Portrait of Peter Thiel

Peter Thiel

PayPal co-founder, investor

Contemporary influential 105 sayings

Sayings by Peter Thiel

The future is not something that just happens. It's something that you create.

2019 — Speech at the National Conservatism Conference
Food & Drink Unverifiable

I'm a big believer in secrets. I think they're very important for progress.

2014 — Book: Zero to One
General Unverifiable

I think it's important to be contrarian. If everyone agrees on something, it's probably wrong.

2017 — Interview with The Wall Street Journal
General Unverifiable

The greatest danger for a startup is not failure, but success.

2012 — Stanford University lecture, 'CS183: Startup'
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I think the most important thing is to be relentlessly optimistic.

2018 — Interview with Fortune
General Unverifiable

If you're not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late.

2010s — Often attributed to Reid Hoffman, but Thiel has used similar sentiments
General Unverifiable

I think that globalization has been a disaster for many people.

2019 — Interview with The Economist
General Unverifiable

The biggest secret is that there are still many secrets left to be discovered.

2014 — Book: Zero to One
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I think that Bitcoin is a very interesting technology. I'm not sure if it's going to be the future of money, but it's definitely something to watch.

2017 — Interview with CNBC
Work & Money Unverifiable

I'm not a big fan of democracy. I think it's often inefficient and leads to bad decisions.

2009 — Essay: 'The Education of a Libertarian'
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I think that the government is often the biggest impediment to innovation.

2012 — Interview with Reason Magazine
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If you're not making mistakes, you're not trying hard enough.

2012 — Stanford University lecture, 'CS183: Startup'
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I think that college is often a waste of time and money.

2011 — Interview with Bloomberg
Work & Money Unverifiable

I'm a big believer in radical transparency, but I also think it's important to have secrets.

2014 — Book: Zero to One
General Unverifiable

I think that the future is going to be more about artificial intelligence than about social media.

2018 — Interview with Axios
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The greatest innovations come from people who are thinking differently.

2012 — Stanford University lecture, 'CS183: Startup'
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I think that the biggest risk is not taking any risks.

2015 — Interview with Entrepreneur Magazine
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I'm a big believer in longevity. I think it's important to live a long and healthy life.

2013 — Interview with The New York Times
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The future is singular, not plural.

2014 — Book: Zero to One
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I think that people are often too focused on the short term and not enough on the long term.

2011 — Interview with Forbes
General Unverifiable
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