The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms

by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Sometimes people ask you a question with their eyes begging you to not tell them the truth.

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

You don’t become completely free by just avoiding to be a slave; you also need to avoid becoming a master.*

The difference between slaves in Roman and Ottoman days and today’s employees is that slaves did not need to flatter their boss.

You can tell how poor someone feels by the number of times he references “money” in his conversation.

Those who do not think that employment is systemic slavery are either blind or employed.

In most debates, people seem to be trying to convince one another; but all they can hope for is new arguments to convince themselves.

People usually apologize so they can do it again.

People tend to whisper when they say the truth and raise their voice when they lie.

The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.

You need to keep reminding yourself of the obvious: charm lies in the unsaid, the unwritten, and the undisplayed. It takes mastery to control silence.

It is very difficult to argue with salaried people that the simple can be important and the important can be simple.

People like to eat fish by the water even if the fish was caught far away and transported by trucks.

It is a sign of weakness to avoid showing signs of weakness.

You know you have influence when people start noticing your absence more than the presence of others.

You are guaranteed a repetition when you hear the declaration “never again!”

When someone says “I am not that stupid,” it often means that he is more stupid than he thinks.

Half the people lie with their lips; the other half with their tears.

At any stage, humans can thirst for money, knowledge, or love; sometimes for two, never for three.

The only problem with the last laugh is that the winner has to laugh alone.