Paul Graham essays
Shares rank 3 of 10 essay collections by recommenders
Free essays that readers find clear and deep, with ideas that stick after reading. Critics find them simplistic and say they hide bold claims.
Free essays that readers find clear and deep, with ideas that stick after reading. Critics find them simplistic and say they hide bold claims.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 7
- approval share
- 42%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Ideas that stick and inspire writing
“simple writing but deep ideas that stick with you long after reading”
Comment from 23 Apr 2026 in “I Stumbled Upon Paul Graham's Essays – and Can't Stop Reading” “It inspires me so much and makes me want to keep writing.”
Comment from 23 Apr 2026 in “I Stumbled Upon Paul Graham's Essays – and Can't Stop Reading”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Simplistic, thin ideas
“PG's essays are rather simplistic and not that insightful.”
Comment from 31 May 2026 in “You Weren't Meant to Have a Boss (2008)” “I personally find both of them vapid and annoying.”
Comment from 18 Jun 2026 in “The (real) dead economy theory” Vague, avoids stating claims
“pg's essays. There is this new market, political and social reality, that pg decribes well but for some reason just doesn't want to call what it is.”
Comment from 17 Mar 2026 in “The Brand Age” “The (admittedly few) PG essays I've read do seem to have a habit of hiding tall claims”
Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “"It Turns Out"”
Other essay collections people recommend
The four most recommended other essay collections, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slouching Towards Bethlehemby Joan Didion | 8 | 1 | 89% | 3 | — | — |
| Why I Writeby George Orwell | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Paul Graham essaysThis page | 5 | 7 | 42% | 3 | — | — |
| Letters to a Young Poetby Rainer Maria Rilke | 5 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Metamagical Themasby Douglas Hofstadter | 4 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
11 of the 12 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Wow I never heard about his blog but just spent the last 3 hours reading it and wow its a treasure trove”
“spurious drivel from yet another person that hasn't been in touch with reality”
“I personally find both of them vapid and annoying.”
“PG's essays are rather simplistic and not that insightful.”
“I don't need more folk wisdom, I need more screen-free doing and less consumption of text.”
“simple writing but deep ideas that stick with you long after reading”
“It inspires me so much and makes me want to keep writing.”
“They are honest, I suppose, and they are very successful marketing.”
“pg's essays. There is this new market, political and social reality, that pg decribes well but for some reason just doesn't want to call what it is.”
“The (admittedly few) PG essays I've read do seem to have a habit of hiding tall claims”
“more accurate than any Paul Graham essay”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.