--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That story had at its core a discussion…" description: "\"“That story had at its core a discussion of my fundamental view that nothing in life is certain and that, consequently, all decisions are about probabi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/robert-e-rubin-77026_decision-making_that-story-had-at-its-core-a-discussion_2743526.jpg" --- # That story had at its core a discussion of my fundamental… ![“That story had at its core a discussion of my fundamental view that nothing in life is certain and that, consequently, all decisions are about probabilities … A truly probabilistic view of life quickly leads to the recognition that almost all significant issues are enormously complex and demand…” quote by Robert E. Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/robert-e-rubin-77026_decision-making_that-story-had-at-its-core-a-discussion_2743526.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/robert-e-rubin-77026_decision-making_that-story-had-at-its-core-a-discussion_2743526.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/robert-e-rubin-77026_decision-making_that-story-had-at-its-core-a-discussion_2743526.jpg) > ““That story had at its core a discussion of my fundamental view that nothing in life is certain and that, consequently, all decisions are about probabilities … A truly probabilistic view of life quickly leads to the recognition that almost all significant issues are enormously complex and demand that one delve into those complexities to identify the relevant considerations and the inevitable trade-offs …Even the best decisions about intervention are probabilistic and run a real risk of failure, but the failure wouldn’t necessarily make the decision wrong.”” Robert E. Rubin ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is uncertain; decisions are probabilistic, involving complex trade‑offs and risk of failure, yet failure doesn’t equal wrongness. **In simple terms:** Decisions are probabilistic and complex. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty, evaluate trade‑offs. Themes economics decision theory uncertainty risk management Mood analytical pragmatic Type financial philosophical When to use this quote - business strategy - public policy - personal finance - healthcare choices Key Concepts probabilistic reasoning complex systems ethical judgment strategic planning Questions to Reflect On - How do you quantify uncertainty in choices? - What safeguards reduce risk of costly errors? A Different Perspective Probabilistic models can be data‑intensive and still imperfect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [View of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/view-of-life/) ## Related quotes > [“That story had at its core a discussion of my fundamental view that nothing in life is certain and that, consequently, all decisions are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-rubin/that-story-had-at-its-core-a-discussion-of-my-fundamental-view-that-2/) Robert E. Rubin > [“considering that alternative outcomes could have taken place, that the world could have been different, is the core of probabilistic thinking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/considering-that-alternative-outcomes-could-have-taken-place-that-the/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [ “Baseball is a soap opera that lends itself to probabilistic thinking. \[Dick Cramer\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/baseball-is-a-soap-opera-that-lends-itself-to-probabilistic-thinking/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [Quantum mechanics broke the mold of the previous framework, classical mechanics, by establishing that the predictions of science are necessarily probabilistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/quantum-mechanics-broke-the-mold-of-the-previous-framework-classical/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [Investing is about making probabilistic decisions with limited information about an unknowable future. The variables are well known, as are the possible outcomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/investing-is-about-making-probabilistic-decisions-with-limited/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Investing is a probabilistic business. Every once in a while, it's sort of like you're throwing six-sided dice, and anything except a one or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/investing-is-a-probabilistic-business-every-once-in-a-while-it-s-sort/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [“can only express a likelihood of purchase in probabilistic terms. Thus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/can-only-express-a-likelihood-of-purchase-in-probabilistic-terms-thus/) Harvard Business School Press > [“There are errors in this book. I do not know where they are. If I did they wouldn't be there. But with close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/there-are-errors-in-this-book-i-do-not-know-where-they-are-if-i-did/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [There's a certain road in life most people walk on, because it's familiar, and they can jostle to get in front place. I prefer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-shorter/there-s-a-certain-road-in-life-most-people-walk-on-because-it-s/) [Wayne Shorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-shorter/) > [“The ordinary man cannot imagine this Providence in any other form but that of a greatly exalted father, for only such a one could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-ordinary-man-cannot-imagine-this-providence-in-any-other-form-but/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“There is a view of life which conceives that where the crowd is, there is also truth. 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The Constitution gave Congress the power of life or death over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-fehrenbach/there-was-and-is-no-danger-of-military-domination-of-the-nation-the/) [T. R. Fehrenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-fehrenbach/) ## More by Robert E. Rubin > [“The only place people find fulfillment is within themselves. And too often, that's the last place they look.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-rubin/the-only-place-people-find-fulfillment-is-within-themselves-and-too/) Robert E. Rubin > [“That story had at its core a discussion of my fundamental view that nothing in life is certain and that, consequently, all decisions are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-rubin/that-story-had-at-its-core-a-discussion-of-my-fundamental-view-that-2/) Robert E. Rubin Explore all 3 Robert E. Rubin quotes ## More Decision making quotes > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [“Exactly. So, what can't you take? Decide which of the two options is harder, and do the other. That way, no matter how hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/exactly-so-what-can-t-you-take-decide-which-of-the-two-options-is/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [“How can you make an informed decision about whether to save the world if you never leave your tiny part of it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/how-can-you-make-an-informed-decision-about-whether-to-save-the-world/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [Indecision becomes decision with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-becomes-decision-with-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/decision-is-a-risk-rooted-in-the-courage-of-being-free/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [“Slow down your thinking so you can note the criteria you are using to make your decision. 2. Write the criteria down as a principle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/slow-down-your-thinking-so-you-can-note-the-criteria-you-are-using-to/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [My best business decision was to be independent as a musician and artist. My worst was compromising on certain aspects of a deal for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziggy-marley/my-best-business-decision-was-to-be-independent-as-a-musician-and/) [Ziggy Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziggy-marley/) > [“Making a decision takes a moment, living a decision takes a life-time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherif-a-el-mawardy/making-a-decision-takes-a-moment-living-a-decision-takes-a-life-time/) [Sherif A. El-Mawardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherif-a-el-mawardy/) > [Cheshvan starts tonight," Rixon said, "What are you doing arsing around in a graveyard?" "Thinking." "Thinking?" "A process by which I use my brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/cheshvan-starts-tonight-rixon-said-what-are-you-doing-arsing-around/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [The right decision is the wrong decision if it's made too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/the-right-decision-is-the-wrong-decision-if-it-s-made-too-late/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [“The decisions we take reflects our belief and our charachter”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajnish-borah/the-decisions-we-take-reflects-our-belief-and-our-charachter/) Rajnish Borah > [I think most of us are raised with preconceived notions of the choices we're supposed to make. We waste so much time making decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/i-think-most-of-us-are-raised-with-preconceived-notions-of-the/) [Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/) [Browse all 4,912 Decision making quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That story had at its core a discussion of my fundamental view that nothing in life is certain and that, consequently, all decisions are about probabilities … A truly probabilistic view of life quickly leads to the recognition that almost all significant issues are enormously complex and demand that one delve into those complexities to identify the relevant considerations and the inevitable trade-offs …Even the best decisions about intervention are probabilistic and run a real risk of failure, but the failure wouldn’t necessarily make the decision wrong.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert E. 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