Nassim Taleb on Planning Quotes

"The strategy for the discoverer is to rely less on planning and more on tinkering."

"Optionality is the antidote to planning; it is the property of systems that allow you to benefit from the positive side of uncertainty."

"We are demonstrably bad at predicting, and planning is prediction."

"Invest in preparation, not in prediction."

"The more you plan for the future, the more you are anchored to a past that won't repeat."

"Complexity is the enemy of execution."

"The problem with planning is that it creates a false sense of security."

"We don't need to understand the world as much as we need to build systems that are robust to our lack of understanding."

"Focus on the consequences rather than the probability."

"Trial and error is not really trial and error; it is trial with small errors."

"The best way to manage risk is to have a margin of safety."

"The most important thing to plan for is the end of the plan."

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, but it's also the best defense against chaos."

"The goal is to be the one who benefits from the volatility, not the one who is destroyed by it."

"Knowledge is not just about facts; it's about the ability to ignore the noise."

"Wisdom is knowing what to ignore."

"Fragility is the cost of efficiency."

"Never ask anyone for their opinion, forecast, or recommendation. Just ask them what they have in their portfolio."

"A plan is only useful if it allows for the unexpected."

"The problem with modern life is that we have too much planning and not enough soul."

"Procrastination is a message from our natural will."

"The biggest risk is the one you don't see."

"True learning happens when you have something at stake."

"The collective is more antifragile than the individual, provided the individuals are allowed to fail."

"We are built to be hunters, not planners."

"If you want to succeed, you must be willing to fail in public."

"It’s much easier to sell ‘look how much I know’ than ‘look how much I don’t know’."

"The best planners are those who know when to throw the plan away."

"Avoid the ‘empty suit’ who plans without skin in the game."

"Robustness is the ability to withstand a shock; antifragility is the ability to improve from it."

"The future is not just a destination; it's a series of shocks."

"I want to be broad-minded and narrow-focused."

"Don't listen to the advice of someone who makes a living from giving advice."