He was right. There’s power in refusing to enter the fray.
