This is the central illusion in life: that randomness is risky, that it is a bad thing—and that eliminating randomness is done by eliminating randomness.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

Illusions of Life Randomness Taming Complexity

My characterization of a loser is someone who, after making a mistake, doesn’t introspect, doesn’t exploit it, feels embarrassed and defensive rather than enriched with a new piece of information, and tries to explain why he made the mistake rather than moving on. These types often consider themselv…

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

Loser What Makes A Loser Victimhood

My idea of the modern Stoic sage is someone who transforms fear into prudence, pain into information, mistakes into initiation, and desire into undertaking.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

Stoicism Stoic

To be completely cured of newspapers, spend a year reading the previous week’s newspapers.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Bed of Procrustes

Against Newspapers Against The Media Media Madness

Anything that has more upside than downside from random events (or certain shocks) is antifragile; the reverse is fragile.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

antifragile

Religion isn’t so much about telling man that there is one God as about preventing man from thinking that he is God.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Bed of Procrustes

Religion Humans Aren't God

Practitioners are usually too busy practitioning to write books, articles, papers, speeches, equations, theories and get honored by Highly Constipated and Honorable Members of Academies).

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

Charlatans Doers Theory vs. Practice

The complex world, the notion of 'cause' itself is suspect; it is either nearly impossible to detect or not really defined—another reason to ignore newspapers, with their constant supply of causes for things.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

cause and effect The Limits of Knowledge Against The Media Trying To Control The World Through Logic

This is the tragedy of modernity: as with neurotically overprotective parents, those trying to help are often hurting us the most.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

Oversight Helicopter Parents Big Government Soviet-Harvard Delusions

The excess energy released from overreaction to setbacks is what innovates!

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

Innovation Growth Hacking

Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

antifragile Resilience Built To Last

By definition, what works cannot be irrational; about every single person I know who has chronically failed in business shares that mental block, the failure to realize that if something stupid works (and makes money), it cannot be stupid .

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Skin in the Game

What Works Understanding Rationality

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

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Skin in the Game

Advice Charlatans Educators

You will never fully convince someone that he is wrong; only reality can.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Skin in the Game

Deep Reality

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