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No. 313 | December 26, 2025
Welcome to this week’s Friday Five—a short dose of insights, inspiration, and favorites to start the weekend with clarity and focus.
Music of the Week
Paul Simon is an American singer and songwriter, best known both as a solo artist and as one-half of Simon and Garfunkel.
As a solo artist, Simon explored genres ranging from gospel to reggae and soul. That originality earned him frequent appearances on Saturday Night Live from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s.
He’s been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice and has won 16 Grammys.
For more on Paul Simon and his landmark album Graceland, start with You Can Call Me Al and 50 Ways to Lose Your Lover.
Quotes of the Week
Turn words into works. It’s an idea I’ve been reflecting on recently—actions matter more than intentions. These quotes capture that idea from different angles:
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” – Marcus Aurelius
“Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” – St. Francis of Assisi
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” – Henry Ford
“Real artists ship.” – Steve Jobs
Article of the Week
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius
Find work that feels like play. That’s one of the many enduring lessons Phil Knight shares in Shoe Dog.
Knight turned that sense of play into an obsession. He wasn’t just building a shoe company; he was helping athletes perform better.
The downside of obsession is what it crowds out. For Knight, that meant his family. He wasn’t there as much as he wanted to be.
Builders know this feeling well—committing so fully to the work that everything else fades. Taken too far, it leads to burnout. Knight realized this only years later, while writing Shoe Dog.
My biggest takeaway from Knight’s lessons on work, fatherhood, and burnout is simple: find work that feels like play. Full stop. Figure that out early—it’s where meaning lives.
For more on Knight, work that feels like play, and lessons on fatherhood, read my article below:
Book of the Week
Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy by Isadore Sharp explores the principles behind his success in this candid memoir.
Sharp began as a general contractor in Toronto, the son of a builder from Poland. He eventually turned that small operation into one of the world’s leading luxury hotel brands.
His story is one of trial and error. Sharp’s singular goal was to build the world’s best hotel, and quality guided every decision he ever made.
For more on Sharp, Four Seasons, and the power of uncompromising quality, read:
📚 Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy
Podcast of the Week
Michael Lewis writes incredible books, and he’s an equally compelling storyteller.
On Plain English, Lewis shares his views on financial bubbles, the legacy of The Big Short, and the global financial crisis.
Lewis and Derek Thompson also explore Moneyball’s impact on professional sports, the difference between good investors and great journalists, and how to sharpen your writing craft.
For more on Michael Lewis, his work, and his worldview, listen to:
🎧 Michael Lewis on How the Global Financial Crisis Explains Trump, Crypto, and Everything Else
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