Quotes by Statisticians

Most info-Web-media-newspaper types have a hard time swallowing the idea that knowledge is reached (mostly) by removing junk from peoples heads

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The best way to measure the loss of intellectual sophistication - this "nerdification," to put it bluntly - is in the growing disappearance of sarcasm, as mechanic minds take insults a bit too literally.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Who needs theory when you have so much information? But this is categorically the wrong attitude to take toward forecasting, especially in a field like economics where the data is so noisy.

Nate Silver

They will envy you for your success, your wealth, for your intelligence, for your looks, for your status - but rarely for your wisdom.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Modernity: we created youth without heroism, age without wisdom, and life without grandeur

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The rationalist imagines an imbecile-free society; the empiricist and imbecile-proof one, or even better, a rationalist-proof one.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

In poor countries, officials receive explicit bribes; in D.C. they get the sophisticated, implicit, unspoken promise to work for large corporations

Nassim Nicholas Taleb