There are no longer natural famines in the world; there are only political famines. If people in Syria, Sudan or Somalia starve to death, it is because some politician wants them to.

Chapter 6 Summary Part I: • Monkeys and pedestals is a mental model that helps you quit sooner. • Pedestals are the part of the problem you know you can already solve, like designing the perfect business card or logo. The hardest thing is training the monkey. • When faced with a complex, ambitious goal, (a) identify the hard thing first; (b) try to solve for that as quickly as possible; and (c) beware of false progress. • Building pedestals creates the illusion that you are making progress toward your goal, but doing the easy stuff is a waste of time if the hard stuff is actually impossible.

The best quitting criteria, combined two things: a state and a date. Kill criteria, generally, include both states and dates, in the form of "If I am (or am not) in a particular state at a particular date or at a particular time, then I have to quit." Or "If I haven't done X by Y (time), I'll quit." Or "If I haven't achieved X by the time I've spent Y (amount in money, effort, time, or other resources), I should quit."

We mortals daily take chances with our lives, because we know they are going to end anyhow. So we go on treks in the Himalayas, swim in the sea, and do many other dangerous things like crossing the street or eating out. But if you believe you can live for ever, you would be crazy to gamble on infinity like that.