"I select a very small number of things to be sceptical about, such as markets, and on these I am hypersceptic. But I want to be fooled by randomness i...












Wit seduces by signaling intelligence without nerdiness.

More Nassim Nicholas Taleb quotes
"The problem of knowledge is that there are many more books on birds written by ornithologists than books on birds written by birds and books on ornith...
"The best way to measure the loss of intellectual sophistication - this "nerdification," to put it bluntly - is in the growing disappearance of sarcasm...
"A prophet is not someone with special visions, just someone blind to most of what others see
"The curious mind embraces science; the gifted and sensitive, the arts; the practical, business; the leftover becomes an economist
"What I learned on my own I still remember
"If you want to annoy a poet, explain his poetry.
"They will envy you for your success, your wealth, for your intelligence, for your looks, for your status - but rarely for your wisdom.
"The rationalist imagines an imbecile-free society; the empiricist and imbecile-proof one, or even better, a rationalist-proof one.
"Just as no monkey is as good-looking as the ugliest of humans, no academic is worthier than the worst of the creators
"If you hear a "prominent" economist using the word 'equilibrium,' or 'normal distribution,' do not argue with him; just ignore him, or try to put a ra...