---
title: Hardest lessons for startups
date: "2006-05-01T12:00:00Z"
categories:
  - links
wp_id: 334
description: Explore Paul Graham's insights on why startups are primarily a way to compress a lifetime's worth of earning into a short, intense period. He emphasizes working faster and more efficiently rather than just aiming to get rich.
keywords: [paul graham, startups, economic productivity, work efficiency, entrepreneurship, wealth creation]
---

Paul Graham on [The hardest lessons for startups to learn](http://www.paulgraham.com/startuplessons.html).

> So why do I spend so much time thinking about startups? I'll tell you why. Economically, a startup is best seen not as a way to get rich, but as a way to work faster. You have to make a living, and a startup is a way to get that done quickly, instead of letting it drag on through your whole life.