The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he's in prison.Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, p. 62, 2012
Author · 19 quotes
Nassim Nicholas Taleb is a Lebanese-American author, scholar, and former options trader. He is best known for his work in risk management and socio-economic philosophy, particularly for his books "The Black Swan" and "Antifragile," which discuss the impact of rare and unpredictable events on financial markets and human behavior.
b. 1960
The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he's in prison.Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, p. 62, 2012
If someone gives you more than one reason why he wants the job, don’t hire him.
Comfort makes you weaker. We need some variability, some stressors. Not too much, but just enough.
Life is about execution rather than purpose.
Risk taking is the highest virtue, the only signal that you cannot fake.
Never hire an A student unless it is to take exams.
It is easier to macrobullshit than to microbullshit.
It is not possible to have fun when you try.
Avoid calling heroes those who had no other choice.
If you need something urgently done, give the task to the busiest (or second busiest) person in the office.
You are rich if and only if money you refuse tastes better than money you accept.Skin in the Game, p. 192, 2018
What we do today has nothing to do with capitalism or socialism. It is a crony type of system that transfers money to the coffers of bureaucrats.The Bed of Procrustes, p. 123, 2010
When you walk the walk, whether successful or not, you feel more indifferent and robust to people's opinion, freer, more real.Walk Your Talk, CROZ, 2026
It is no secret that large corporations prefer people with families; those with downside risk are easier to own, particularly when they are choking under a large mortgage.The Skin of Others in your Game, INCERTO, Medium
Difficulty is what wakes up the genius.Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder
If you see fraud and do not say fraud, you are a fraud.Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, Prologue, 2012
If you must tell someone it is sarcasm, don't.The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms, 2010
The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, p. 263, 2012
Take the long road, in anything. Life admits no shortcuts.Commencement Address, American University in Beirut, 2016
That’s all 19 quotes by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.