One of the more remarkable qualities of young people recruited by elite institutions is their capacity for emotional regulation. If you watch any interview with an Ivy League student or an intern at a Wall Street firm, you will very likely find yourself struck by the exceptional level of composure on display.

One cannot hope without knowing anxiety. One cannot live without understanding fear. Hope for a world without fear is a hope destined to cripple the best of humanity.

There are certain things you’re not allowed to say in polite society. One of them is that you don’t believe in experts. I happen to embrace a more radical version of this: I believe that expertise is no longer worth striving for.

In the age of science, it has become fashionable to believe in things that are neither false nor proven. With all that we know about the world, it seems that we feel obligated to preserve a sense of mystery, for otherwise our innocence would be forever lost.

In college, you learn that it may be useful to have ideas, but it’s even better to talk about them endlessly until you can make a career out of it.

I was introduced to the concept of stoicism through Dr. Hannibal Lecter. I’ve always appreciated the ideas his stories explored. Not only did I enjoy Silence of the Lambs and the Hannibal TV show, I found it endlessly compelling that a psychopath would reference stoic philosophy in understanding people.

There seem to be two competing theories on happiness. The first one says that if you take the initiative to follow your passion or talents, you will achieve great success, which will bring you happiness. The other one says that the more intensely you pursue a goal, the less likely you are to achieve it, and that you must learn to let go to achieve true happiness.

This book began with a question I could feel long before I had the words. In 2005, three years before the global financial crisis, I was a senior in high school. Even though many of us were successful in getting into college, there was an undeniable feeling that the world was moving farther away. Away from our ideals. Away from reality.