Words of Wisdom — February 13, 2014

George Washington on Honesty

“I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” – George Washington (born on this date in 1732)

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“I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” – George Washington (born on this date in 1732)

The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

Words of Wisdom

George Washington Carver on Common Things

“When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.” -George Washington Carver (born on this date in 1864 – we think)

Split-screen image: left side has the words "an excerpt from" on a pale blue background; right side shows the book cover of "After the Spike," which explores how population and environment shape our future, by Dean Spears and Michael Geruso.

Books

More people, more pollution? Dispelling an environmental myth

In “After the Spike,” Dean Spears and Michael Geruso show why policy, rather than high population density, has the most significant impact on the environment.

Collage featuring photos of wildlife, ancient stone carvings, and a camel, with the text "THE NIGHTCRAWLER" at the top on a gray grid background—an homage to Sean B. Carroll’s explorations of nature and history.

Business

The hidden rules of business — according to nature

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

A radio telescope points at the night sky, where stars are arranged in the shape of a large question mark.

The Fermi Paradox has a terrifying answer: The Dark Forest

“We’ve sent out one or two little messages, but we certainly aren’t investing billions of dollars shouting out into the cosmos saying, “Hey, we are here. Come say hi.””

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13 min

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with

David Kipping

Starts With A Bang

Jupiter endangers Earth, and may have extincted the dinosaurs

65 million years ago, a massive asteroid struck Earth. Not only did Jupiter not stop it, but it most likely caused the impact itself.

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Words of Wisdom

Anaïs Nin on Defeat

“Life is truly known only to those who suffer, lose, endure adversity and stumble from defeat to defeat.” – Anaïs Nin (born on this date in 1903)