Antifragile

By Nassim Nicholas Taleb,

Book cover of Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

Book description

'Really made me think about how I think' - Mohsin Hamid, author of Exit West

Tough times don't last. Tough people do.

In The Black Swan, Taleb showed us that highly improbable and unpredictable events underlie almost everything about our world. Here Taleb stands uncer tainty on its head, making…


When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

3 authors picked Antifragile as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Once you get passed the extreme arrogance of the author, who knows everything, he actually has some great insights about how to think about your life. He eschews "resilience", which means you get knocked down and get up again, for being "antifragile", a way of living that means hardships make you stronger.
He gives great examples what and how to do this.
Well worth the read.

I loved being challenged with the idea that there is something beyond resilience, that strength can be redefined as antifragility, and the application of this concept is infinite. Often shocked and kept off balance by the unorthodox words he created and paired, the uncertainty as he jumped from ancient Greece to the 21st century in one paragraph, I was forced as a reader to analyze old ideas through a novel lens.

I admit I feel a little smarter and less fragile, but I am still a novice as a flâneur. I agree with “I’d rather be dumb and antifragile…

In Antifragile, Nassim Taleb describes the concept of convexity as a property of systems that benefit from volatility, stressors, or uncertainty, and suffer from calm or stability.

You should work to make your body and mind antifragile by exposing yourself to stressors, such as exercise, fasting, and solving complex cognitive problems. That will make you stronger and more resilient.

The principle of convexity can be applied to your own cognitive development in several ways for example make it an everyday habit to embrace small failures and mistakes, pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, and working on skills that…

Want books like Antifragile?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Antifragile.

Browse books like Antifragile

Book cover of Thinking, Fast and Slow
Book cover of Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise
Book cover of The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,187

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in business, entrepreneurs, and marketing?

Business 2,779 books
Entrepreneurs 313 books
Marketing 205 books