“ It does not mean that one’s personal experiences constitute a sufficient sample to derive a conclusion about an idea; it is just that one’s personal experience gives the stamp of authenticity and sinc… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ Indeed, our bodies discover probabilities in a very sophisticated manner and assess risks much better than our intellects do. To take one example, risk management professionals look in the past for in… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ In spite of what is studied in business schools concerning economies of scale, size hurts you at times of stress; it is not a good idea to be large during difficult times. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ In other words, history teaches us to avoid the brand of naive empiricism that consists of learning from casual historical facts. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ In finance, for instance, people use flimsy theories to manage their risks and put wild ideas under rational scrutiny. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ In fact, the most interesting aspect of evolution is that it only works because of its antifragility; it is in love with stressors, randomness, uncertainty, and disorder—while individual organisms are… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ In any type of activity or business divorced from the direct filter of skin in the game, the great majority of people know the jargon, play the part, and are intimate with the cosmetic details, but ar… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ In a system, the sacrifices of some units—fragile units, that is, or people—are often necessary for the well-being of other units or the whole. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ In a few decades will we look upon the Nobel economics committee with the same smirk as when we look at the respected scientific establishments of the Middle Ages that promoted (against all observatio… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ In 1960 Taiwan had a much lower literacy rate than the Philippines and half the income per person; today Taiwan has ten times the income. At Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ Imagine taking a test knowing the answer. While we know that history flows forward, it is difficult to realize that we envision it backward. Why is it so? We will discuss the point in Chapter 11 but h… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ If you want to become antifragile, put yourself in the situation loves mistakes—to the right of hates mistakes—by making these numerous and small in harm. We will call this process and approach the ba… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ If you take risks and face your fate with dignity, there is nothing you can do that makes you small; if you don’t take risks, there is nothing you can do that makes you grand, nothing. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ I wanted to become a flaneur, a professional meditator, sit in cafes, lounge, unglued to desks and organization structures, sleep as long as I needed, read voraciously, and not owe any explanation to… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ I use the example as computed by the mathematician Michael Berry. If you know a set of basic parameters concerning the ball at rest, can compute the resistance of the table (quite elementary), and can… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ I don’t run for trains. Snub your destiny. I have taught myself to resist running to keep on schedule. This may seem a very small piece of advice, but it registered. In refusing to run to catch trains… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ I discovered that it is much more effective to act like a nice guy and be reasonable if you prove willing to go beyond just verbiage. You can afford to be compassionate, lax, and courteous if, once in… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ I developed the governing impression that our minds are wonderful explanation machines, capable of making sense out of almost anything, capable of mounting explanations for all manner of phenomena, an… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ I believe that forcing researchers to eat their own cooking whenever possible solves a serious problem in science. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ I am not here to live forever, as a sick animal. Recall that the antifragility of a system comes from the mortality of its components—and I am part of that larger population called humans. I am here t… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
