Nassim Taleb Aphorisms

  1. “The fool is someone who is right all the time.”
    The Bed of Procrustes
    Highlights the danger of overconfidence and lack of intellectual humility.
  2. “The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.”
    The Bed of Procrustes
    Critiques modern dependencies, linking financial complacency to systemic fragility.
  3. “Education makes the wise slightly wiser, but it makes the fool vastly more dangerous.”
    The Bed of Procrustes
    Questions the unintended consequences of knowledge without wisdom.
  4. “Never trust anyone who doesn’t have skin in the game. Without it, fools and crooks will benefit.”
    Skin in the Game
    Emphasizes accountability and ethical alignment through personal risk.
  5. “We are better at doing than understanding.”
    Antifragile
    Examines humanity’s tendency to act despite incomplete knowledge, leading to unintended consequences.
  6. “The difference between technology and slavery is that slaves are fully aware that they are not free.”
    The Bed of Procrustes
    Provokes reflection on modern dependencies masquerading as progress.
  7. “The fragile wants tranquility, the antifragile grows from disorder.”
    Antifragile
    Core thesis of antifragility: thriving through chaos rather than resisting it.
  8. “You want to be the fire and wish for the wind.”
    Antifragile
    Encourages embracing volatility to strengthen resilience.
  9. “Modernity: We created youth without heroism, age without wisdom, and life without grandeur.”
    The Bed of Procrustes
    Critiques societal decay and the erosion of meaningful experiences.
  10. “To bankrupt a fool, give him information.”
    The Bed of Procrustes
    Warns against mistaking data for wisdom, highlighting the pitfalls of overanalysis.

"A gilded No is more satisfactory than a dry yes" - Gracian