# Expression is Compression - David Perell Synced: [[2023_11_30]] 6:03 AM Last Highlighted: [[2023_08_21]] Tags: [[Explainer]] [[Model]]  Knowledge is the distillation of ideas. Ideas compressed to their purest form can have the elegance of math, the beauty of art or the wonder of life. Use that distillation to create. ## Highlights [[2023_08_21]] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h8bd3en59y8ycrvyg89725rm) > Experiences become shareable creations the way tree sap becomes maple syrup. > It takes 50 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. So whenever I feel like I don’t have enough ideas to create something meaningful, I go collect more experiences and spend time processing them by writing and talking to friends. [[2023_08_21]] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h8bcwp88y2jxd2p3z8qmx5bd) > In his book [Science and Sanity](https://amzn.to/3ar6vFT)*,* philosopher Alfred Korzybsky wrote: “A map is not the territory it represents, but, if correct, it has a similar structure to the territory, which accounts for its usefulness.” [[2023_08_21]] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h8bd4ra3xhaffr2bhtqvpxb4) > [Maps can be useful](https://perell.com/blog/why-maps-are-wrong), even if they’re inaccurate. In fact, we use distorted maps all the time. For years, I didn’t realize that Brooklyn was so much bigger than Manhattan because of the design of the subway map, which makes Manhattan look way bigger than it actually is. But there’s a good reason for the distortion. If the subway map was drawn to scale, riders wouldn’t be able to navigate through Manhattan, where the density of tracks is highest. New Yorkers can efficiently use the subway *because* the map lies about the city’s geography