Great Minds - A Series 1/4

 

Grab a cup of coffee and prepare your mind for powerful, transformative words from some of the greatest thinkers of the last 2,000 years.

Every day, I read—a book, an article, an essay, or simply scroll through X for motivational quotes. I've developed a system for capturing the best insights I find: they progress from daily discoveries to 'Best Monthly Quotes,' and eventually to 'Best Yearly Quotes.' Below, I'm sharing my Monthly & Quarterly Best—the quotes that stopped me in my tracks and changed how I think.

On Action & Achievement

"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things."
— Leonardo da Vinci

"When you think something's impossible, consider this: people who achieve extraordinary things are willing to endure what others won't.

Take SpaceX. In 2002, most experts said private companies couldn't build orbital rockets. Musk accepted years of failure and ridicule that others wouldn't.

What you call impossible is often just pain you're unwilling to endure."
— Shane Parrish

On Focus, Mastery & Growth

"The secret to success in almost all fields is large, uninterrupted blocks of focused time."
 — Ryan Holiday

• Simplified: The most valuable skill you can build: The ability to focus for 2-3 hours a day and get your most important work done.

"The more you exercise, the more high-energy you become; the more you write, the more clear-minded you become; the more you take risks, the more ambitious you become."
— Orange Book "

"The right direction in life is full of painful rejections, you should actually be concerned if the journey doesn't hurt at all."
— Orange Book

On Happiness & Human Nature

"Humans never genuinely pursue happiness; they only pursue relief from uncertainty. Happiness emerges momentarily as a byproduct whenever uncertainty briefly disappears."
— Chris Williamson

On Character & Wisdom

You draw out of the world what you put into it.

• Want to attract exceptional people? Be exceptional.
• Want to attract reliable people? Be reliable.
• Want to attract trustworthy people? Be trustworthy.
• Want to attract welcoming people? Be welcoming.

— James Clear

"In a society where fewer and fewer people read books, if you just make it a habit to read old books, you will nurture a perspective that no one else has, you will get ideas that no one else has, you will naturally stand out by the quality of your thoughts."
— Orange Book

In Closing

"There's no short-cut to any place worth going."
— Beverly Sills

Sam Cancelo Madlala 

Why Business Models Fail in the Township Economy

 

I saw this quote on X: "Forget climbing the corporate ladder, the most valuable skill of the future is building something of your own."

My first thought? Educational content, subscriptions, consulting. Then reality hit me: none of that works where I live—in black communities where the average person is unemployed, doesn't own a personal computer, goes through 5+ stages to get married, doesn't read, thinks politics is culture¹ and is steeped in traditional dogma.

The Reality We're Ignoring

When poverty is the common denominator, you can't grow via subscription fees or selling habit trackers.

You can't "coach" anyone because they are saving up for their aunt's 4th stage of marriage in 4 months, which will cost the family over R40,000. (A cow for the community, free food and expensive dresses). You can't grow in consulting, because your target market doesn't own any business that needs problem solving or expert advice.

What is the typical picture of black communities? This: 60% unemployment⁴ , drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, a cycle of traditional events, and taxi violence.

What Might Actually Work

What ideas might work in these conditions? First, anything that directly lowers the 60% unemployment rate.

If I'm trying to make money out of black communities, I'm destined to fail. Unless I'm selling drugs or own a nightclub. A better approach is building a regenerative model I can advertise to corporate or government funders — one that creates jobs and restores dignity.

So what actually creates jobs in communities such as these?

There’s a lot: cleaning cooperatives, recycling projects, delivery services, construction, plumbing, repair technicians, solar energy technicians, data collection, and tutoring programs³.

In my country, this is where I can grow and be profitable. It's harder, steeper, and more uncertain, but I'll share an encouraging passage from Lord of the Rings, novel by J.R.R Tolkien:

Frodo: "I wish it need not have happened in my time."

Gandalf: "So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

In South Africa, this is our time — and our decision.

Notes:

1. The reference to “politics as culture” was meant to suggest that many people treat politics as something to follow loyally, like religion, rather than as a democratic practice grounded in competence, care, and lawfulness.

2. My initial thoughts on “building something of my own” also leaned toward investing, day trading, and creative projects like podcasting — but these are 1% domains.

3. Tutoring programs could be designed through partnerships with schools, universities, and companies that want to upskill their employees in specific areas.

4. The 60% unemployment rate mentioned here is based on Google Search data and refers primarily to black townships in South Africa.

5. IDC 1 min video: Bhavanesh — I truly admire the efforts of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) for their Social Employment Fund (SEF).
   I also echo the words of Bhavanesh Parbhoo, SEF Project Manager, who says:

   “The mandate of the IDC programme is to stimulate real job creation, support micro-enterprises, and promote soft industrialization — providing technical skills and enabling individuals to create their own pathways out of poverty and unemployment.” 

Author: Samkelo Madlala, DUCT Rivers Project Coordinator 

Letters from Underground

Letters from Underground

What does it look and feel like to live in an environment that’s slowly downgrading?
I’m speaking here about my current city — Pietermaritzburg.

I write this because of a recent and rather embarrassing failure by the municipality to maintain the city’s only stadium, the Harry Gwala Stadium. A team recently promoted to the First Division had to bring their own lawn cutters to clear the field before their match. That was embarrassing — and symbolic.

But back to the point: what does it actually look and feel like to live in this city — the so-called “capital city” of KwaZulu-Natal, and apparently, of South Africa?

Well, it feels like being in any other city in the country — perhaps even the world. Our feelings, after all, are within our control. But what does it look like?

It looks like any other city in South Africa: the poor growing poorer, while the rich continue to enjoy beautiful homes, drive beautiful cars, and access better services.

This is crucial, because I can’t confidently pinpoint the exact moment when the decline began — especially since I wasn’t here ten years ago. What I can accurately point to is the growing incompetence I observe daily: people throwing litter out of their car windows, inconsiderate drivers blocking traffic to chat with friends while others struggle to pass, professional soccer players disappearing into obscurity after impregnating university girls, and the spreading waste, drug addiction, and poverty in the inner city — all symptoms of an incapable municipality and indifferent government officials.

What I’m trying to communicate is that decline takes time, just like success. It takes repeated actions and reinforced beliefs, in a specific direction, to produce tangible results — whether for individuals, cities, or entire countries.

— Cancelo Alvarez