Paul Graham on how to do what you love.
Paul, for those unfamiliar, is an unusually thoughtful geek who, among other things, seems to have a strong philosophical understanding of work issues and childhood. “If you think something’s supposed to hurt, you’re less likely to notice if you’re doing it wrong. That about sums up my experience of graduate school.”
He also writes too long. Then again, that might be my newspaper background talking. His book, Hackers & Painters, has been on my wish list for a while, but the thought of Graham stretched to book length keeps me from clicking Add to Shopping Cart.
Also recommended, for capable people who fear they’re not meeting their potential: Good and Bad Procrastination (“What’s the best thing you could be working on, and why aren’t you?”), the related Richard Hamming talk You and Your Research, and Graham’s What You’ll Wish You’d Known.