BooksExcellent Advice for Living
Kevin Kelly
5/5
My take
“Wisdom distilled into bite-sized pieces - from the co-founder of Wired magazine.”
NiklasUpdated 29 Mar 2026
Love it
- Every page has a standalone insight worth remembering
- Perfect nightstand book you can open to any page
- Distills decades of wisdom into concise maxims
Fair warning
- No deep dives — each point is very brief
- Some advice feels generic without the context
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The longer story
Excellent Advice for Living
Kevin Kelly - co-founder of Wired, technologist, and lifelong optimist - distills decades of hard-won wisdom into short, memorable maxims.
Why I Recommend It
This is the kind of book you keep on your nightstand and open to a random page. Every line is a standalone gem. No filler, no fluff - just compressed life wisdom from someone who has lived fully.
The key insight: the best advice is simple to understand but hard to follow - this book reminds you of what you already know but keep forgetting.
Key Takeaways
- Being enthusiastic is worth 25 IQ points
- Always demand a deadline - it's the best productivity tool
- The consistency of your character is more important than occasional acts of heroism
- Optimize for interesting over safe
- You don't need more time, you need more focus
Who It's For
Everyone. Seriously. It's the kind of book you buy twice - once for yourself and once to give away.
