Monday, June 6, 2011

Nassim Nicholas Taleb



Only in recent history has "working hard" signaled pride rather than shame for lack of talent, finesse, and, mostly, sprezzatura ["a certain nonchalance"].  Their idea of the sabbatical is to work six days and rest for one; my idea of the sabbatical is to work for (part of) a day and rest for six.
From his 2010 book, The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms.  Taleb is fluent in English, French, and Arabic; can converse in Spanish and Italian; and can read classical texts in Greek, Latin, Aramaic, and ancient Hebrew.  The author Malcolm Gladwell is a great admirer of Taleb.

A black swan

 

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