--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In fact, the reason I felt immediately at…" description: "\"“In fact, the reason I felt immediately at home in America is precisely because American culture encourages the process of failure, unlike the cultures..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_america_in-fact-the-reason-i-felt-immediately-at_1151154.jpg" --- # In fact, the reason I felt immediately at home in America… ![“In fact, the reason I felt immediately at home in America is precisely because American culture encourages the process of failure, unlike the cultures of Europe and Asia where failure is met with stigma and embarrassment. America’s specialty is to take these small risks for the rest of the world…” quote by Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_america_in-fact-the-reason-i-felt-immediately-at_1151154.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_america_in-fact-the-reason-i-felt-immediately-at_1151154.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_america_in-fact-the-reason-i-felt-immediately-at_1151154.jpg) > ““In fact, the reason I felt immediately at home in America is precisely because American culture encourages the process of failure, unlike the cultures of Europe and Asia where failure is met with stigma and embarrassment. America’s specialty is to take these small risks for the rest of the world, which explains this country’s disproportionate share in innovations. Once established, an idea or a product is later “perfected” over there. Volatility”” [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. American culture embraces failure as a learning tool, fostering small risks that lead to disproportionate innovation, unlike stigmatized attitudes elsewhere. **In simple terms:** America sees failure as a step toward improvement, driving innovation. Key Takeaway Embrace small risks and learn from failure. Themes innovation risk culture failure learning Mood optimistic critical Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - startup development - product design - policy making - personal growth Key Concepts antifragility risk tolerance creative destruction Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance risk with responsibility? - What systems protect against harmful failures? A Different Perspective Failure can also cause wasted resources if not managed properly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [American culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-culture/) ## Related quotes > [May you be less of an international embarrassment to America this summer than the cast of Jersey Shore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/may-you-be-less-of-an-international-embarrassment-to-america-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There was great leadership in this country at the time of World War II. There was also unrelenting resolve at home, in America's factories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-feller/there-was-great-leadership-in-this-country-at-the-time-of-world-war/) [Bob Feller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-feller/) > [Oh, it's home again and home again, America for me! I want a ship that's westward bound to plough the rolling sea To the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/oh-it-s-home-again-and-home-again-america-for-me-i-want-a-ship-that-s/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [A nation can be no stronger abroad than she is at home. Only an America which practices what it preaches about equal rights and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/a-nation-can-be-no-stronger-abroad-than-she-is-at-home-only-an/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Owning your own home is America's unique recipe for avoiding revolution and promoting pseudo-equality at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/owning-your-own-home-is-america-s-unique-recipe-for-avoiding-2/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [“America for Me 'Tis fine to see the Old World and travel up and down Among the famous palaces and cities of renown, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/america-for-me-tis-fine-to-see-the-old-world-and-travel-up-and-down/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [The men who could not fight, in a war that didn't seem right. You let them come home, America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waylon-jennings/the-men-who-could-not-fight-in-a-war-that-didn-t-seem-right-you-let/) [Waylon Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waylon-jennings/) > [From secrecy and deception in high places; come home, America. From military spending so wasteful that it weakens our nation; come home, America. From…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/from-secrecy-and-deception-in-high-places-come-home-america-from/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I've always felt at home in America. Obviously, there's down sides to everywhere - the politics of America can be hard to take but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/i-ve-always-felt-at-home-in-america-obviously-there-s-down-sides-to/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [When I started touring and coming to San Francisco, especially, I felt the most at home in America, other than in New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonobo/when-i-started-touring-and-coming-to-san-francisco-especially-i-felt/) [Bonobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonobo/) > [We are a country where people of all backgrounds, all nations of origin, all languages, all religions, all races, can make a home. America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-are-a-country-where-people-of-all-backgrounds-all-nations-of/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The Soviet Union is like the Cross without Christ, while American culture is like Christ without the Cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-soviet-union-is-like-the-cross-without-christ-while-american/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a week. For 93 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/every-twenty-minutes-on-the-appalachian-trail-katz-and-i-walked/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) ## 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 America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In fact, the reason I felt immediately at home in America is precisely because American culture encourages the process of failure, unlike the cultures of Europe and Asia where failure is met with stigma and embarrassment. America’s specialty is to take these small risks for the rest of the world, which explains this country’s disproportionate share in innovations. Once established, an idea or a product is later “perfected” over there. Volatility”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-fact-the-reason-i-felt-immediately-at-home-in-america-is-precisely/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-fact-the-reason-i-felt-immediately-at-home-in-america-is-precisely/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_america_in-fact-the-reason-i-felt-immediately-at_1151154.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_america_in-fact-the-reason-i-felt-immediately-at_1151154.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_america_in-fact-the-reason-i-felt-immediately-at_1151154.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In fact, the reason I felt immediately at home in America is precisely because American culture encourages…” — 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": "“In fact, the reason I felt...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-fact-the-reason-i-felt-immediately-at-home-in-america-is-precisely/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-fact-the-reason-i-felt-immediately-at-home-in-america-is-precisely/#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 } } ] } ```