--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't read the papers; I stopped…" description: "\"I don't read the papers; I stopped reading the papers. I read the papers only during periods of crisis, and I think papers are too long on a regular da..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_crisis_i-don-t-read-the-papers-i-stopped-readin_2413506.jpg" --- # I don't read the papers; I stopped reading the papers. I… ![“I don't read the papers; I stopped reading the papers. I read the papers only during periods of crisis, and I think papers are too long on a regular day and too short days when we have a crisis.” quote by Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_crisis_i-don-t-read-the-papers-i-stopped-readin_2413506.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_crisis_i-don-t-read-the-papers-i-stopped-readin_2413506.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_crisis_i-don-t-read-the-papers-i-stopped-readin_2413506.jpg) > “I don't read the papers; I stopped reading the papers. I read the papers only during periods of crisis, and I think papers are too long on a regular day and too short days when we have a crisis.” [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. Reading news only during crises is inefficient; regular news is too detailed, while crisis news is too brief, suggesting a selective approach to information consumption. **In simple terms:** Read news only when it truly matters. Key Takeaway Limit news consumption to crisis periods. Themes efficiency information overload crisis management Mood pragmatic critical Type analytical strategic When to use this quote - emergency response - policy making - personal decision making - investment strategy Key Concepts Selective exposure media consumption cognitive load Questions to Reflect On - What crises prompt you to seek news? - How do you stay informed without overload? A Different Perspective Missing routine information can cause blind spots. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Papers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/papers/) [Papers Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/papers-read-599617/) [Papers Stopped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/papers-stopped-2523024/) [Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods/) [Read Papers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-papers-494321/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading Papers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-papers-1204051/) [Think Papers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-papers-6084167/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Too long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-long/) [Too short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-short/) ## Related quotes > [I don't even read the papers. I read 'USA Today' because it has color photos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/i-don-t-even-read-the-papers-i-read-usa-today-because-it-has-color/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [I suppose you know where this country would be, where the world would be, if everyone who got depressed by the papers stopped reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-kaufman/i-suppose-you-know-where-this-country-would-be-where-the-world-would/) [Sue Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-kaufman/) > [Unfortunately, there is something of a flaw in this idealized picture of the way the scientific community discovers truth. And the flaw is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/unfortunately-there-is-something-of-a-flaw-in-this-idealized-picture/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [Now, academics are not always the easiest people to talk to, and the scholarly papers aren't always the easiest papers to read, but frankly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/now-academics-are-not-always-the-easiest-people-to-talk-to-and-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [“The papers are read               or if nothing else,                             pissed on, the headlines still remain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenyatta-garc-a/the-papers-are-read-or-if-nothing-else-pissed-on-the-headlines-still/) [Kenyatta García](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenyatta-garc-a/) > [I believe that everyone, some time or other, dreams that he is reading papers, books, or letters; in which case the invention prompts so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/i-believe-that-everyone-some-time-or-other-dreams-that-he-is-reading/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [I was reading so much about myself in the papers that was not me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-loos/i-was-reading-so-much-about-myself-in-the-papers-that-was-not-me/) [Rebecca Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-loos/) > [It is very annoying - things have been written by people who didn't know me at all or Princess Diana. They were written by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasnat-khan/it-is-very-annoying-things-have-been-written-by-people-who-didn-t/) [Hasnat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasnat-khan/) > [In terms of the way people see me, it breaks down into two very clear and distinct groups: those who think they know me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/in-terms-of-the-way-people-see-me-it-breaks-down-into-two-very-clear/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [Reading papers and memorizing them doesn't make you a good researcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasuku-honjo/reading-papers-and-memorizing-them-doesn-t-make-you-a-good-researcher/) [Tasuku Honjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasuku-honjo/) > [I've given up reading the papers. Since the world's so obviously bent on killing itself, I decided months ago to sit back and let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/i-ve-given-up-reading-the-papers-since-the-world-s-so-obviously-bent/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [I'm not ashamed of any of my papers at all and I'm rather sick of snobs that tell us that they're bad papers, snobs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-not-ashamed-of-any-of-my-papers-at-all-and-i-m-rather-sick-of/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Don't believe something just because you didn't read it in the papers. Wait until you haven't seen it on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-kelly/don-t-believe-something-just-because-you-didn-t-read-it-in-the-papers/) [Walt Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-kelly/) > [I don't really read the papers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajon-rondo/i-don-t-really-read-the-papers/) [Rajon Rondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajon-rondo/) > [I tend not to read the papers or listen to what the pundits say about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-jones/i-tend-not-to-read-the-papers-or-listen-to-what-the-pundits-say-about/) [Phil Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-jones/) ## 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 Crisis quotes > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [The crisis of our diminishing water resources is just as severe (if less obviously immediate) as any wartime crisis we have ever faced. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wright/the-crisis-of-our-diminishing-water-resources-is-just-as-severe-if/) [Jim Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wright/) > [It is popular to call it a crisis of the Western world. It is in fact a crisis of the whole world. Communism, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-popular-to-call-it-a-crisis-of-the-western-world-it-is-in-fact/) [Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/) > [The financial crisis we are facing today arises from the fact that there is almost no more social, cultural, natural, and spiritual capital left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-financial-crisis-we-are-facing-today-arises-from-the-fact-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [In a couple of decades you have half of the wells that are drilled right now, and you're talking about numbers in the millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/in-a-couple-of-decades-you-have-half-of-the-wells-that-are-drilled/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [Disasters affect every state, and North Carolinians have given our own tax dollars to help neighbors and those in other states in times of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-cooper/disasters-affect-every-state-and-north-carolinians-have-given-our-own/) [Roy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-cooper/) > [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. 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