Success is knowing your own nature and finding the best path through it, so that you can look back and say 'that was the life I wanted to have.'
Dalio defines success not by money or status, but by self-knowledge: understanding your innate nature and choosing a path that fits it, allowing you to look back with satisfaction. ✦ AI generated
Ray Dalio · My First Million · 2026-07-17 · original ↗
starts at this moment · 26:05
“What is your definition of success?”
Success is you knowing your nature and then finding the best path through that nature. So that you look back on that and you say, 'Ah, that was the life I wanted him to have.'
verbatim transcript · starts at 26:05
26:05you? Okay. Does that get you better friends? Okay. Does it get you a better marriage, a better relationship with your kids? >> What is your definition of success? >> Success is you knowing your nature and then finding the best path through that nature. So that you look back on that and you say, "Ah, that was the life I wanted him to have." >> Do you think that you could answer that
26:27for yourself? >> Uh, I tried to do it. I'll read what I wrote. So when I was 27 years old, I wrote I tried to write this out cuz I was like I think I had actually read your principles PDF around the same time and it made me start asking these questions cuz one of your core principles like figure out what you want and then understand the rules of nature.
26:45Study cause and effect to understand what patterns of behavior and actions might lead to the thing you want. So here's what I wrote. You can you can judge it. I said, "What I want out of life." I said, "I want to have the ability to shape my own life. I want to be my own biggest fan. I want to make adversity part of the recipe. I want to
- ·Success = knowing your own nature
- ·Then finding the best path through that nature
- ·Not defined by money or status
- ·Look back and assess your path
- ·Did you live the life you wanted?
- ·Satisfaction comes from alignment with self