Leonardo da Vinci

Principles are our summary of their public statements.

• Optimize Material Costs

  Pricing

  He suggests alloying expensive metals with cheaper ones in a specific order to maintain quality while reducing costs.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 2  (opens in a new tab)

• Combine weaknesses to create strength

  Strategy

  A system can achieve stability by positioning two inherently weak components so that they counteract each other's failures.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 2  (opens in a new tab)

• Strength Through Proportionality

  Productivity

  A support gains strength not just by its material, but by reducing its relative height compared to its thickness.

  Supporting quotes

  • “The heaviest part of the foundations of buildings settles most, and leaves the lighter part above it separated from it.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Analyze Systems Through Fluid Dynamics

  Strategy

  He understands complex environmental changes by studying how water moves, carries weight, and reacts to obstacles.

  Supporting quotes

  • “such an opinion cannot exist in a brain of much reason; because here are the years of their growth, numbered on their shells”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Respect the power of zero

  Learning

  Nothingness or zero has unique properties where the product remains the same regardless of division or multiplication.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 2  (opens in a new tab)

• Exploit the competitor's blind spots

  Strategy

  Success comes from understanding not just one's own strengths, but the specific physical or structural weaknesses of an opponent.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 2  (opens in a new tab)

• Knowledge as a Prerequisite for Emotion

  Mindset

  One should not love or hate anything until they have acquired a thorough knowledge of its nature, as deep love springs from deep understanding.

  Source Leonardo da Vinci: A Psychosexual Study of an Infantile Reminiscence  (opens in a new tab)

• Transmute passion into curiosity

  Mindset

  A leader can achieve profound results by converting emotional impulses into intellectual interest, allowing for a more objective investigation of problems.

  Source Leonardo da Vinci: A Psychosexual Study of an Infantile Reminiscence  (opens in a new tab)

• Sublimate curiosity into intellectual interest

  Mindset

  A powerful drive for investigation can be fueled by redirecting personal energy and instincts into pure intellectual curiosity, allowing for free and focused mental activity.

  Source Leonardo da Vinci: A Psychosexual Study of an Infantile Reminiscence  (opens in a new tab)

• Document Personal Expenses for Emotional Clarity

  Productivity

  Recording even the smallest expenses with exactitude can serve as a psychological outlet for repressed emotions or a sense of duty toward others.

  Source Leonardo da Vinci: A Psychosexual Study of an Infantile Reminiscence  (opens in a new tab)

• Harness Sublimation for Productivity

  Productivity

  A leader can channel primitive impulses and emotional energy into a relentless thirst for knowledge and creative output.

  Source Leonardo da Vinci: A Psychosexual Study of an Infantile Reminiscence  (opens in a new tab)

• Pursue science for its own sake

  Learning

  One should transition from using knowledge as a tool for art to seeking knowledge for the sake of pure understanding.

  Source Leonardo da Vinci: A Psychosexual Study of an Infantile Reminiscence  (opens in a new tab)

• Observe nature's infinite logic

  Creativity

  Nature contains infinite reasons and patterns that have never been experienced, requiring deep observation beyond existing knowledge.

  Source Leonardo da Vinci: A Psychosexual Study of an Infantile Reminiscence  (opens in a new tab)

• Practice mental visualization

  Learning

  Reviewing learned information or creative ideas in the mind during quiet moments strengthens memory and mastery.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Wikiquote: Leonardo da Vinci  (opens in a new tab)

• Maintain Intellectual Activity

  Mindset

  The mind requires constant use to remain sharp, as inaction leads to the decay of one's mental faculties just like rust on iron.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Science is the captain, and practice the soldiers.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Master the mechanics of perception

  Product

  To represent reality effectively, one must understand how the tools of perception, like the eye, actually function under different conditions.

  Source The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 1  (opens in a new tab)

• Leverage the center of gravity

  Productivity

  Maximum force is applied when the center of gravity is positioned strategically away from the fulcrum or point of contact.

  Source The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 1  (opens in a new tab)

• Observe and record in real-time

  Creativity

  Capture brief indications of forms in natural settings like streets or fields, then refine them into complete works later.

  Source The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 1  (opens in a new tab)

• Combine Rationalism with Mysticism

  Creativity

  A creator should ground their work in reality and rationalism while using imagination to reach ideal beauty.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source Thoughts on Art and Life  (opens in a new tab)

• Reflect Inner Character Outwardly

  Product

  True mastery in product or art is not just external reproduction but making the outward form reflect inner purpose and thought.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source Thoughts on Art and Life  (opens in a new tab)