“I know that I know nothing” is a famous quote by Socrates. Leonardo was of a similar viewpoint throughout his life. What does this actually mean? The more we know, the more we understand that we don’t know. Let that sink in for a minute.
This is a tremendously humbling feeling which I get quite often. I am in no way comparing myself to Socrates or da Vinci, but this journey to constantly learn more often gives me perspective. It also motivates me to learn even more which becomes an extremely frustrating catch 22… regardless I still love it.
Speaking of Leo (we’re on a first name basis), I am currently finishing up his Biography by Walter Isaacson. It’s phenomenal! In fact anything by Walter (with whom I am also on a first name basis with 😉) is amazing. His Steve Jobs Biography is a must have, and I will hopefully be able to give a feedback on his Biographies of Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein within the coming months- they’ll have to get in line.
Back to da Vinci. Known as a genius, painter, engineer, architect and the ultimate renaissance man, etc. etc., he was also king of the Startups! Hear me out on this one: he was not known for always finishing his works and mostly started projects which only interested him. Those left unfinished were often because he saw massive headwinds in the future (political, technical, funding etc.) so he simply dropped his brush and moved on. Headwinds so large that moving forward made no sense. Which equates to either failing fast or pivoting hard. Either way, he did a damn good job at it.
What can we as entrepreneurs take from this? (now you see where I am going) Do as Leo did – fail fast and pivot hard! This does not mean you can constantly change or give up when it gets tough. It will always be tough. Leo would sometimes spend years on a project before abandoning it for another. You have to invest that time and sweat. But at some point you realize it’s going no where.
So drop the brush, have a drink, and start working on the next unicorn.
Cool post Matt. I’ve not read the Leonardo book, but I love Walter Isaacson. I read ‘Jobs’ in 5 days on holiday in Greece last year… That was intense. His book on Einstein is great too. I love the way you can really start to understand the world through the lens of these iconic people. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks Joe! Isaacson is a master not only in formulating his ideas but also in researching his subjects. Really looking forward to Einstein and Franklin. One of the most fascinating things I learned about da Vinci is his discoveries were confirmed hundreds of years later. The guys was just born 400 years to early it seems. 😂. Have fun with it and let me know what you think of the book.
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What an incredible guy. I love his notebooks… There are just some people who operate on other levels entirely to the rest of humanity haha. Newton, Leonardo, Franklin, Einstein and arguably Jobs are some of them.
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