Nassim Nicholas Taleb Quotes

A heuristic on whether you have control of your life: can you take naps?

You know you have influence when people start noticing your absence more than the presence of others.

Individuals should think about the worst-case scenarios and plan for them. The world will be crazier than you think it will be. Put money away, and then you can live with much more freedom.

Soldiers are more loyal to their comrades and die for them, than to their country. Academics are more loyal to their peers than to truth.

Practically, any CEO who "rose through the ranks" is competent at being an actor. No exception. Entrepreneur or nothing.

You are rich if and only if money you refuse tastes better than money you accept.

The intellectshual world is populated by a collection of people who are much better at explaining than understanding.

Swearing on the occasion, amid rich vocabulary, is costly signaling that you are self-owned.

Avoid taking advice from someone who gives advice for a living, unless there is a penalty for their advice.

Life is much, much easier when you treat all humans as flawed and imperfect, but flawed in quite different ways.

A good book gets better at the second reading. A great book at the third. Any book not worth rereading isn't worth reading.

If we've been eating animals for > 300 million years & some "study" says it's "unhealthy", odds study is wrong/misspecified.

Those who aren't in it for the money won't tell you that they aren't in it for the money.

I am very rude to *high status* people who are rude to waiters/waitresses. Usually twice as rude. Sometimes three times, just to make sure. You cannot believe how many pple on the "left" are rude to waiters, as they feel their "mission" insulates them from humans.

Bureaucracy is a construction designed to maximize the distance between a decision-maker and the risks of the decision.