Kevin Kelly, the founding executive editor of Wired magazine, is a renowned futurist, author, and thinker who has been shaping our understanding of technology and its impact on the world for decades. His work explores the co-evolution of humans and machines, the nature of complex systems, and the wisdom of a life well-lived.

On Wisdom and Life Advice[1]

  1. On self-improvement: "Don't measure your life with someone else's ruler."[2]
  2. On perspective: "The small person believes they are superior; the superior person knows they are lucky."[3]
  3. On embracing individuality: "That thing that made you weird as a kid could make you great as an adult—if you don't lose it."[3]
  4. On self-reflection: "A great way to understand yourself is to seriously reflect on everything you find irritating in others."[3]
  5. On learning: "Half the skill of being educated is learning what you can ignore."[3]
  6. On teaching to learn: "The best way to learn anything is to try to teach what you know."[3]
  7. On curiosity and certainty: "Curiosity is fatal to certainty. The more curious you are the less certain you'll be."[3]
  8. On memory: "The biggest lie we tell ourselves is 'I don't need to write this down because I will remember it.'"[4]
  9. On expanding your mind: "Expand your mind by thinking with your feet on a walk or with your hand in a notebook. Think outside your brain."[4]
  10. On purpose: "Your passions should fit you exactly, but your purpose in life should exceed you. Work for something much larger than yourself."[2]
  11. On kindness vs. being right: "Whenever you have a choice between being right or being kind, be kind. No exceptions. Don't confuse kindness with weakness."[5]
  12. On habits: "The purpose of a habit is to remove that action from self-negotiation. You no longer expend energy deciding whether to do it. You just do it."[2]
  13. On forgiveness: "When you forgive others they may not notice but you will heal. Forgiveness is not something we do for others; it is a gift to ourselves."[2]
  14. On showing up: "99% of success is just showing up. In fact, most success is just persistence."[2]
  15. On being interesting: "To be interesting, be interested."[6]
  16. On legacy: "Before you are old, attend as many funerals as you can bear and listen. Nobody talks about the departed's achievements. The only thing people will remember is what kind of person you were while you were achieving."[2]

On Technology and the Future

  1. On the nature of technology: Kelly proposes the concept of the "technium," which he describes as "the greater, global, massively interconnected system of technology vibrating around us."[7]
  2. On technology's inherent drive: "Technology wants what life wants: Increasing efficiency, Increasing opportunity, Increasing emergence, Increasing complexity, Increasing diversity, Increasing specialization."[8]
  3. On the future being a process: He uses the term "protopia," which is a state of becoming, rather than a destination. It's a process of incremental improvement.[9]
  4. On our relationship with machines: "This is not a race against the machines. If we race against them, we lose. This is a race with the machines. You'll be paid in the future based on how well you work with robots."[6]
  5. On human's role in the technological ecosystem: "Humans are the reproductive organs of technology."[6]
  6. On the inevitability of technological progress: "Much of what will happen in the next thirty years is inevitable, driven by technological trends that are already in motion."[10]
  7. On AI's role: "If we want the answer to a question, we will ask a machine but if we want a good question, we hire a human."[11]
  8. On the diversity of AI: Kelly believes there will not be a single AI, but "hundreds, if not thousands of different species of AI with different mixtures and complexes of thinking."[12]
  9. On the value of questions: In the future, "questions will be more important than answers."[9]
  10. On ownership vs. access: "Possession is not as important as it once was. Accessing is more important than ever."[9]
  11. On our place in the timeline: "Most of the greatest products running the lives of citizens in 2050 were not invented until after 2020. People in 2050 will look down at their wearable virtual reality contact lenses, downloadable avatars, AI interfaces and say 'you didn't really have the internet!'"[13]
  12. On the opportunity of the present: "It is the best time ever in human history to begin (innovate). You are not late."[13]
  13. On the long-term outlook: "Over the long term, the future is decided by optimists."[14]
  14. On the nature of good things: "Bad things can happen fast, but almost all good things happen slowly."[2]
  15. On predicting the future: "We tend to overestimate change in the short term, and underestimate it over the longer term."[15]

On Creativity and Work

  1. On the "1,000 True Fans" theory: "To be a successful creator, you don't need millions...To make a living...you need only thousands of true fans."[16]
  2. The math of a true fan: To make a living, a creator needs to "earn, on average, $100 profit from each true fan" and have a direct relationship with them.[17]
  3. On being unique: "Don't be the best. Be the only."[5]
  4. The process of creation: "To write about something hard to explain, write a detailed letter to a friend about why it is so hard to explain, and then remove the initial 'Dear Friend' part and you'll have a great first draft."[4]
  5. On generating good ideas: "A multitude of bad ideas is required to produce one good idea."[5]
  6. On starting and finishing: "Copying others is a good way to start. Copying yourself is a disappointing way to end."[4]
  7. On finding your unique contribution: Find the things that "if unless I do and no one else would do it."[18]
  8. On what to sell in a digital world: "When copies are free, you need to sell things that cannot be copied."[6]
  9. On the value of a rest ethic: "The best work ethic requires a good rest ethic."[2]
  10. On the power of praise: "Criticize in private, praise in public."[2]
  11. On focus: "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."[5]

On Tools and Practical Matters

  1. On having the right tools: "Take note if you find yourself wondering 'Where is my good knife?' Or 'Where is my good pen?' That means you have bad ones. Get rid of those."[4]
  2. The purpose of Cool Tools: His "Cool Tools" project is a curated selection of the best tools available, with the idea that the right tool can unlock new possibilities.[19]
  3. On travel: "To have a great trip, head toward an interest rather than to a place. Travel to passions rather than destinations."[4]
  4. On meetings: "You can be whatever you want to be, so be the person who ends meetings early."[4]
  5. On saying no: "'No' is an acceptable answer even without a reason."[4]
  6. On apologies: "How to apologize: quickly, specifically, sincerely."[2]
  7. On listening as a superpower: "Listening well is a superpower. While listening to someone you love keep asking them 'Is there more?' until there is no more."[2]
  8. On being a lifelong learner: "The chief prevention against getting old is to remain astonished."[2]

Sources  

  1. barnesandnoble.com
  2. themarginalian.org
  3. sloww.co
  4. medium.com
  5. hackernoon.com
  6. goodreads.com
  7. wikipedia.org
  8. kk.org
  9. dma.mil
  10. kk.org
  11. mission.org
  12. existentialhope.com
  13. whatyouwilllearn.com
  14. kk.org
  15. noahpinion.blog
  16. thecreativelife.net
  17. businessesgrow.com
  18. gamethinking.io
  19. kk.org