"Master the basics before advancing further Naval Ravikant argues that society's obsession with advanced topics causes people to skip the fundamentals that actually drive real-world success. He states: "if you know arithmetic, statistics, probability at a high level and you understand some basic math, you have all the math that you need to succeed in life." He points out that students taking pre-calc and calculus often cannot perform basic arithmetic well, and that the fundamentals are "the steel frame, the foundation for understanding that you need to get through life." Redirecting even a few days toward truly mastering the basics of a relevant field — rather than chasing advanced credentials — can separate someone from the majority of their peers. Source: Naval Ravikant, The Tim Ferriss Show, Naval Ravikant on Happiness, Reducing Anxiety, Crypto, and More"