For the longest time, I wanted to become a pianist. That was kinda my thing.
I think being funny had something to do with feeling like an outsider, not feeling cool - insecurity.
We only hear success stories. You don't hear about the hundreds and hundreds - the overwhelming majority that don't go anywhere. This is a more realistic portrayal of what happens in startups.
The plan was always to come to America, because Pakistan's a scary place. They don't have religious freedom. It's very poor, and there's a lot of violence and corruption.
You really need to have that discipline. It's not even discipline. I just put down these rules. It's not like a vague, 'Motivate yourself!' and do something. Its specific hours set aside every day for certain things.
I thought of America as this crazy, happy, exciting place where everybody's rich and there's stuff everywhere. Compared to Pakistan, it's not untrue.
The whole religion of Islam is based on reward and punishment and reward and punishment, and it becomes a part of how you think of everything. Even yourself.
The writer must be a participant in the scene. . . like a film director who writes his own scripts, does his own camera work, and somehow manages to film himself in action, as the protagonist or at least the main character.
Banking gives you a glimpse into what makes companies succeed and what makes companies fail.
Sci-fi nerds are respectful, honorable. You can trust them.
I always believed that I could make it or I would never have spent so many years trying to get here.