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[T]he epic poet did not judge heroes by the result... their fate depended on totally external forces... Heroes are heroes because they are heroic in behavior, not because they won or lost.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb Fooled by Randomness (2001)

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Wikiquote does not flag this quote as disputed or misattributed.

Source: Two: A Bizarre Accounting Method | George Will is No Solon: On Counterintuitive Truths
Work: Fooled by Randomness, 2001
Source quality: Source identified Names the work or year, but without an exact location.

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Topics

Heroes

More quotes by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Ethical man accords his profession to his beliefs, instead of according his beliefs to his profession.

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You have a real life if and only if you do not compete with anyone in any of your pursuits.

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The weak shows his strength and hides his weaknesses; the magnificent exhibits his weaknesses like ornaments.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Nassim Nicholas Taleb (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.