A while ago I realized something about how I navigate challenges. When I'm stuck — figuring out life, dealing with something at work, or just looking for clarity — I read essays. Not just any essay. The right one. Something by PG or Naval that cuts through the noise and makes me see things differently. It’s not just about the information; it’s the perspective shift — a subtle but powerful nudge that says, “Hey, there’s another way to look at this.”
But here’s the snag:
Finding that one essay usually takes forever. Keywords don’t always work. It’s not like searching for a movie title or a recipe — essays have these broad themes, tangents, life advice, bits of philosophy. Sometimes they look like they’re about startups when they’re really about how to do creative work. Other times they start off about painting and end up being advice for building relationships. So searching by topic is messy. I’d burn time I didn’t have, digging around random blogs, hoping to stumble onto the “aha” piece that resonates with my situation.
Eventually, I asked myself: Why can’t there be a single place where you just say what’s on your mind and get the perfect essay recommended back to you? I mean, we have these AI models that can comprehend language, nuance, tone, and context. We no longer need to rely on plain old keywords. If an AI can figure out that you’re “anxious about starting college” and then point you toward an essay about imposter syndrome, or a piece about making new friends in a new city, well, that’s basically gold.
So I started tinkering. I built this minimal search bar — a site as clean as it gets — where you describe what’s going on in your life, and an AI hunts through a curated library of handpicked essays. Think of it as a personal “Essay Curator.” No clutter, no ads, no mandatory sign-ups for newsletters. All it does is find that one essay you might need right now.
But wait— does this ruin the joy of discovery?
I get it. Part of the fun in reading essays is the meandering journey. You click on a link, then another, and eventually end up with something life-changing you never expected to find. This tool shortcuts that process, and maybe it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Heck, I might not even use it all the time. But for those moments when you’re pressed for time or deeply stuck — when you just want something that can help you think straight — it’s nice to have a direct pipeline to the wisdom of these great writers.
What’s Under the Hood Right Now?
Of course, this is still a work-in-progress. Sandeep Khanna and I are rolling it out slowly, because we want to keep the quality high. We’re constantly refining which essays to include and how to let the AI know when it’s on the right track. If you find something missing or broken, you can bet that’s normal for an early project. It’s just us chasing down an idea we’re obsessed with — an idea that you shouldn’t have to waste hours hunting for the perfect read.
So that’s the story. It’s my attempt to share why this exists in the first place, because sometimes one timely essay can shift your perspective enough to change your life. And if this silly little experiment can deliver that essay at the moment you need it most, then I’ll consider it a success—even if I might not use it every day myself. Maybe you’ll find it useful. Maybe you won’t. But at least now you know why we built this.