If you have never read a Nassim Nicholas Taleb book, you really should. He’s one of the true counter-intuitive thinkers worth paying attention too (most are just trying to make a name for themselves). What I like about Taleb is that he’s controversial, a bit cynical, very very smart, and a practitioner of his craft. He isn’t a consultant, he’s not a talking head, and he’s not a guru of some kind … he’s actually a person who has a track record of success in academia and the financial markets.

The first book I read by Taleb was Black Swan, which is simply brilliant and one of my favorite books of 2009. His latest little book (128 pages ) is The Bed of Proscrustes. It’s a collection of insights and witticisms that will make you think. This really isn’t a book, but rather a collection of modern day proverbs. Here’s a quick selection of his sayings:

“The fastest way to become rich is to socialize with the poor. The fastest way to become poor is to socialize with the rich.”
“Social media are severely anti-social, health foods are empirically unhealthy, knowledge workers are very ignorant, and social sciences aren’t scientific at all.”
“It is those who use others who are most upset when someone uses them.”
“Religions and ethics have evolved from promising heaven if you do good to promising heaven while you do good to making you promise to do good.”

Get the idea? I think most people will find something that makes them think differently. Most will find something that insults them or perhaps even embarrasses them. And everybody will find something that makes them laugh out loud. I know I did. You’ll enjoy it.