Leadership quotes

Per aspera ad astra

~ Elon Musk

[Lit. "Through hardships to the stars"]
I chose this phrase, and I decided to attribute it to Elon Musk, although the original idea comes from Greek mythology and was transcribed in Latin, under various forms by great authors such as Seneca and Virgil - respectively Aeneid IX, 641 and Hercules furens - because I think it best represents the idea of what business management is.
In particular, concerning the topics covered in this course, I think it goes well with the theory of problem-solving, as it contains in just four words the idea that to achieve the objectives set, you must also go through adversity and that you must be ready to face them to reach the stars. I also decided to attribute it to Elon Musk because, in addition to quoting it often, with Space-X, he managed, albeit not voluntarily, to create a concrete representation of the meaning of the phrase. Just see how from the foundation to the contracts with NASA, Space-X has also gone through periods of crisis, which have brought the company to bankruptcy.


I think you should always bear in mind that entropy is not on your side.

~ Elon Musk

I chose this phrase by Elon Musk because I find it useful. I find it a sentence that helps me refocus on the concreteness of life, and bring my mind back to a state of alert when it travels on the wave of optimism and hope. He also uses physics as a metaphor, a subject I love to madness.

I think this sentence should be reported during this course as it is a very related topic to problem-solving and planning. I believe so because it talks about how to be ready in advance for any problems (planning) and how these should be solved, even when they are not seen (problem-solving).
In statistical mechanics, entropy is defined as a magnitude that is interpreted as a measure of the disorder in a physical system. Even if you do not see it exists and governs our lives (The ice that dissolves inside a glass of water occurs with the increase in entropy); the problems may not be seen, or you can see only the "symptoms" of such, but despite this does not mean that there is not and that it has no influence on our path.


Ignoranti quem portum petat nullus suus ventus est

~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[Lit. "If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.]
This last sentence I have chosen is attributed to Lucius Annaeus Seneca, philosopher, tutor and quaestor and senator who lived in the first century AD. I chose it because it fully reflects the idea of planning.

This sentence is meaningful to me. When I struggle to understand why I have some difficulties in a particular type of path, or I feel overwhelmed by the feeling of renunciation because "unsuitable" for the task; it brings me back the attention to what is important and gives me the strength to understand that perhaps I am aiming at a goal too big at that moment.
Refocusing on the objective helps to find a better route, like the sailor who knows his destination and is helped by the wind.

Concerning the course, I think it is an important phrase, as it reflects how the choice of a goal affects the path to achieve the same. It can also be seen as a metaphor for problem-solving: it is not drifting the problem to be solved, but the destination chosen by wandering, which takes the ship out of control, and it is up to the sailor to understand when this is the problem and to be able to solve it.