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Paul Graham on Founder · ViralLoop

Post by Paul Graham on X

Paul Graham@paulg

"Hope for the best and plan for the worst" is a good principle but a bit too passive for startup founders. For founders it should be more like "Try for the best but be prepared for the worst that can happen en route."

1K likes28 repliesPosted Mar 28, 2021

View the original on X Written by Paul Graham. Captured Sep 4, 2026.

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Based on absolute engagement — the platform doesn’t expose follower counts here, so large accounts score higher.

From likes, comments.

Why it worked

Short enough to read in full without expanding, which removes a step before the point lands.
Quotes someone directly, which makes the moment concrete rather than summarised.

The mechanics

Hook: Plain observation
Structure: Hook → Landing
Style: Conversational paragraphs at a steady pace.
Tone: plain, matter-of-fact
Written for: Founders and early-stage teams

Analysis by ViralLoop — not written by the original author.

Topics

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