“ Because what matters in life isn’t how frequently one is right about outcomes, but how much one makes when one is right. Being wrong, when it is not costly, doesn’t count—in a way that’s similar to tr… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ Authors, artists, and even philosophers are much better off having a very small number of fanatics behind them than a large number of people who appreciate their work. The number of persons who dislik… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ Artisans, say, taxi drivers, prostitutes (a very, very old profession), carpenters, plumbers, tailors, and dentists, have some volatility in their income but they are rather robust to a minor professi… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ An ad hominem attack against an intellectual, not against an idea, is highly flattering. It indicates that the person does not have anything intelligent to say about your message. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ Am spus că se pare că avem o înclinație naturală spre platonificare și spre a gândi în termenii materialelor studiate: nimeni, fie el zidar sau filosof al naturii, nu poate scăpa prea ușor de aservire… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ Also consider that lobbyists—this annoying race of lobbyists—cannot exist in a municipality or small region. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ Above all, an erudite can be dissatisfied with his own knowledge, and such dissatisfaction is a wonderful shield against Platonicity, the simplifications of the five-minute manager, or the philistinis… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ A turkey is fed for a thousand days by a butcher; every day confirms to its staff of analysts that butchers love turkeys with increased statistical confidence. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ A system with skin-in-the-game requirements holds together through the notion of a sacrifice in order to protect the collective or entities higher in the hierarchy that are required to survive. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ A simple solution, but quite drastic: anyone who goes into public service should not be allowed to subsequently earn more from any commercial activity than the income of the highest paid civil servant… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ A mathematician starts with a problem and creates a solution; a consultant starts by offering a solution and creates a problem. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ A man is morally free when … he judges the world, and judges other men, with uncompromising sincerity. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ A man is honorable in proportion to the personal risks he takes for his opinion—in Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ A BS DETECTION HEURISTIC The heuristic here would be to use education in reverse: hire, conditional on an equal set of skills, the person with the least label-oriented education. It means that the per… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ I’ve had a hard time conveying to intellectuals the intellectual superiority of practice.) Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ You’d even rather have a failed real person than a successful one, as blemishes, scars, and character flaws increase the distance between a human and a ghost. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“ What you learn from the intensity and the focus you had when under the influence of risk stays with you. You may lose the sharpness, but nobody can take away what you’ve learned. This is the principal… Nassim Nicholas Taleb
