‘Black Swan’ author claims he’s never borrowed money in his entire life
‘I have never, ever borrowed a penny. So I have zero credit record. No loans, no mortgage, nothing. Ever.’
That’s New York University professor and “Black Swan” author Nassim Taleb giving some insight into his finances in a piece for Esquire this month.“When I had no money, I rented,” he continued. “I have an allergy to borrowing and a scorn for people who are in debt, and I don’t hide it. I follow the Romans’ attitude that debtors are not free people.”
Taleb went on to contemplate the notion of wealth.
“Money can’t buy happiness, but the absence of money can cause unhappiness,” he said. “Money buys freedom: intellectual freedom, freedom to choose who you vote for, to choose what you want to do professionally. But having what I call ‘f**k you money requires a huge amount of discipline. The minute you go a penny over, then you lose your freedom again. If money is the cause of your worry, then you have to restructure your life.”
It’s that freedom he cherishes.
“If nobody’s paying my salary, I don’t have to define myself,” Taleb said. “I find it arrogant to call yourself a philosopher or an intellectual, so I call myself a flaneur and I refuse all honors. As Cato once said, it’s better to be asked why there is no statue in your name than why there is one.”
Be careful how you go about achieving that freedom, however, as Taleb says it’s better to miss a “zillion” opportunities than to get blown up once.
“Most people don’t understand how to handle uncertainty. They shy away from small risks, and without realizing it, they embrace the big, big risk,” he said. “Businessmen who are consistently successful have the exact opposite attitude: Make all the mistakes you want, just make sure you’re going to be there tomorrow.”
ShawnLanglois
Social-media editor
