--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: probability is principally a branch of…" description: "\"“probability is principally a branch of applied skepticism,”\" — Nassim Nicholas Taleb" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/150/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_doubt_probability-is-principally-a-branch-of-a_2064089.png" --- # probability is principally a branch of applied skepticism, ![“probability is principally a branch of applied skepticism,” quote by Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/150/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_doubt_probability-is-principally-a-branch-of-a_2064089.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/150/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_doubt_probability-is-principally-a-branch-of-a_2064089.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/150/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_doubt_probability-is-principally-a-branch-of-a_2064089.png) > ““probability is principally a branch of applied skepticism,”” [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. Skepticism is essential to evaluating uncertainty and avoiding false confidence. **In simple terms:** Question everything about chance. Key Takeaway Apply doubt to probabilistic claims. Themes uncertainty skepticism probability Mood cautious analytical Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - investment decisions - medical diagnoses - weather forecasting Key Concepts risk assessment critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance healthy doubt with decisive action? - When is skepticism counterproductive? A Different Perspective Skepticism can paralyze action if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Applied Skepticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/applied-skepticism-3951886/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Principally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principally/) [Probability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probability/) [Probability Principally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probability-principally-3951887/) [Skepticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skepticism/) ## Related quotes > [I believe that we do not know anything for certain, but everything probably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-huygens/i-believe-that-we-do-not-know-anything-for-certain-but-everything/) [Christiaan Huygens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-huygens/) > [It is a certainty that Herbalife is a pyramid scheme. We believe it's harming a population of low-income, principally Hispanic people in the U.S.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ackman/it-is-a-certainty-that-herbalife-is-a-pyramid-scheme-we-believe-it-s/) [Bill Ackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ackman/) > [What interests me principally are points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/didier-deschamps/what-interests-me-principally-are-points/) [Didier Deschamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/didier-deschamps/) > [Beethoven's importance in music has been principally defined by the revolutionary nature of his compositions. He freed music from hitherto prevailing conventions of harmony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-barenboim/beethoven-s-importance-in-music-has-been-principally-defined-by-the/) [Daniel Barenboim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-barenboim/) > [Happiness is found principally in meditation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/happiness-is-found-principally-in-meditation/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I went to study English for two reasons. Principally because when I was in university, studying drama wasn't considered an option. You couldn't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-callis/i-went-to-study-english-for-two-reasons-principally-because-when-i/) [James Callis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-callis/) > [There are thousands of ragas, and they are all connected with different times of the day, like sunrise or night or sunset. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shankar/there-are-thousands-of-ragas-and-they-are-all-connected-with/) [Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shankar/) > [The New Deal exists principally on an emotional plane for Obama. To him, the New Deal is something you play like a song, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/the-new-deal-exists-principally-on-an-emotional-plane-for-obama-to/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [I'm a songwriter, principally, and I was real excited that people liked my songs, but you get a bit of an ego about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-springfield/i-m-a-songwriter-principally-and-i-was-real-excited-that-people-liked/) [Rick Springfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-springfield/) > [When I got out of high school, I was in a blues band. It was the kind of music I was interested in, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-rundgren/when-i-got-out-of-high-school-i-was-in-a-blues-band-it-was-the-kind/) [Todd Rundgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-rundgren/) > [While I used to make my living principally as a record producer, as time went on, I had to depend more and more on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-rundgren/while-i-used-to-make-my-living-principally-as-a-record-producer-as/) [Todd Rundgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-rundgren/) > [The modern Middle East was largely created by the British. It was they who carried the Allied war effort in the region during World…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-anderson/the-modern-middle-east-was-largely-created-by-the-british-it-was-they/) [Scott Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-anderson/) > [“The fact that we can neither prove nor disprove the existence of something does not put existence and non-existence on an even footing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-fact-that-we-can-neither-prove-nor-disprove-the-existence-of/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I've debated many economists who claim to specialize in risk and probability: when one takes them slightly outside their narrow focus, but within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/i-ve-debated-many-economists-who-claim-to-specialize-in-risk-and/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“There is asymmetry. Those who die do so very early in the game, while those who live go on living very long. Whenever there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/there-is-asymmetry-those-who-die-do-so-very-early-in-the-game-while/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## 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 Doubt quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I don't doubt that straight white men have identity issues and identity complexes and struggle with defining themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-don-t-doubt-that-straight-white-men-have-identity-issues-and/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [We know accurately only when we know little, with knowledge doubt increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/we-know-accurately-only-when-we-know-little-with-knowledge-doubt/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [There is no doubt in my mind and I know in my time, there will be a Canadian basketball player playing for Toronto Raptors, 100%](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-and-i-know-in-my-time-there-will-be-a/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible - and no one can now doubt the word of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/for-diplomacy-to-be-effective-words-must-be-credible-and-no-one-can/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Vision motivates, sustains and dispels doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-young/vision-motivates-sustains-and-dispels-doubt/) [Thomas Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-young/) > [One may not doubt that, somehow Good Shall come of Water and of Mud; And sure, the reverent eye must see A purpose in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-brooke/one-may-not-doubt-that-somehow-good-shall-come-of-water-and-of-mud/) [Rupert Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-brooke/) > [Let smiles overshadow sadness. Let faith make you believe. Let confidence wash away doubts. Let love complete your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/let-smiles-overshadow-sadness-let-faith-make-you-believe-let/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [When in doubt, suggest that a subcommittee be appointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapman/when-in-doubt-suggest-that-a-subcommittee-be-appointed/) [Harry Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-chapman/) > [“Those who contemplate never escape the doubt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/those-who-contemplate-never-escape-the-doubt/) [Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/) [Browse all 9,582 Doubt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“probability is principally a branch of applied skepticism,”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/probability-is-principally-a-branch-of-applied-skepticism/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doubt" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/probability-is-principally-a-branch-of-applied-skepticism/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/150/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_doubt_probability-is-principally-a-branch-of-a_2064089.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/150/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_doubt_probability-is-principally-a-branch-of-a_2064089.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/150/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_doubt_probability-is-principally-a-branch-of-a_2064089.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“probability is principally a branch of applied skepticism,” — 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": "“probability is principally a branch of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/probability-is-principally-a-branch-of-applied-skepticism/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/probability-is-principally-a-branch-of-applied-skepticism/#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 } } ] } ```