Words of Wisdom — August 8, 2014

Abigail Van Buren on Character

“The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and how he treats people who can’t fight back.”rn rn― Abigail Van Buren

bigthinkeditor

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

“The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and how he treats people who can’t fight back.”

― Abigail Van Buren

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

In a split image, Taleb's surgeon stands confidently alongside two diverse medical professionals: a woman in a hijab and a woman with glasses, each wearing stethoscopes.

Business

How “Taleb’s Surgeon” redefines what expertise look like

The truly talented are those who got to where they are despite preconceived expectations.

A grayscale photo of a man is on the left page of an open book, while the right page features an illustration of a white dove with red accents on a yellow background, symbolizing freedom.

The Present

Timothy Snyder on what Americans get wrong about freedom

Historian Timothy Snyder talks with Big Think about how true liberty requires both negative and positive freedoms.

Film strip collage of abstract images—including faces with X marks, colorful patterns, and nature elements—evokes the vibrant allure of "Crazy Rich Asians.

High Culture

“Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon Chu on the American Dream and silencing your inner critic

“No matter how long you’ve been doing a job or how good people say you are, you need to care as if you’ve never done it before.”

Five animated characters with various expressions of alarm gather around a control panel with a red button.

High Culture

“Inside Out 2” creators on rediscovering joy and being a better parent

Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein drew inspiration from psychologists as well as their own children, becoming more understanding parents in the process.

Business

How to free yourself from “hindsight bias”

Josh Kaufman — best-selling author of entrepreneurial classic “The Personal MBA” — explores an essential truth about all decision-making.

Up Next

Technology & Innovation

Russia’s Eurasian Vision

NEW YORK – The escalating conflict in Ukraine between the Western-backed government and Russian-backed separatists has focused attention on a fundamental question: What are the Kremlin’s long-term objectives? Though Russian […]