John Le Carré: “I was always very careful to give my country second-best”
John Le Carré, talking in the Paris Review about working on his first book while commuting to work: In those days English newspapers were much too big to
“Control of the mind… can be accomplished with deliberation and repose, never with hurry and worry”
From William Osler’s A Way of Life: An Address to Yale Students, Sunday evening, April 20th, 1913: Control of the mind as a working machine, the adaptation in it
“Work less, rest more:” my interview in UAE’s Gulf News
Actually it's a reprint of the article that Brigid Schulte wrote for the Washington Post a few weeks ago, but still, it's nice to see it going on the
“Four or five hours daily it is not much to ask”
I'm constantly amazed at how, in the past, the idea that four or five hours or really focused work was a solid day for the thinker or artist was
“when chemistry distresses your soul, seek peace in the great pacifier, Shakespeare:” reading advice from William Osler
Two quotes from the great medical educator William Osler about the need for hobbies, and the value of a practice he developed as a student: reading before bed.
My Washington Post interview: “How Charles Darwin used rest to be more productive”
I'm in today's Washington Post, thanks to Brigid Schulte, a Post contributor and author of Overwhelmed. In the United States, we work among the longest hours of any
Scott Adams on his morning routine: “I wait for the ideas… like a hunter in a duck blind”
Like many writers, Scott Adams has a pretty strict routine that he follows when getting down to work. He describes it in a Business Insider article, and no
“Two very simple rules, a: you don’t have to write. b: you can’t do anything else.”
Raymond Chandler in a 1949 letter to Alex Barris on the discipline of writing: What do I do with myself from day to day? I write when I
“You shouldn’t waste your time by playing chess. If you do have that kind of effort, then you’d better do physics.”
Chess is often regarded by smart people as a great way to unwind, while still mentally challenging themselves. Yet this is not a view universally held. The great
WNYC’s Bored and Brilliant challenge
WNYC’s Bored and Brilliant challenge starts today. What’s on the agenda? As you move from place to place, keep your phone in your pocket, out of your direct line of sight.