> Earnestness. This seems a rather Victorian quality to care about, but the founders who end up doing the best are all earnest. They’re not starting a startup because it’s the cool thing to do, or to make a quick buck, but because it’s how they want to work.

Ironically, PG accidentally helped create today's phony Silly Valley culture, because after YC's first few big wins with earnest founders, people started smelling money, and gold-rushing douchebags colonized the nascent startup scene in its infancy.