Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Black Swan: The Impact Of The Highly Improbable Quotes
Missing a train is only painful if you run after it! Likewise, not matching the idea of success others expect from you is only painful if that’s what you are seeking.
You cannot do anything with knowledge unless you know where it stops, and the costs of using it.
It took us a while to discover that we do effectively think, but that we more readily narrate backward in order to give ourselves the illusion of understanding, and give a cover to our past actions.
A theory is like medicine (or government): often useless, sometimes necessary, always self-serving, and on occasion lethal. So it needs to be used with care, moderation and close adult supervision.
The problem is that our ideas are sticky: once we produce a theory, we are not likely to change our minds....
Know how to rank your beliefs not according to their plausibility but by the harm they may cause.
