Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms
Quotes from book
The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms
The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms is a philosophy book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb written in the aphoristic style. It was first released on November 30, 2010 by Random House. An updated edition was released on October 26, 2016 that includes fifty percent more material than the 2010 edition. According to Taleb, the book "contrasts the classical values of courage, elegance, and erudition against the modern diseases of nerdiness, philistinism, and phoniness." The title refers to Procrustes, a figure from Greek mythology who abducted travelers and stretched or chopped their bodies to fit the length of his bed.The book is part of Taleb's five volume philosophical essay on uncertainty, titled the Incerto and covers Antifragile , The Black Swan , Fooled by Randomness ,The Bed of Procrustes , and Skin in the Game .
“Charm is the ability to insult people without offending them; nerdiness the reverse.”
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 30
“Wit seduces by signaling intelligence without nerdiness.”
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 60
“Meditation is a way to be narcissistic without hurting anyone”
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 17
“Those who do not think that employment is systemic slavery are either blind or employed.”
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 30
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 106
“In science you need to understand the world; in business you need others to misunderstand it.”
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 4
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 78
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 21
“It’s harder to say no when you really mean it.”
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 9
“You are rich if and only if money you refuse tastes better than money you accept.”
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 27
“What they call “play” (gym, travel, sports) looks like work.”
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 40
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 26
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 87
“To be completely cured of newspapers, spend a year reading the previous week’s newspapers.”
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 21
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 9
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 84
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 41
Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (2010), p. 54
