Nassim Nicholas Taleb Quotes

Every time I've made a plan in my Hollywood acting career, something else has happened, so I've gotten out of the habit of trying to predict the future.

We cannot assume that past successes will insure future successes.

Nobody understands how the world will change. The only way you can plan for the future is to have scenarios. You have to have the courage to take a leap of faith on one of them.

Whatever future you're building, don't try to program everything.

I spent 26 years in the business without ever knowing what I was doing a month from now.

When you face unexpected events, you have to try to overcome those problems, but at the same time, you have to continue working according to the plan that you defined since the beginning. So that's what we have tried to do - not to avoid the urgent responses but to continue the route that we had defined.

You can never plan the future by the past.

Frankly, I guess, I don't really understand why people, why so many people, are so risk averse. You know, there's always ways to wiggle your way out of any situation if you're motivated enough.

You cannot prepare enough for anything.

You can't predict it all. People will tell you to plan things out as best you can. They will tell you to focus. They will tell you to follow your dreams. They will all be right.

One must not expect anything in these times, but be ready for everything.

You can have a plan, but you have to be flexible. Every day is unpredictable, and you just have to go with the flow.

The future is always coming up with surprises for us, and the best way to insulate yourself from these surprises is to diversify.

We tell prospective hires, 'If you want an environment that is never going to change, don't come here. This is not the place for you.'

You don't know what's gonna happen, so you can't really plan: you can only go with it.

You can only have a short sight because things change a lot. You can't plan what the years will bring.

I think I've changed my business strategy every year since 2003. You have to be watching the horizon constantly. The rug has been pulled out from under our feet so many times.

You never say never to nothing.

Sometimes it's good to be ready for the unpredictable. I'm glad that I can go through unpredictable situations. It's a good thing.

You don't know what's going to happen in our business a year from now... so you have to be flexible and adaptable, and that's what we try to do.

You never know what the future might bring. I'm taking it game by game and play by play.

Nothing ever goes to plan. As soon as you are OK with that, everything is much easier.

Journalism isn't about how smart you are. It's not about where you're from. It's not about who you know or how clever your questions are. And thank God for that. It's about your ability to embrace change and uncertainty. It's about being fearless personally and professionally.

In this business, you can't make any plans.

You can't plan for everything or you never get started in the first place.