
The Race We Think We’re In
Two men entered the same race. One chased applause, the other ran from it. Their stories say more about us than we think.
Our newsletter, where we bring hidden patterns into plain sight. Every week, we explore stories and ideas that help us understand why we are the way we are.
The topics span across business, psychology, history, technology, and current affairs, but broadly, we just write what we'd love to read.

13 articles

Two men entered the same race. One chased applause, the other ran from it. Their stories say more about us than we think.

From IQ tests to entrance exams, we’ve always mistaken marks for merit. True intelligence lives outside the answer sheet, but we have struggled to formally identify it.

The black box is the single biggest reason for air travel’s stellar safety record, yet, as a concept, it remains confined to just one industry. Why is that?

As economies grow, their needs shift from builders who create to lawyers and consultants who preserve and protect. India and China are still in the building phase, while America shows what happens when preservation takes over.

For long-term success, many pursue deep excellence and perfection. The secret, instead, might be in picking a few things and just not being bad at them.