Frank Wilczek's algorithm to getting best in a field (3 main advices)

2025-02-21   lifealgorithm sketch

Frank Wilczek's on Lex Fridman, 2:10:18

1. Learn from the greats
   

   • “Read history of ideas and masters of ideas, which I benefited enormously from. Reading physics from Einstein in the original form, and Feynman’s lectures, and Darwin, Galileo. You can learn what it is to wrestle with difficult ideas and how great minds did that. You can learn a lot from style, how great minds write out their ideas and express in clear ways. Bertrand Russell was also a big hero to me. Read great minds, make contact with them. When you narrow down on a subject learn about the history of the subject because that really puts in context what you’re trying to do and also gives a sense of community and grandeur to the whole enterprise ”
     

2. Master the basics
   

   • “Get the basics under control as soon as possible. They should be like your native language, in your bones.” –Frank Wilczek
     

3. Cast a wide net
   

   • “Cast a wide net. Look around and see what you are interested in.”