Black Swan Quotes

“She wasn’t the Black Swan’s puppet anymore.
She was broken.
All she had left was trust.”
― Shannon Messenger, Exile

“a soldier lives always for the next battle, because he knows that before it arrives impossible changes can occur in his favor.”
― James A. Michener, Poland

“The Neverseen may think themselves brilliant schemers, full of plans no one would ever suspect.
But when it came to game-changing secrets, the Black Swan would always be the best.”
― Shannon Messenger, Nightfall

“The difference between a Black Swan and another Complex Five lies in the extent of our preparation, assumptions and imagination.”
― Roger Spitz, Disrupt With Impact: Achieve Business Success in an Unpredictable World

“HISTORY AND THE TRIPLET OF OPACITY
History is opaque. You see what comes out, not the script that produces events, the generator of history. There is a fundamental incompleteness in your grasp of such events, since you do not see what's inside the box, how the mechanisms work. What I call the generator of historical events is different from the events themselves, much as the minds of the gods cannot be read just by witnessing their deeds. You are very likely to be fooled about their intentions.
This disconnect is similar to the difference between the food you see on the table at the restaurant and the process you can observe in the kitchen. (The last time I brunched at a certain Chinese restaurant on Canal Street in downtown Manhattan, I saw a rat coming out of the kitchen.)
The human mind suffers from three ailments as it comes into contact with history, what I call the triplet of opacity. They are:
a. the illusion of understanding, or how everyone thinks he knows what is going on in a world that is more complicated (or random) than they realize;
b. the retrospective distortion, or how we can assess matters only after the fact, as if they were in a rearview mirror (history seems clearer and more organized in history books than in empirical reality);
and
c. the overvaluation of factual information and the handicap of authoritative and learned people, particularly when they create categories—when they "Platonify.”
― Nassim Nicholas Taleb

“It’s a phrase, black swan,” she said. “Means a totally unexpected event with a big impact. But one that seems predictable afterwards, with the benefit of hindsight.”
― Mick Herron, Dead Lions

“I covered the scar with concealer every day because I wanted my body to be a flawless figurine, but this blemish would be with me forever.”
― Scarlet Risque

“The trumpeter is beautiful to behold, graceful and elegant, just like our Ms. Swan. But if you disturb a trumpeter, trespass through its territory, or threaten its nest, it will hiss like a cobra and attack with the viciousness of a wolf. That is the black swan side.”
― Suzanne Selfors, Next Top Villain

“I'm sure I'll swear fealty soon. I just have..."
"Trust issues.”
― Shannon Messenger, Lodestar

“[...] what you see is likely to be less Black Swannish than what you do not see.”
― Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

“So when I presented to what was until then the most hostile crowd in the world, members of the American Statistical Association, a map of the four quadrants, and told them: your knowledge works beautifully in these three quadrants, but beware of the fourth one, as this is where the Black Swans breed, I received instant approval, support, offers of permanent friendship, refreshments (Diet Coke), invitations to come present at their sessions, even hugs.”
― Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

“I came to discuss Black Swans, and I intended to tell them that the only thing I know is that we know precious little about them, but that it was their property to sneak up on us, and that attempts at Platonifying them led to additional misunderstandings. Military people can understand such things, and the idea became recently prevalent in military circles with the expression unknown unknown (as opposed to the known unknown).”
― Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

“Sing swan, spring swan
Then let's fly
Follow the pretty bird
Across the sky
Call swan, fall swan
Then let's rest
Tucked in the branches
Of your quiet nest”
― Shannon Messenger, Exile

“The greatest possible Black Swan event occurs as the lowest possible individual overcomes the most powerful evil by sacrificing the most valuable good for the most vulnerable.”
― Rick Walker, 9 Steps to Build a Life of Meaning: How to Unlock Your Mind, Happiness, Power, and Your Enemy's Demise