“Someone who says “I am busy” is either declaring incompetence (and lack of control of his life) or trying to get rid of you.”
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 26
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Nassim Nicholas Taleb 196
Lebanese-American essayist, scholar, statistician, former t… 1960Related quotes

As quoted in "Salma Hayek's Condom Campaign" at femalefirst.co.uk http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/health/3382004.htm
Context: Before you do anything, think. If you do something to try and impress someone, to be loved, accepted or even to get someone's attention, stop and think. So many people are busy trying to create an image, they die in the process. Sleeping with the wrong person is one thing, but not using a condom because you want to please someone, or because you're in a romantic bubble, is another. … I wish we weren't so busy trying to impress people.

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