--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This, perhaps, is true self-confidence…" description: "\"“This, perhaps, is true self-confidence: the ability to look at the world without the need to find signs that stroke one’s ego.fn3”\" — Nassim Nicholas ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_confidence_this-perhaps-is-true-self-confidence-the_2079055.png" --- # This, perhaps, is true self-confidence: the ability to… ![“This, perhaps, is true self-confidence: the ability to look at the world without the need to find signs that stroke one’s ego.fn3” quote by Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_confidence_this-perhaps-is-true-self-confidence-the_2079055.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_confidence_this-perhaps-is-true-self-confidence-the_2079055.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_confidence_this-perhaps-is-true-self-confidence-the_2079055.png) > ““This, perhaps, is true self-confidence: the ability to look at the world without the need to find signs that stroke one’s ego.fn3”” [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. True self‑confidence means seeing the world objectively, without ego‑boosting signs. **In simple terms:** Confidence is objective, not ego‑driven. Key Takeaway Seek unbiased perception. Themes confidence ego perception Mood critical analytical Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - leadership training - personal development - critical thinking Key Concepts self‑awareness objectivity psychology Questions to Reflect On - How to balance objectivity and self‑esteem? - What signs reinforce ego unnecessarily? A Different Perspective Objectivity can be paralyzing without confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Confidence Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence-ability/) [Self confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-confidence/) [Stroke Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stroke-ego-4051905/) [True self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-self/) ## Related quotes > [Stop bragging...let other people stroke your ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-bragging-let-other-people-stroke-your-ego/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As long as someone knows they can get attention from you, they will use it whenever convenient to stroke their ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelita-lim/as-long-as-someone-knows-they-can-get-attention-from-you-they-will/) [Angelita Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelita-lim/) > [Once you develop confidence in your own ability, you'll be able to make a real contribution to creating a better world. Self-confidence is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/once-you-develop-confidence-in-your-own-ability-you-ll-be-able-to/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I didn't do very well at school, and I suppose I've always had this sense, you know that, of being average, so I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hollingworth/i-didn-t-do-very-well-at-school-and-i-suppose-i-ve-always-had-this/) [Peter Hollingworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hollingworth/) > [With realization of one's own potential and self-confidence in one's ability, one can build a better world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/with-realization-of-one-s-own-potential-and-self-confidence-in-one-s/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I have the same confidence in the ability of our people to reject noxious literature as I have in their capacity to sort out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/i-have-the-same-confidence-in-the-ability-of-our-people-to-reject/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bindi-irwin/you-don-t-need-to-be-accepted-by-others-you-need-to-accept-yourself/) [Bindi Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bindi-irwin/) > [“It is up to us to never forget who we truly are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamuna-tsertsvadze/it-is-up-to-us-to-never-forget-who-we-truly-are/) [Tamuna Tsertsvadze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamuna-tsertsvadze/) > [True self-confidence isn't an overnight acquisition. It takes dedication to realize you are a good human being that is worthy of respect and love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/true-self-confidence-isn-t-an-overnight-acquisition-it-takes/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [If you surround yourself with people who have/think positive thoughts your focus, faith, confidence, and ability will shoot through the roof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-surround-yourself-with-people-who-have-think-positive-thoughts/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Confidence is the ability to feel beautiful without needing someone to tell you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-chable/confidence-is-the-ability-to-feel-beautiful-without-needing-someone/) [Ana Chable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-chable/) > [I have got a lot of confidence in my ability now, and I feel like I am going in the right direction and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-barkley/i-have-got-a-lot-of-confidence-in-my-ability-now-and-i-feel-like-i-am/) [Ross Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-barkley/) > [I have much more confidence in my ability, or any president or any leader's ability, to mobilize the American people around a multiyear, multibillion-dollar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-have-much-more-confidence-in-my-ability-or-any-president-or-any/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I honestly believe that if you are willing to out-condition the opponent, have confidence in your ability, be more aggressive than your opponent and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-bryant/i-honestly-believe-that-if-you-are-willing-to-out-condition-the/) [Bear Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-bryant/) > [Every man who accomplishes things sees first in his mind what he wishes to do. He puts away all doubt. It makes no difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fillmore/every-man-who-accomplishes-things-sees-first-in-his-mind-what-he/) [Charles Fillmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fillmore/) ## 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 Confidence quotes > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [I was just confident my work was good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunny-yeager/i-was-just-confident-my-work-was-good/) [Bunny Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunny-yeager/) > [I am confident when I take the penalty otherwise I would pass for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/i-am-confident-when-i-take-the-penalty-otherwise-i-would-pass-for/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [My friend made me a leather dress for the MTV awards. It gives you confidence, wearing something you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/my-friend-made-me-a-leather-dress-for-the-mtv-awards-it-gives-you/) [Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/i-would-rather-regret-the-things-that-i-have-done-than-the-things/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I look for someone who has confidence. Also someone whose energetic, cause I'm NOT that energetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-jonas/i-look-for-someone-who-has-confidence-also-someone-whose-energetic/) [Nick Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-jonas/) > [Why shouldn't I be confident? I'm well educated, I can deliver a line, and I have more than three expressions. That's good right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonakshi-sinha/why-shouldn-t-i-be-confident-i-m-well-educated-i-can-deliver-a-line/) [Sonakshi Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonakshi-sinha/) > [I was very confident on the stage, and I stood out in a red gown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-johnson/i-was-very-confident-on-the-stage-and-i-stood-out-in-a-red-gown/) [Nicole Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-johnson/) > [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) [Browse all 11,290 Confidence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This, perhaps, is true self-confidence: the ability to look at the world without the need to find signs that stroke one’s ego.fn3”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/this-perhaps-is-true-self-confidence-the-ability-to-look-at-the-world/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Confidence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/this-perhaps-is-true-self-confidence-the-ability-to-look-at-the-world/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_confidence_this-perhaps-is-true-self-confidence-the_2079055.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_confidence_this-perhaps-is-true-self-confidence-the_2079055.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_confidence_this-perhaps-is-true-self-confidence-the_2079055.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This, perhaps, is true self-confidence: the ability to look at the world without the need to find signs that…” — 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": "“This, perhaps, is true self-confidence: the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/this-perhaps-is-true-self-confidence-the-ability-to-look-at-the-world/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/this-perhaps-is-true-self-confidence-the-ability-to-look-at-the-world/#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 } } ] } ```