
Ask HN: Which is your favourite PG essay? - deepaksurti
If possible, please explain why.
======
muzani
Hackers and Painters.
[http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html](http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html)

I believe he even wrote a book on the idea. I guess it runs close to my own
philosophy of development. I never liked the mass-development scrum style,
which seems more similar to a printer, when it's really just sketching, and
then fleshing out details.

From a startup standpoint, Startup = Growth
[http://www.paulgraham.com/growth.html](http://www.paulgraham.com/growth.html)

It gave something solid to actually follow and explains how startups work, in
so few words.

------
mindcrime
"How Not To Die" \--
[http://www.paulgraham.com/die.html](http://www.paulgraham.com/die.html)

Why? Because it reminds one that one of the most important things to do is
just "keep going". Of course there's nuance to that... "keeping going" if
you're going in the wrong direction isn't a virtue. But in the context of what
he's talking about, and allowing for changes in direction, it remains the case
that:

 _If you can just avoid dying, you get rich._

Also, bonus honorable mention:

"Schlep Blindness" \--
[http://www.paulgraham.com/schlep.html](http://www.paulgraham.com/schlep.html)

~~~
quickthrower2
I’m working on a side project that is quite schleppy. Hopefully that’s a good
sign. Writing basic JS articles, guest posting, hunting through seo tools for
backlinks, keyword analysis etc. There is less real competition than I thought
because who wants to and can do this? Not many people because there are much
more interesting things to blog about.

------
HelloFellowDevs
"Lies We Tell Kids"[0]

It really helped me put the whole two America's thing into perspective where
some parents may have an opportunity to lie to protect kids and others don't
have the time to entertain lies. At first it made me want to be a pragmatic
parent when I have kids, but over time of rereading it I've realized that
given the opportunity I'd probably perpetuate the same system in an effort to
not have my child be the odd man/woman out.

[0][http://paulgraham.com/lies.html](http://paulgraham.com/lies.html)

------
mchannon
"The Other Half of 'Artists Ship'"[0]

The best PG essays come from around this period. The notion that "every check
has a cost" has made this essay one of the few I find myself quoting to
others.

Since I wouldn't be the first to offer an honorable mention, I'd be remissed
if I left out:

"Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule"[1].

[0][http://paulgraham.com/artistsship.html](http://paulgraham.com/artistsship.html)

[1][http://paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html](http://paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html)

------
HNLurker2
Writing, briefly :
[http://www.paulgraham.com/writing44.html](http://www.paulgraham.com/writing44.html)

This right there influenced bloggers, essayist and many writers as we know.
The method of the essay as not as a school subject but as a way of generating
and writting the deepest ideas (even recalling something you read 2 years
ago).

------
tmaly
What You'll Wish You'd Known

[http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html](http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html)

------
cvaidya1986
[http://paulgraham.com/ds.html](http://paulgraham.com/ds.html)

