Author Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms is chock full of wise words. Here are ten of my favourite aphorisms from the book.
1. Pharmaceutical companies are better at inventing diseases that match existing drugs, rather than inventing drugs to match existing diseases.
For more on this, see 12 Essential Facts About Psychiatry and Behavioural Geneticist Robert Plomin: “There Are No Disorders, There Are Just Quantitative Dimensions”.
2. It is harder to say no when you really mean it than when you don’t.
This is especially true for women pursued by unattractive men whom they do not wish to anger.
3. If you want people to read a book, tell them it is overrated.
The Bed of Procrustes is overrated; so are these.
4. Someone who says “I am busy” is either declaring incompetence (and lack of control of his life) or trying to get rid of you.
Remembering this will free you from pursuing those who do not value you or your time.
5. People focus on role models; it is more effective to find antimodels—people you don’t want to resemble when you grow up.
Some people fit into both categories e.g. Steve Jobs, Stephen King, Robin Williams.
6. Fitness is certainly the sign of strength, but outside of natural stimuli the drive to acquire fitness can signal some deep incurable weakness.
7. The most depressing aspect of the lives of the couples you watch surreptitiously arguing in restaurants is that they are almost always unaware of the true subject of argument.
For a dramatic depiction (albeit not set in a restaurant), watch this scene from The Break-Up.
8. People usually apologize so they can do it again.
I have clients who can attest to this.
9. You can only convince people who think they can benefit from being convinced.
This is also why forced psychiatric ‘treatment’ is futile.
10. Happiness; we don’t know what it means, how to measure it, or how to reach it, but we know extremely well how to avoid unhappiness.
Tips to be unhappy: focus on (and amplify) the negative, spend time with people who criticise you, consume drugs and alcohol with reckless abandon, neglect diet and exercise, sleep fewer than 7 hours per night, #ViaNegativa.
