But fiction has enabled us not merely to imagine things, but to do so collectively. We can weave common myths such as the biblical creation story, the Dreamtime myths of Aboriginal Australians, and the nationalist myths of modern states.
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“So we pour in data from the past to fuel the decision-making mechanisms created by our models, be they linear or nonlinear. But therein lies the logician's trap: past data from real life constitute a sequence of events rather than a set of independent observations, which is what the laws of probability demand.[...]It is in those outliers and imperfections that the wildness lurks.”
― Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
― Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk

“The player of the inner game comes to value the art of relaxed concentration above all other skills; he discovers a true basis for self-confidence; and he learns that the secret to winning any game lies in not trying too hard.”
― The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance
― The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance

“But who said that I am to be measured by how well I do things? In fact, who said that I should be measured at all? Who indeed? What is required to disengage oneself from this trap is a clear knowledge that the value of a human being cannot be measured by performance—or by any other arbitrary measurement.”
― The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance
― The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance

“Time matters most when decisions are irreversible. And yet many irreversible decisions must be made on the basis of incomplete information.”
― Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
― Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk

“Game theory says that the true source of uncertainty lies in the intentions of others.”
― Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
― Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
Dinesh’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at Dinesh’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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