566. On Fame

You may become immortal in the eyes of a few scholars but still be laughed at by an infinite number of others because there is an infinity of fools but the wise are few. It is sometimes wiser to keep silent even for decades especially if what you have to say flies in the face of old established thoughts and beliefs.

565. Envy and Malice

Keep alert for signs of envy and malice in those around you for when you become successful, happy, rich and well known and liked, those of an evil disposition will try to do you down.

564. Philosophy and the Scientific Method

"It appears to me that those who, in proof of any assertion, rely simply on the weight of authority without adducing any argument in support of it act very absurdly. I, on the contrary, wish to be allowed freely to question and freely to answer you without any sort of adulation, as well becomes those who are in search of the Truth." - Vincenzio Gallilei, father of Gallileo Gallilei. The lesson here is to verify everything by experiment rather than simply accepting the conclusions of the so-called experts. In life, philosophical, material, scientific and financial you should follow the rule never to accept or reject blindly any proposition given but to attemtpt to put it into practice for yourself and see what the actual effects are.

563. Retirement

Retirement is not a function of your age. It is a function of your income. When you have built up enough passive income to fund your lifestyle and continue to grow your investments then you can afford to retire - if you want to.

For so long as you can still hack it and you continue to enjoy your work, you should keep at it.