The central idea in The Black Swan is that: rare events cannot be estimated from empirical observation since they are rare.

A country's assets reside in the tinkerers, the hobbyists, and the risk-takers.

The only valid political system is one that can handle an imbecile in power without suffering from it

Let me be more aggressive: we are largely better at doing than we are at thinking, thanks to antifragility. I’d rather be dumb and antifragile than extremely smart and fragile, any time.

You will get the most attention from those who hate you. No friend, no admirer and no partner will flatter you with as much curiosity.

People who forecast simply because "that's my job," knowing pretty well that their forecast is ineffectual, are not what I would call ethical. What they do is no different from repeating lies simply because "it's my job."

Banks have never made money in the history of banking, losing the equivalent of all their past profits periodically - while bankers strike it rich.