Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Elon Musk quote

From his Reddit AMA:
One bit of advice: it is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree -- make sure you understand the fundamental principles, i.e. the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to.
..................

Related previous quote:
“As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Related link: Richard Feynman: The Difference Between Knowing the Name of Something and Knowing Something