Self-Esteem

Naval Ravikant ties self-esteem to two sources in the book. First, unconditional love from a parent even amid hardship: he credits his mother’s “unconditional and unfailing love” during a poor, single-parent upbringing with doing “wonders” for his self-esteem. Second, self-respect as a function of one’s own conduct — he argues you cannot hide your moral shortcomings from yourself, and that “the worst outcome in this world is not having self-esteem,” since accumulating things you’re not proud of erodes your ability to respect yourself.

Where this appears

• The Almanack of Naval Ravikant