from Paul Graham | by Paul Graham

I like old things. Old books, old buildings, even old TV shows. The reason is not their oldness per se. It's because something that's old and still seems good is more likely to be genuinely good, rather than simply riding on the coattails of some current fashion.

You can't tell for sure if something is good until it's unfashionable.

I know it's not simply because I myself am old that I like old things, because I've been relying on this heuristic since I was about 21. I wonder how I learned it. Possibly working in a library in college; the phenomenon is especially pronounced with books.