44 Harsh Truths About Human Nature - Naval Ravikant (Video)
In this 31 March 2025 Modern Wisdom video, host Chris Williamson talks with Naval Ravikant, an entrepreneur, investor and co-founder of AngelList.
What does it mean to win at the game of life? Is it tons of wealth, pure happiness, infinite time, or a loving family? Today we explore the timeless question of what it means to truly live well.
Expect to learn the true price of success, whether sacrificing your happiness is worth it, what advice Naval would give to his younger self, what the true source of unhappiness is for most people, how to overcome low self-esteem, what Naval would add to his ‘How To Get Rich’ thread, how to become comfortable being unapologetically selfish, what Naval sees as the next big trends in science and technology, his take on the escalating culture wars, how to get comfortable with death and overcoming grief, the best and worst ways to spend your wealth and more.
https://youtu.be/KyfUysrNaco
00:00 Is Success Worth It?
07:43 Ways To Shortcut Our Desires
10:47 Is Changing Our Opinions Deemed As Being Hypocritical?
14:35 How To Become Less Distracted By Status Games
21:02 Ways To Raise Our Self Esteem
29:46 Why Pride Is The Most Expensive Trait
32:19 Identifying Our Happiness
44:22 Is The Key To Success Being Our Authentic Selves?
49:08 Objectively Viewing Our Own Mind
1:00:40 How Can We Avoid Having Cynicism And Pessimism Within Ourselves?
1:07:20 What Is Happiness?
1:21:24 Learning How To Deal With Anxiety
1:28:07 Optimising Our Quality Of Life
1:32:36 Why We Can’t Change Other People
1:45:22 Why We Shouldn’t Take Ourselves Too Seriously
1:52:38 How Being Observant Of Yourself Allows Change
2:09:31 The Best And Worst Places To Spend Wealth
2:18:03 Philosophical Beliefs
2:23:55 Recent Insights Into Naval’s Opinions
2:30:50 Are People Choosing To Have Less Kids?
2:37:40 Trusting Our Instincts Throughout Parenthood
2:50:26 What Does The Future Of The Culture Wars Look Like?
2:59:01 What Is Currently Ignored By The Media But Will Be Studied By Historians?
3:11:49 Is There An Advantage To Starting Out As A Loser?
3:15:20 Naval’s Foreseeable Plans
vain is the help of man. all you need is Jesus, not some guru telling you how to succeed. ‘seek ye first the kingdom of God and all else will be given to you.’