Quotes from book
The Drunkard's Walk

The Drunkard's Walk

The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives is a 2008 popular science book by American physicist and author Leonard Mlodinow, which became a New York Times bestseller and a New York Times notable book.


Leonard Mlodinow photo
Leonard Mlodinow photo

“We unfortunately seem to be unconsciously biased against those in society who come out on the bottom.”

Source: The Drunkard's Walk, Chapter 10, The Drunkard's Walk, p. 212

Leonard Mlodinow photo
Leonard Mlodinow photo
Leonard Mlodinow photo
Leonard Mlodinow photo
Leonard Mlodinow photo

“Perception requires imagination because the data people encounter in their lives are never complete and always equivocal.”

Source: The Drunkard's Walk, Chapter 9, Illusions Of Pattens And Patterns Of Illusions, p. 170-171

Leonard Mlodinow photo
Leonard Mlodinow photo
Leonard Mlodinow photo
Leonard Mlodinow photo
Leonard Mlodinow photo
Leonard Mlodinow photo
Leonard Mlodinow photo
Leonard Mlodinow photo
Leonard Mlodinow photo

“Obviously it can be a mistake to assign brilliance in proportion to wealth.”

Source: The Drunkard's Walk, Chapter 10, The Drunkard's Walk, p. 209
Context: Obviously it can be a mistake to assign brilliance in proportion to wealth. We cannot see a persons potential, only his or her results, so we often misjudge people by thinking that the results must reflect the person. The normal accident theory of life shows not that the connection between actions and rewards is random but that random influences are as important as our qualities and actions.

Leonard Mlodinow photo

“The theory of randomness is fundamentally a codification of common sense.”

Source: The Drunkard's Walk, Chapter 2, The Laws Of Truths And Half - Truths, p. 21 (See also: William Feller)

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