While writing earlier this morning, I clicked on my search engine, and the article below by Darius Foroux popped up as recommended reading. It had been collected by Pocket, this great website that “houses” all sorts of fascinating articles by authors one might not know to search for. Unfortunately (sidebar), Pocket is shutting down later this summer (for reasons not fully revealed), and I will miss it. Anyway, back to 10 Practical Answers to 10 Powerful Questions.
Darius Foroux, author and entrepreneur, takes the time and thought to answer 10 questions submitted by a reader named Mary. They are great questions. I’m going to list the questions and his answers in brief. Go to his website to read the whole of his answers.
1. What’s the one quality that everyone must have?
Persistence, perseverance, determination, grit—call it whatever you want.
When you give up without a good reason, you’ll never know how your life could end up.
2. What’s the one book you suggest everyone to read?
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
It’s a book about thinking…[it] goes so deep that you can’t help but get touched by Dostoyevsky’s writing.
3. What’s one powerful piece of advice for living a fulfilling life?
Get clear on what you want.
Decide what you want. And be firm with your execution. Don’t deviate from the path.
4. What’s one piece of important financial advice?
Don’t try to make money.
When you try hard to make money, you’ll become unethical and focus on the wrong things. When you focus on providing genuine value, you will be rewarded for your help.
5. What’s one skill that everyone must have?
Writing.
Writing is thinking…when you become a better writer, you’ll also become a better thinker.
6. What’s one thing that you regret starting late or wished you started earlier?
Investing.
I’m talking about adopting the mindset of an investor. I never thought of everything you do in life as investing. Working out, reading, taking classes, spending time with people who matter to you—it’s all investing because these activities have a return.
7. What’s one thing you learned the hard way?
Doing something is different than reading about it.
8. What’s one thing that should never be forgotten?
You’re never alone.
Life gets hard sometimes. And for some of us, our natural instinct is to solve everything by ourselves.
Seek out people who share the same values as you. Become friends. They will help you when the time is right. And vice versa.
9. What’s one thing we must not think twice on spending?
This is obvious, but my answer is “books”.
A few years ago, I acted like a cheapskate when it came to books.
Do yourself a favor, if you see a book that might help you—buy it.
10. What’s your definition of life in 50 words?
No one knows what they are doing.
That’s life in 7 words. And it’s something I truly believe in. It’s what keeps me sane.
That’s it. I want to think about these questions more, maybe to come back and answer them myself. Today, I just wanted to introduce you to Darius Foroux, if you didn’t know him. He writes about many things – including stoicism, productivity, health, and generating wealth. He is Dutch, born to Iranian immigrant parents. Faith is a huge part of my life, and I can’t discern from his writing what part it plays in his. However, intelligence, even wisdom, is clearly evident in his writing. I spent part of the day on the rabbit trail of learning from him. Time well-spent.
P.S. Any thoughts on these questions or his answers? How would you answer? Please share in Comments below.
Top 10 Best Do It Today Darius Foroux of 2025
YouTube Video – Why Writing Improves Self-Discipline – Darius Foroux
