In Shane Parrish’s first group project during his MBA he watched as his professor got into some verbal fisticuffs with his partner on a project. They were debating the logic behind his group’s presentation. They disagreed about it! And, eventually, his partner got up and shouted, “I am wasting my time here!” before storming out of the room, out of the class, and out of the program in one fell Costanza-like swoop.
Shane fortunately caught up with the unnamed hero in this little caper while he was waiting for a taxi and said, “What happened back there? I thought we did the project right. Why did we get such a different answer than the professor?” His partner’s two-word answer ended up changing Shane’s life.
He said simply: “Charlie Munger”.
Shane Parrish’s Office Library
Who is Shane Parrish?
He’s a former spy who, to quote the NY Times, ‘helps Wall Street mavens think smarter.’ He’s become an unlikely guru to the world’s intellectual elite with strategies appealing to an overachieving audience across high finance, Silicon Valley and professional sports. He runs Farnam Street, colloquially known as FS.blog, which aims to ‘help you master the best of what other people have already figured out.’. FS.blog helps readers optimize decision-making through a giant worldwide community of thousands of people, a virtual think tank of professionals who can help “shorten the path to wisdom’ and self-education. FS is also: an award-winning newsletter (Brain Food), a podcast called The Knowledge Project (which I guested on not so long ago) and a series of incredible books called The Great Mental Models that Shane Parrish and his team personally publish.
So how do you meet a spy? You fly to him. And so I did. Up to Ottawa, Canada and into the new Farnam Street Offices on Bank Street — all pre-pandemic. To say I’m intrigued by Shane is an understatement. He is a voracious reader with insights and worldly wisdom on big questions like:
What does it mean to think better?
How should we think about our thinking?
What is intelligence and how should we measure it?
How do we build trust in relationships?
What does it mean to be a gentleman these days?
How do you raise boys into great men?
And, of course, what are Shane Parrish’s 3 most formative books?
Are you ready?
Let’s go.
What You'll Learn:
What does it mean to live a more meaningful life?
How should we create trust in the world today?
How do we create art with integrity?
How do we think about sponsorship?
How do you make adult friendships?
How do you live life without lawyers?
How do we develop trust without contracts?
Notable quotes from Shane Parrish:
“I think of intelligence as adaptability and ability to improve.” - @ShaneAParrish #3bookspodcast
“Whose bread I eat, his song I sing.”- @ShaneAParrish #3bookspodcast
CONNECT WITH Shane Parrish:
Word of the chapter:
Resources Mentioned:
Shane’s first book [21:10]
Shane’s second book [45:00]
Shane’s third book [1:08:07]
What To Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff & Sharon Mazel
The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen R. Covey
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling
The Nature of the Fun by David Foster Wallace
