Cause and effect is a complex thing, but at least partly because of Paul Graham, I quit a 9-5 job and tried to start a startup. Whether that was a wise thing to do or not, given the circumstances, is quite another question. :-)

So PG's a pretty useful philosopher, at least according to his own test: "The test of utility I propose is whether we cause people who read what we've written to do anything differently afterward." Good stuff, PG.