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Maria Popova Highlight
The most important thing that a person can decide-that should dictate what they do in life-is what matters in the world and why.
About Maria
- Grew up in Bulgaria; saw the end of communism and the rise of a new democracy.
- Watched as new classes emerged; was fascinated by people starting to define themselves by the wealth and "things" they accumulated.
- Went to college at the University of Pennsylvania to study this capitalist phenomenon.
- Majored in consumer psychology and worked in the campus newspaper's marketing department.
- Found that she was much more interested in the materials she was reading in the library than she was in the actual field of marketing.
- Didn't enjoy college, but says the silver lining was realizing she didn't want to be someone who simply went through life hitting certain benchmarks of "success."
- She'd started an email newsletter for her friends and coworkers that was essentially a record of the various ideas that piqued her interest.
- As more and more people started to read and enjoy her work, she realized she needed to make this publication "the centerpiece of her life."
