--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some business bets in which one wins big…" description: "\"“Some business bets in which one wins big but infrequently, yet loses small but frequently, are worth making if others are suckers for them and if you ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_bets_some-business-bets-in-which-one-wins-big_3172061.png" --- # Some business bets in which one wins big but infrequently… ![“Some business bets in which one wins big but infrequently, yet loses small but frequently, are worth making if others are suckers for them and if you have the personal and intellectual stamina.” quote by Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_bets_some-business-bets-in-which-one-wins-big_3172061.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_bets_some-business-bets-in-which-one-wins-big_3172061.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_bets_some-business-bets-in-which-one-wins-big_3172061.png) > ““Some business bets in which one wins big but infrequently, yet loses small but frequently, are worth making if others are suckers for them and if you have the personal and intellectual stamina.”” [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. Occasionally taking high‑risk, high‑reward bets is worthwhile if you have the stamina to endure frequent small losses and others are less prepared. **In simple terms:** Take big, rare bets if you can handle frequent small losses. Key Takeaway Embrace selective high‑risk bets. Themes risk reward stamina Mood analytical strategic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - investment - entrepreneurship - gambling - market speculation Key Concepts probability behavioral finance strategic planning Questions to Reflect On - Are you prepared for frequent small losses? - How do you identify true “sucker” opportunities? A Different Perspective High‑risk bets can be financially ruinous without proper capital. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bets/) [Bets Wins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bets-wins-5638985/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Business Bets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-bets-5777744/) [Frequently Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frequently-worth-5777745/) [Gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gamble/) [Infrequently Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infrequently-loses-5777746/) ## Related quotes > [The one who bets the most wins. Cards just break ties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-farha/the-one-who-bets-the-most-wins-cards-just-break-ties/) [Sam Farha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-farha/) > [“make sure that no single bet, or even multiple bets, could cause me to lose more than an acceptable amount.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/make-sure-that-no-single-bet-or-even-multiple-bets-could-cause-me-to/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Of course I gamble, to make the games interesting. But five hundred dollars a game, tops. Or sometimes a thousand. No heart attack bets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-matthau/of-course-i-gamble-to-make-the-games-interesting-but-five-hundred/) [Walter Matthau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-matthau/) > [There are just four kinds of bets. There are good bets, bad bets, bets that you win, and bets that you lose. Winning a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-hite/there-are-just-four-kinds-of-bets-there-are-good-bets-bad-bets-bets/) [Larry Hite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-hite/) > [It is quite amazing how hard the subconscious works when it is made to understand that this life is not a rehearsal, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burdett/it-is-quite-amazing-how-hard-the-subconscious-works-when-it-is-made/) [John Burdett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burdett/) > [I guess, what I'm saying is that when I've been this surprised by my own characters and world, all bets are off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-guess-what-i-m-saying-is-that-when-i-ve-been-this-surprised-by-my/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [The one thing that I think separates Microsoft from a lot of other people is we make bold bets. 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Follow the rules without question. 5.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-seykota/the-trading-rules-i-live-by-are-1-cut-losses-2-ride-winners-3-keep/) [Ed Seykota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-seykota/) > [Are you placing enough interesting, freakish, long shot, weirdo bets?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/are-you-placing-enough-interesting-freakish-long-shot-weirdo-bets/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [This is a perverse thing, personally, but I would rather be in the cycle where people are underestimating us. It gives us latitude to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/this-is-a-perverse-thing-personally-but-i-would-rather-be-in-the/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [When we got married, nobody gave it more than two weeks. There were bets all over the country, with astronomical odds against us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desi-arnaz/when-we-got-married-nobody-gave-it-more-than-two-weeks-there-were/) [Desi Arnaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desi-arnaz/) > [If I had to lay bets, my bet would be that everything is going to go to hell, but, you know, what else have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rorty/if-i-had-to-lay-bets-my-bet-would-be-that-everything-is-going-to-go/) [Richard Rorty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rorty/) > [“Edward: I don't know whether to put my fingers in my ears and go la-la-la or find more of your guards so we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/edward-i-don-t-know-whether-to-put-my-fingers-in-my-ears-and-go-la-la/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) ## 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. 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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 Bets quotes > [“Edward: I don't know whether to put my fingers in my ears and go la-la-la or find more of your guards so we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/edward-i-don-t-know-whether-to-put-my-fingers-in-my-ears-and-go-la-la/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [If I had to lay bets, my bet would be that everything is going to go to hell, but, you know, what else have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rorty/if-i-had-to-lay-bets-my-bet-would-be-that-everything-is-going-to-go/) [Richard Rorty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rorty/) > [When we got married, nobody gave it more than two weeks. There were bets all over the country, with astronomical odds against us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desi-arnaz/when-we-got-married-nobody-gave-it-more-than-two-weeks-there-were/) [Desi Arnaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desi-arnaz/) > [This is a perverse thing, personally, but I would rather be in the cycle where people are underestimating us. It gives us latitude to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/this-is-a-perverse-thing-personally-but-i-would-rather-be-in-the/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Are you placing enough interesting, freakish, long shot, weirdo bets?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/are-you-placing-enough-interesting-freakish-long-shot-weirdo-bets/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [The trading rules I live by are: 1. Cut losses. 2. Ride winners. 3. Keep bets small. 4. 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We're all storytellers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/in-21st-century-storytelling-all-bets-are-off-anybody-can-do-anything/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) [Browse all 71 Bets quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bets/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Some business bets in which one wins big but infrequently, yet loses small but frequently, are worth making if others are suckers for them and if you have the personal and intellectual stamina.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/some-business-bets-in-which-one-wins-big-but-infrequently-yet-loses/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bets" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/some-business-bets-in-which-one-wins-big-but-infrequently-yet-loses/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_bets_some-business-bets-in-which-one-wins-big_3172061.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_bets_some-business-bets-in-which-one-wins-big_3172061.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_bets_some-business-bets-in-which-one-wins-big_3172061.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Some business bets in which one wins big but infrequently, yet loses small but frequently, are worth making…” — 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": "“Some business bets in which one...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/some-business-bets-in-which-one-wins-big-but-infrequently-yet-loses/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/some-business-bets-in-which-one-wins-big-but-infrequently-yet-loses/#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 } } ] } ```