Thiel took the familiar cliché 'live each day as if it were your last' and flipped it entirely. If you live as though today is your last, you prioritize short-term gratification. But if you live as though you'll live forever, you invest in things that compound over time — durable friendships, long-lasting relationships, and meaningful work. Invoking Einstein's supposed claim that compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe, Thiel argued this principle extends far beyond finance to every relationship and commitment in life.