Cities and Ambition

Paul Graham’s essay Cities and Ambition argues that great cities profoundly shape personal ambition by broadcasting distinct cultural messages.

What Each City Says

• New York: “You should make more money” - wealth dominance
• Cambridge: “You should be smarter” - intellectual achievement
• Silicon Valley: “You should be more powerful” - technological influence
• Los Angeles: Fame and social status matter most
• Washington DC: Political connections and insider status prevail
• Paris: “Do things with style” - aesthetic and artistic values

Why Location Matters

Location affects ambition more significantly than most assume. Historical evidence shows that “most people who did great things were clumped together in a few places.”

Consider Renaissance Florence—an extraordinary concentration of artistic talent emerged, likely not due to genetic superiority but environmental encouragement.

How Cities Work

Cities function as both audience and peer-discovery mechanisms. They provide subtle, unavoidable social signals through “things you see through windows, in conversations you overhear.”

This ambient cultural pressure affects even determined individuals. Few possess sufficient willpower to persist when nobody around them values their pursuits.

My Takeaway

If you want to build technology companies, Silicon Valley’s message will help. If you want to write novels, maybe Paris or New York is better.

Young ambitious people should experiment with multiple cities to discover which message resonates personally. Career success often depends on finding environments where your specific ambitions are collectively valued.

What message does your city send? I’d love to hear at persdre@gmail.com.