“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” - Proverbs 4:7 (NIV)

Webster defines wisdom as, “knowledge, and the capacity to make due use of it.”

Where do you go to get wisdom and sound judgment? Who are the wisest people you know?

Today, I see so many people who have knowledge but do not apply it well, thus, they lack wisdom. We should care more about the application of knowledge versus knowledge itself. I try to be wise but realize I fall far short of that goal at times.

It is a journey for everyone and luckily enough for me, on my journey I have run into some great resources to help me develop sound judgment so I wanted to share them.

People

Reading anything by these people or watching their interviews is always worth your time. Even when you disagree with them, you’ll find yourself appreciating how they structure their thoughts and retell their lived experience.

• Jay-Z
• Charlie Munger
• Chamath Palihapitiya
• Naval
• Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley
• Aesop
• James Baldwin

Videos

These are videos I revisit when I want to think of how to approach life, career, spirituality, or craft.

• How the Economic Machine Works by Ray Dalio
• Jay-Z: Rap Radar Interview (Part 1, Part 2)
• Chamath Palihapitiya, Money as an Instrument of Change
• The Use and Misuse of the Bible by Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley

Podcasts

I love a good podcast. These are great passive ways to absorb information and I usually listen to these when I workout or commute. These podcasts are great and jumping into any one of the episodes will be worth your time. If you want to start with a specific one, try the Naval podcast first (it has short episodes, usually less than 5 minutes).

• Naval
• Freakonomics Radio
• Planet Money
• How I Built This
• The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

Music

Music can set the mood. It can help you cope. It can help you remember some of the best moments of your life. It can also help you learn. So many life lessons are codified in songs. Here are a couple of albums and songs that can shift the way you think.

• Marvin Gaye - What’s Going On
• J. Cole - Love Yourz
• Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
• Jay-Z - Grammy Family Freestyle

Books

My shopping habit is buying books (I literally just had 4 more delivered today). These are some of the great ones that teach you how to apply knowledge.

• Tools of Titan by Tim Ferriss
• The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion by Elle Luna
• The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
• A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra) by Barbara Oakley PhD
• Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger by Peter D. Kaufman
• The Complete Fables by Aesop

Newsletters

These newsletters are the ones that I find to be consistently good at providing meaningful frameworks on how to approach decision making and build better habits. You’ll definitely want to add these to your collection if you have not already.

• Benjamin Hardy
• James Clear
• Zen and the Art of Social Innovation

Observations

A couple of things I have noticed about my own list:

1. It’s more male-dominated than I’d like. I’m going to seek new sources to balance this out for the rest of 2020.
2. Strong economic thinking will probably index higher on my list than others when it comes to seeking wisdom. My belief is that economic thinking is a strong embodiment of the application of knowledge. It combines many other disciplines and history into decision making.
3. It would be interesting to see a longer list of music that others have found to be wise. I would love to hear what albums or songs have helped you apply knowledge better.

Seeking wisdom is a journey that we are all on together. What are some other sources of wisdom that I should seek out?