5th February 2025
In a beautiful piece reflecting on Charlie Munger’s life, Wall Street Journal, columnist, Jason Zweig shared an interaction he had with Munger in his last month:
I asked what he might want for an epitaph of no more than 10 words.
His reply was immediate and full of epistemic humility: “I tried to be useful.”
Not “I was useful.”
That would be for other people to judge. But “I tried.” That much he knew.
It struck me as perhaps his most important wisdom of all.
To be useful—as a parent, spouse, child, sibling, colleague, friend, or leader—is our highest calling.
We will fall short in various ways along the journey, but we can all strive for this goal.
Here’s hoping that at the end of our days, we may all be able to proudly proclaim: “I tried.”
Let’s all try to be useful & stay blesses forever.