Nassim Nicholas Taleb Quotes

There are many who say more than the truth on some occasions, and balance the account with their consciences by saying less than the truth on others. But the fact is that they are in both instances as fraudulant as he would be that exacted more than his due from his debtors, and paid less than their due to his creditors.

I will not steep my speech in lies; the test of any man lies in action.

As I have often said, electrons and gerbils don't cheat. People do.

Honor was never taking the easy way when it was also the wrong one. Never telling a falsehood unless the truth was painful and unnecessary, or a lie was necessary to save others. Never manipulating the truth to serve only yourself. Protecting the weak and helpless; standing fast even when fear made you weak. Keeping your word.

We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.

Integrity is what you do when no one is watching; its doing the right thing all the time, even when it may work to your disadvantage.

Above all, I would teach him to tell the truth Truth-telling, I have found, is the key to responsible citizenship. The thousands of criminals I have seen in 40 years of law enforcement have had one thing in common: Every single one was a liar.

He who does not bellow the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars and forgers.

Let none of us delude himself by supposing that honesty is always the best policy. It is not.

Part of the satisfaction of tattling surely comes from showing oneself to adults as a good moral agent, a responsible being who is sensitive to right and wrong. But I would bet that children would tattle even if they could do so only anonymously. They would do it just to have justice done.

I never hurt anybody in this business, ever.

Every leader has the responsibility to hone his or her integrity. Many times, there are integrity traps that have a tendency to catch well-meaning leaders off guard.

We are men of action, lies do not become us.

Never lie, never cheat, never steal.

If there is one thing that our role models in this election have taught us, it's that omitting important information is completely different from lying.

Say just what you mean to do on every occasion, and take it for granted you mean to do right.

As candidates and elected officials, we have an obligation to be honest.

Act your part with honor.

On the one hand, we may tell the truth, regardless of consequences, and on the other hand we may mellow it and sophisticate it to make it humane and tolerable.

There are people who think that honesty is always the best policy. This is a superstition. There are times when the appearance of it is worth six of it.

An honorable man or woman is one who is truthful; free from deceit; above cheating, lying, stealing, or any form of deception. An honorable man or woman is one who learns early that one cannot do wrong and feel right. A man's character is judged on how he keeps his word and his agreements.

Cheating is only cheating when you get caught.

Every violation of truth is not only a sort of suicide in the liar, but is a stab at the health of human society.

Moral courage further demands that you assume the responsibility for your own acts.