Nassim Nicholas Taleb Quotes

Few understand that procrastination is our natural defense, letting things take care of themselves and exercise their antifragility; it results from some ecological or naturalistic wisdom, and is not always bad - at an existential level, it is my body rebelling against its entrapment. It is my soul fighting the Procrustean bed of modernity.

How comfortable some of us become as we nestle in the web of procrastination. It is a false haven of rest for those who are content to live without purpose, commitment, or self-discipline.

Every man has something to do which he neglects, every man has faults to conquer which he delays to combat.

Live now. Procrastinate later.

Procrastination is still the thief of time.

Slaying the dragon of delay is no sport for the short-winded.

Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow if tomorrow might improve the odds.

You never put off until tomorrow or even this afternoon what you can do this morning. Attack the objective when your desire is strongest.

People have to decide on priorities if they want to get anywhere. The best lessons I learned was to just do it.

I don't really manage my time. I really just wait until I'm inspired to do something. And when I'm inspired to do something, it just happens.

It's just one day, one twenty-four-hour period to get yourself through. - Adam

If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long!

Time lost is time lost. It’s gone forever. Some people tell themselves that they will work twice as hard tomorrow to make up for what they did not do today. People should always do their best. If they work twice as hard tomorrow, then they should have also worked twice as hard today. That would have been their best.

This week I've been reading a lot and doing little work. That's the way things ought to be. That's surely the road to success.

What has not wasting time impaired?

You cannot give me an instance of any man who is permitted to lay out his own time contriving not to have tedious hours.

People with good work habits have to-do lists that are reasonably prioritized, and they make themselves do what needs to be done. By contrast, people with poor work habits almost randomly react to the stuff that comes at them, or they can't bring themselves to do the things they need to do but don't like to do (or are unable to do).

Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.

If you rest too long the weeds take the garden.

Whatever the right hand findeth to do, the left hand carries a watch on its wrist to show how long it takes to do it.

Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

Absolutely not. I'm an expert in procrastination, but the last thing I want you to think is that I'm incompetent, too. Because I'm actually pretty good at what I do." -Jo

In delay there lies no plenty.

The principle of work is part of self-discipline. Now, my dear young sisters, I have lived a good many years longer than you, but even back in Grandpa's time there was something to make you want to lie down and go to sleep-they called it work.

You have to keep busy. After all, no dog's ever pissed on a moving car.