---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It hit me right there and then that these…"
description: "\"“It hit me right there and then that these antifragile hormetic responses were just a form of redundancy, and all the ideas of Mother Nature converged ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf2/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_mother-nature_it-hit-me-right-there-and-then-that-thes_868873.jpg"
---

#  It hit me right there and then that these antifragile…

![“It hit me right there and then that these antifragile hormetic responses were just a form of redundancy, and all the ideas of Mother Nature converged in my mind. It is all about redundancy. Nature likes to overinsure itself.” quote by Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf2/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_mother-nature_it-hit-me-right-there-and-then-that-thes_868873.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf2/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_mother-nature_it-hit-me-right-there-and-then-that-thes_868873.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf2/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_mother-nature_it-hit-me-right-there-and-then-that-thes_868873.jpg)

> ““It hit me right there and then that these antifragile hormetic responses were just a form of redundancy, and all the ideas of Mother Nature converged in my mind. It is all about redundancy. Nature likes to overinsure itself.””

[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.

Redundancy in nature serves as a protective buffer, making systems stronger under stress.

**In simple terms:** Redundancy builds resilience.

Key Takeaway

Design systems with built‑in redundancy.

Themes

resilience redundancy nature

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

philosophical practical

When to use this quote

- engineering
- finance
- healthcare
- environmental planning

Key Concepts

systems theory risk antifragility

Questions to Reflect On

- What redundancies can you add?
- When does redundancy become inefficiency?

A Different Perspective

Excess redundancy can be wasteful.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hormetic Responses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hormetic-responses-931715/) [Mind Redundancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-redundancy-931718/) [Mother nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-nature/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature Converged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-converged-931717/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Redundancy Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/redundancy-nature-931716/) [Responses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responses/)

## Related quotes

> [If there is something in nature you don't understand, odds are it makes sense in a deeper way that is beyond your understanding. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-there-is-something-in-nature-you-don-t-understand-odds-are-it/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [I have respect for mother nature's methods of robustness (billions of years allow most of what is fragile to break); classical thought is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/i-have-respect-for-mother-nature-s-methods-of-robustness-billions-of/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [The best strategy relies upon an unlimited set of responses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-best-strategy-relies-upon-an-unlimited-set-of-responses/)

[Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/)

> [“the more entrenched and reactive we are about an issue, the more we need to investigate our responses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/the-more-entrenched-and-reactive-we-are-about-an-issue-the-more-we/)

[Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/)

> [I think the further away you get from completing a book, the more responses you see to it from readers, the more your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/i-think-the-further-away-you-get-from-completing-a-book-the-more/)

[Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/)

> [One of the most frequent responses I get from non-Christian readers is: 'I'm not sure I agree with all this, but I must say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/one-of-the-most-frequent-responses-i-get-from-non-christian-readers/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [“Every day try to convert your reactions to responses. Reactions are always instinctive, whereas responses are always well thought of, just and right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-ratna/every-day-try-to-convert-your-reactions-to-responses-reactions-are/)

[Abhishek Ratna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-ratna/)

> [My youngest son's pre-school class was recently asked what their dads do for work. The responses were things like, my dad sells money, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hawk/my-youngest-son-s-pre-school-class-was-recently-asked-what-their-dads/)

[Tony Hawk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hawk/)

> [I have very human responses to things, so I had to learn to just be still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-jansen/i-have-very-human-responses-to-things-so-i-had-to-learn-to-just-be/)

[Mallory Jansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-jansen/)

> [Although our inattention can contribute to our lack of total well-being, we also have the power to choose positive behaviors and responses. In that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-anderson/although-our-inattention-can-contribute-to-our-lack-of-total-well/)

[Greg Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-anderson/)

> [I think the reason we're so crazy sexually in America is that all our responses are acting. We don't know how to feel. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-robinson/i-think-the-reason-we-re-so-crazy-sexually-in-america-is-that-all-our/)

[Jill Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-robinson/)

> [I was an awful critic. I operated on the assumption that there was an absolute scale of values against which art could be measured.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-was-an-awful-critic-i-operated-on-the-assumption-that-there-was-an/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [Except under rare circumstances, I don't write responses to criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/except-under-rare-circumstances-i-don-t-write-responses-to-criticism/)

[Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/)

> [There are two responses to really awful things. One is to lament and say, "Oh my God, oh lord." And the other is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/there-are-two-responses-to-really-awful-things-one-is-to-lament-and/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [There are always proper responses, even to rude questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/there-are-always-proper-responses-even-to-rude-questions/)

[Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/)

## 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 Mother nature quotes

> [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/)

[Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/)

> [Mother Nature does not do bailouts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/mother-nature-does-not-do-bailouts/)

[Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/)

> [“Mother Nature had made an appalling error of judgement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yrsa-sigur-ard-ttir/mother-nature-had-made-an-appalling-error-of-judgement/)

[Yrsa Sigurðardóttir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yrsa-sigur-ard-ttir/)

> [“I sit down by the river. Its incessant flow has polished the rocks carried from the top of the mountain. The aqueous caress, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-dubois/i-sit-down-by-the-river-its-incessant-flow-has-polished-the-rocks/)

[Gabrielle Dubois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-dubois/)

> [While cares will drop off like autumn leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/while-cares-will-drop-off-like-autumn-leaves/)

[John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/)

> [We're all nurtured by mother nature's cycles and seasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/costa-georgiadis/we-re-all-nurtured-by-mother-nature-s-cycles-and-seasons/)

[Costa Georgiadis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/costa-georgiadis/)

> [“A row of daffodils and red tulips nestled against the walkway beneath my feet. Stray weeds peeked up through the cracks in the concrete,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-crane/a-row-of-daffodils-and-red-tulips-nestled-against-the-walkway-beneath/)

[Pamela Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-crane/)

> [I really enjoy surfing a lot. It's an awesome sport. With surfing there are no mind games versus Peyton Manning, or versus anyone else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-polamalu/i-really-enjoy-surfing-a-lot-it-s-an-awesome-sport-with-surfing-there/)

[Troy Polamalu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-polamalu/)

> [Listen," he said. "If you was a fish, Mother Nature'd take care of you, wouldn't she? Right? You don't think them fish just die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/listen-he-said-if-you-was-a-fish-mother-nature-d-take-care-of-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I do believe very strongly that all of us and all of the other things in the context of our planet with Mother Nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/i-do-believe-very-strongly-that-all-of-us-and-all-of-the-other-things/)

[Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/)

> [“There is no such “mother” as Mother Nature. Nature itself is powerless to produce life of any kind. In itself, nature is barren. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/there-is-no-such-mother-as-mother-nature-nature-itself-is-powerless/)

[R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/)

> [The habit of quietly absorbing the shocks will be quite a great help to stabilize pure awareness. The technique is: Just feel not disturbed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/the-habit-of-quietly-absorbing-the-shocks-will-be-quite-a-great-help/)

[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/)

> [For me, Katrina was my first trip back to the United States, but the most important thing, it showed everything that I had seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-greene/for-me-katrina-was-my-first-trip-back-to-the-united-states-but-the/)

[Stanley Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-greene/)

> [As George Bush's infamous for once saying by mistake, he said, "Mother Nature is a terrorist." So it was with Katrina - the devastation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-greene/as-george-bush-s-infamous-for-once-saying-by-mistake-he-said-mother/)

[Stanley Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-greene/)

> [Mother Nature comes up against reality, and the reality is that the system doesn't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-garamendi/mother-nature-comes-up-against-reality-and-the-reality-is-that-the/)

[John Garamendi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-garamendi/)

[Browse all 364 Mother nature quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-nature/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It hit me right there and then that these antifragile hormetic responses were just a form of redundancy, and all the ideas of Mother Nature converged in my mind. It is all about redundancy. Nature likes to overinsure itself.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-hit-me-right-there-and-then-that-these-antifragile-hormetic/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Mother nature"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-hit-me-right-there-and-then-that-these-antifragile-hormetic/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf2/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_mother-nature_it-hit-me-right-there-and-then-that-thes_868873.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf2/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_mother-nature_it-hit-me-right-there-and-then-that-thes_868873.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf2/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_mother-nature_it-hit-me-right-there-and-then-that-thes_868873.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It hit me right there and then that these antifragile hormetic responses were just a form of redundancy, and…” — 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": "“It hit me right there and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-hit-me-right-there-and-then-that-these-antifragile-hormetic/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-hit-me-right-there-and-then-that-these-antifragile-hormetic/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
