--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A squeeze occurs when people have no…" description: "\"“A squeeze occurs when people have no choice but to do something, and do it right away, regardless of the costs.”\" — Nassim Nicholas Taleb" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c7/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_squeeze_a-squeeze-occurs-when-people-have-no-cho_1616424.png" --- # A squeeze occurs when people have no choice but to do… ![“A squeeze occurs when people have no choice but to do something, and do it right away, regardless of the costs.” quote by Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c7/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_squeeze_a-squeeze-occurs-when-people-have-no-cho_1616424.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c7/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_squeeze_a-squeeze-occurs-when-people-have-no-cho_1616424.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c7/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_squeeze_a-squeeze-occurs-when-people-have-no-cho_1616424.png) > ““A squeeze occurs when people have no choice but to do something, and do it right away, regardless of the costs.”” [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Urgent actions taken without options often ignore long‑term costs, leading to fragile outcomes. **In simple terms:** Urgent choices ignore costs. Key Takeaway Consider consequences before acting. Themes decision making urgency costs Mood cautious analytical Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - crisis response - business strategy - personal emergencies Key Concepts risk management short‑term bias Questions to Reflect On - When have you acted impulsively? - What safeguards can you add? A Different Perspective Speed can cause hidden damage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“groupthink occurs when people “are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group,” and their “strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-m-grant/groupthink-occurs-when-people-are-deeply-involved-in-a-cohesive-in/) [Adam M. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-m-grant/) > [A great deal of the chaos in the world occurs because people don't appreciate themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/a-great-deal-of-the-chaos-in-the-world-occurs-because-people-don-t/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [“My partner and I are going to be run over by a rabbit driving a Citroën” just isn’t the sort of thing that occurs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rex/my-partner-and-i-are-going-to-be-run-over-by-a-rabbit-driving-a-citro/) [Adam Rex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rex/) > [“Maybe people had no choice, but I wonder sometimes what would have happened if everyone without a choice had made a choice anyway. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/maybe-people-had-no-choice-but-i-wonder-sometimes-what-would-have/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [“How we treat people is always our choice, and if we choose not to be respectful, it can come back to bite us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-levine/how-we-treat-people-is-always-our-choice-and-if-we-choose-not-to-be/) [Alison Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-levine/) > [Isn't allowing people a choice what America is all about?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/isn-t-allowing-people-a-choice-what-america-is-all-about/) [John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/) > [“Between love and the automatic garbage chute, young people everywhere have made their choice and prefer the garbage chute. \[Entre l'amour et le vide-ordure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-chtcheglov/between-love-and-the-automatic-garbage-chute-young-people-everywhere/) [Ivan Chtcheglov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-chtcheglov/) > [The NWO... we feel like we are the people's choice; we're doing things for the working man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hall/the-nwo-we-feel-like-we-are-the-people-s-choice-we-re-doing-things/) [Scott Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hall/) > [The reason life is so strange is that so often people have no choice,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-maxwell/the-reason-life-is-so-strange-is-that-so-often-people-have-no-choice/) [William Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-maxwell/) > [“When you give people a choice about being a part of what’s happening, they’re more likely to be committed to a project. Is there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-kouzes/when-you-give-people-a-choice-about-being-a-part-of-what-s-happening/) [James M. Kouzes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-kouzes/) > [If people have the choice of where they settle in Europe, then we cannot be surprised that they choose to come over here in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-kurz/if-people-have-the-choice-of-where-they-settle-in-europe-then-we/) [Sebastian Kurz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-kurz/) > [The throne we honour is the people's choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/the-throne-we-honour-is-the-people-s-choice/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [Conscious people always have a choice of whether to try to modify the actions of people around them or to change their response to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-keyes-jr/conscious-people-always-have-a-choice-of-whether-to-try-to-modify-the/) [Ken Keyes Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-keyes-jr/) > [And I would like to have a good, productive relationship with members of the City Council, but I'm not going to allow them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-lightfoot/and-i-would-like-to-have-a-good-productive-relationship-with-members/) [Lori Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-lightfoot/) > [It is a big world that we live in, and people have a choice to love who they love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-the-entertainer/it-is-a-big-world-that-we-live-in-and-people-have-a-choice-to-love/) [Cedric the Entertainer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-the-entertainer/) ## More by Nassim Nicholas Taleb > [To become a philosopher, start by walking very slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/to-become-a-philosopher-start-by-walking-very-slowly/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Wittgenstein's ruler: Unless you have confidence in the ruler's reliability, if you use a ruler to measure a table you may also be using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/wittgenstein-s-ruler-unless-you-have-confidence-in-the-ruler-s/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [My nightmare scenario is that the government saves Citibank once again, as well as the other banks, and business resumes as usual. Then, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/my-nightmare-scenario-is-that-the-government-saves-citibank-once/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Using, as an excuse, others' failure of common sense is in itself a failure of common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/using-as-an-excuse-others-failure-of-common-sense-is-in-itself-a/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [You know, children philosophize more than adults - and they are critical of adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-know-children-philosophize-more-than-adults-and-they-are-critical/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“One needs to go out and buy a lottery ticket in order to win. Does it mean that the work involved in the trip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/one-needs-to-go-out-and-buy-a-lottery-ticket-in-order-to-win-does-it/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Individuals should think about the worst-case scenarios and plan for them. The world will be crazier than you think it will be. Put money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/individuals-should-think-about-the-worst-case-scenarios-and-plan-for/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“If you are looking for your misplaced wallet in your living room, in a trial and error mode, you exercise rationality by not looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-you-are-looking-for-your-misplaced-wallet-in-your-living-room-in-a/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Most humans manage to squander their free time, as free time makes them dysfunctional, lazy, and unmotivated—the busier they get, the more active they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/most-humans-manage-to-squander-their-free-time-as-free-time-makes/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [We learn the most from fools ... yet we pay them back with the worst ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-learn-the-most-from-fools-yet-we-pay-them-back-with-the-worst/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [We are victims of the post-Enlightenment view that the world functions like a sophisticated machine, to be understood like a textbook engineering problem and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-are-victims-of-the-post-enlightenment-view-that-the-world/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“loss of bone density and degradation of the health of the bones also causes aging, diabetes, and, for males, loss of fertility and sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/loss-of-bone-density-and-degradation-of-the-health-of-the-bones-also/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“It takes a huge investment in introspection to learn that the thirty or more hours spent “studying” the news last month neither had any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-takes-a-huge-investment-in-introspection-to-learn-that-the-thirty/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Explore all 635 Nassim Nicholas Taleb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## More Squeeze quotes > [I feel like I bring the juice and the squeeze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-sanu/i-feel-like-i-bring-the-juice-and-the-squeeze/) [Mohamed Sanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-sanu/) > [When life gives you lemon...squeeze them right back into life's eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali/when-life-gives-you-lemon-squeeze-them-right-back-into-life-s-eyes/) [Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali/) > [That means following a very restrictive fiscal and monetary policy which will squeeze the monopolies and cut their subsidies. On the micro level we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-klaus/that-means-following-a-very-restrictive-fiscal-and-monetary-policy/) [Vaclav Klaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-klaus/) > [We are the only alive creatures that are mortals; the animals are immortal, which is why they live stupidly. We are the only creatures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/we-are-the-only-alive-creatures-that-are-mortals-the-animals-are/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [When we're leading during the game, we have to squeeze the opponent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/when-we-re-leading-during-the-game-we-have-to-squeeze-the-opponent/) [Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/) > [The drivability of an engine is a big part of the setup on a road course. If you can't squeeze the gas down you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltrip/the-drivability-of-an-engine-is-a-big-part-of-the-setup-on-a-road/) [Michael Waltrip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltrip/) > [Not that minute maid crap they squeeze these lemons theyselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/currensy/not-that-minute-maid-crap-they-squeeze-these-lemons-theyselves/) Currensy > [I try to squeeze in a round of golf here and there when I get a chance to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-smoltz/i-try-to-squeeze-in-a-round-of-golf-here-and-there-when-i-get-a/) [John Smoltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-smoltz/) > [“life hands you lemons, you squeeze the hell out of them to get what you want. Why”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-grover-swank/life-hands-you-lemons-you-squeeze-the-hell-out-of-them-to-get-what/) [Denise Grover Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-grover-swank/) > [I used to work eight hours a day and squeeze studies in whenever I could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-coogan/i-used-to-work-eight-hours-a-day-and-squeeze-studies-in-whenever-i/) [Jackie Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-coogan/) > [There are times in life when you miss someone so much you just want to pluck them out of your phone contact list and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-times-in-life-when-you-miss-someone-so-much-you-just-want/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I teach classes 28 weeks of the year, but the rest of the time I do research and write books. While I'm writing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-teach-classes-28-weeks-of-the-year-but-the-rest-of-the-time-i-do/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I want to squeeze every drop out of my potential as far as affecting the world around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-long/i-want-to-squeeze-every-drop-out-of-my-potential-as-far-as-affecting/) [Chris Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-long/) > [Early on with Squeeze, we played the Hope & Anchor with U2. Three people turned up. Then two left. Then the last person left.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jools-holland/early-on-with-squeeze-we-played-the-hope-anchor-with-u2-three-people/) [Jools Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jools-holland/) > [Faced with a time shortage, we squeeze tasks into the nooks and crannies of our calendar, leaving less and less time to switch between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/faced-with-a-time-shortage-we-squeeze-tasks-into-the-nooks-and/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) Browse all 103 Squeeze quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A squeeze occurs when people have no choice but to do something, and do it right away, regardless of the costs.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/a-squeeze-occurs-when-people-have-no-choice-but-to-do-something-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Squeeze" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/a-squeeze-occurs-when-people-have-no-choice-but-to-do-something-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c7/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_squeeze_a-squeeze-occurs-when-people-have-no-cho_1616424.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c7/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_squeeze_a-squeeze-occurs-when-people-have-no-cho_1616424.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c7/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_squeeze_a-squeeze-occurs-when-people-have-no-cho_1616424.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A squeeze occurs when people have no choice but to do something, and do it right away, regardless of the…” — Nassim Nicholas Taleb", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A squeeze occurs when people have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/a-squeeze-occurs-when-people-have-no-choice-but-to-do-something-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/a-squeeze-occurs-when-people-have-no-choice-but-to-do-something-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```