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Comment by danielha | Hacker News Reader

There will invariably be those who don't see the success they set out for, and they fall back to their original path.

That's why a founder's commitment is so critical. When your one plan is to become a startup founder, regardless of school or any other factors, you will do your damndest to make something of value and succeed. It's part _doing_ it better than the next guy and _wanting_ it more than the next guy.

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That is a good point! Dropping out of school is analogous to "buring all your ships". Sun Tzu writes that "put your enemies in a spot where they have no place to go, and they will die before fleeting. If they are to die then, what can they not do? Warriors exert their full strength. When warriors are in great danger, then they have no fear. When there is nowhere to go, they are firm, when they are deeply involved, they stick to it. If they have no choice, they will fight to death."

You do your "damndest" when your success depends on the success of your startup.

That's kinda funny. I've always read that passage to mean, those are the types of armies you don't want to be fighting against, since the best victory is victory where you don't have to fight at all and the opposing side just gives up. I never thought of it as advice to put your own people in a corner, so they have no choice but to fight their way out. I suppose morale had better be high, or else instead of "Prepare for glory", one can "prepare for slaughter."

Three notable generals who successfully implemented this strategy are Tariq ibn-Ziyad, Hurnan Cortez, and Xiang Yu. They managed to take on armies many times their size by deliberately cutting off any channels of exit.