# A Concise List of Personal Values

This is a concise list of my personal values. I iterate on them, from time to time. Some I've [outgrown without recanting](/essays/2026-03-18-values_i_outgrew_and_the_ones_that_stayed). The strikethroughs stay because they were true once, and that matters.

## The Values

- Drink more water. Pray continuously.
- Reality exists, regardless of your emotional support of it.<label for="sn-reality" class="margin-toggle sidenote-number"></label><input type="checkbox" id="sn-reality" class="margin-toggle"/><span class="sidenote">God, for example, if He exists, exists regardless of your belief in Him.</span>
- The house you live in matters more than the code you ship.
- There's a big difference between judgement and discernment.
- Watch yourself closely. Learn from your mistakes.
- Please be cordial, or please be on your way.
- Communicate intent, always. Never stop.
- Everything's going to be okay.
- Be gentle with yourself.
- Be gentle with others.
- Inspire. Stay inspired.
- As above, so below.

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- ~~Creativity is crafted from strife.~~
- ~~Everything is an expression of its opposite.~~
- ~~All things in the Universe are self-referential in Nature.~~
- ~~Life is not a race, but there's no speed limit either.~~
- ~~Full, 180° turns are encouraged.~~

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## Related

- **[Worldview](/worldview)** — The deeper philosophical framework behind these values.
- **[The Lego Bricks Era](/essays/2026-03-18-values_i_outgrew_and_the_ones_that_stayed)** — On outgrowing values without recanting them.

*Attention is the only currency we have in life. Thanks for gifting me yours.*