Portrait of Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Black Swan theory

Contemporary influential 179 sayings

Sayings by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

You want to be the fire and wish for the wind.

2010 — Book: 'The Bed of Procrustes'
Nature & World Unverifiable

The difference between the rich and the poor is that the rich don't work for money—they make money work for them.

2008 — Speech at NYU
Money & Business Unverifiable

The only way to be a philosopher is to practice what you preach—and the only way to practice what you preach is to be a philosopher.

2018 — Interview with The Paris Review
Wisdom Unverifiable

The only people who think that a billion dollars isn't enough are those who have at least a billion dollars.

2013 — Twitter
Money & Business Unverifiable

The most dangerous people in the world are those who have nothing to lose.

2007 — Book: 'The Black Swan'
Wisdom Unverifiable

The only way to be happy is to find a way to make your work play.

2018 — Interview with The Paris Review
Wisdom Unverifiable

The more you talk, the less people listen.

2010 — Book: 'The Bed of Procrustes'
Wisdom Unverifiable

The three most addictive substances on earth are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.

2018 — Tweet
General Unverifiable

Never trust a man who uses the word 'paradigm'.

2013 — Tweet
General Unverifiable

If you want to be a philosopher, write books. If you want to be a journalist, write tweets. If you want to be a parasite, write academic papers.

2019 — Tweet
General Unverifiable

Modern life is a product of people who don't understand probability.

2012 — Incerto (Antifragile)
General Unverifiable

The problem with 'experts' is that they're often optimized for telling a good story, not for accurate prediction.

2010 — Interview
General Unverifiable

Academia is a graveyard of ideas.

2016 — Tweet
General Unverifiable

Universities are turning into corporations, and professors into employees, not scholars.

2019 — Tweet
General Unverifiable

Never engage in a discussion with a bureaucrat. You will lose your soul.

2017 — Tweet
Religious Unverifiable

Journalists are the lowest form of intellectual life.

2018 — Tweet
General Unverifiable

Beware of economists. They are like doctors who treat the symptoms, not the disease.

2017 — Tweet
General Unverifiable

The more data you have, the more likely you are to find spurious correlations.

2012 — Incerto (Antifragile)
General Unverifiable

Never trust anyone who doesn't drink alcohol.

2015 — Tweet
General Unverifiable

The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, but conformity.

2007 — The Black Swan
General Unverifiable
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