Everything You Need to Know About Naval Ravikant
A Comprehensive Collection of Wisdom, Philosophy & Life Principles
Table of Contents
Who Is Naval Ravikant?
Naval Ravikant is an entrepreneur, angel investor, and philosopher known for his profound insights on wealth creation, happiness, and personal development. He is the co-founder of AngelList and has invested in over 200 companies including Uber, Twitter, Yammer, and Wish.
Background & Achievements
• Born in New Delhi, India, in 1974
• Immigrated to New York at age 9
• Graduated from Dartmouth College (Computer Science & Economics)
• Co-founded Epinions (acquired for $900M)
• Co-founded AngelList in 2010
• One of Silicon Valley’s most successful angel investors
Core Philosophy & Principles
On Wealth & Money
• Seek wealth, not money or status. Wealth is assets that earn while you sleep.
• You’re not going to get rich renting out your time.
• Arm yourself with specific knowledge, accountability, and leverage.
• Code and media are permissionless leverage. They’re the leverage behind the newly rich.
• Play long-term games with long-term people.
• Pick business partners with high intelligence, energy, and integrity.
• Specific knowledge is knowledge you cannot be trained for.
On Happiness
• Happiness is a choice. Peace is a skill.
• Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.
• A calm mind, a fit body, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought – they must be earned.
• The fundamental delusion: There is something out there that will make me happy and fulfilled forever.
• Happiness is being satisfied with what you have. Success comes from dissatisfaction.
On Reading & Learning
• Read what you love until you love to read.
• The most important skill for getting rich is becoming a perpetual learner.
• Microeconomics and game theory are fundamental. Success requires understanding them.
On Decision Making
• All benefits in life come from compound interest: relationships, money, habits.
• The direction you’re heading matters more than how fast you move.
• Clear thinkers take feedback from reality, not society.
• If you can’t decide, the answer is no.
On Health & Fitness
• The quality of your mind is the quality of your life.
• Diet, exercise, and stress reduction are the three pillars of health.
• Meditation is intermittent fasting for the mind.
The Naval Almanack: Key Concepts
How to Get Rich (Without Getting Lucky)
Naval’s famous tweetstorm from 2018 outlined his philosophy on wealth creation:
• Understand that ethical wealth creation is possible
• Find and build specific knowledge
• Learn to sell and learn to build
• Give society what it wants but doesn’t know how to get at scale
• Build or buy equity in a business
• Use leverage: code, media, capital, and labor
• Get paid for your judgment, not your time
Naval’s Recommended Reading List
Foundational Books
• The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson
• Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
• The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch
• Skin in the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Charles T. Munger
Philosophy & Wisdom
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
• The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
• Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
• The Book of Life by Jiddu Krishnamurti
Complete Naval Resources & Links
Official Websites & Platforms
• Twitter/X: @naval
• AngelList: angel.co
• Naval’s Website: nav.al
• The Almanack: navalmanack.com
Podcasts & Audio Content
• Naval Podcast – Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms
• Joe Rogan Experience #1309 and #1492 with Naval
• Tim Ferriss Show – Multiple episodes featuring Naval
• The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish
Key Mental Models from Naval
• Compound Interest: Works in relationships, learning, health, and wealth
• Leverage: Use code, media, capital, and people to multiply efforts
• Specific Knowledge: Build rare and valuable skills that cannot be easily replicated
• Accountability: Take business risks under your own name
• First Principles Thinking: Break down problems to fundamental truths
• Skin in the Game: Only trust those who have something to lose
• Pareto Principle: 80% of results from 20% of efforts
Taking Action: Your Next Steps
Naval’s wisdom offers a blueprint for building wealth, finding happiness, and living with freedom. The key is understanding the principles and applying them in your own unique way.
Start Today
• Read The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
• Start a daily meditation practice
• Identify your specific knowledge
• Build something with code or media
• Commit to lifelong learning
Seek wealth, not money or status. Build assets that earn while you sleep.
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