How could economics not be behavioral? If it isn't behavioral, what the hell is it?
Charlie MungerRead
Is there such thing as a cheerful pessimist? That's what I am.
Interpretation
A cheerful pessimist maintains a positive outlook while being realistic about challenges.
This quote by Charlie Munger captures the essence of someone who acknowledges the potential difficulties and negatives in life but chooses to face them with optimism. While pessimism often implies a focus on what could go wrong, a cheerful pessimist finds joy and humor in life despite this acknowledgment, suggesting a balanced perspective that combines realism with positivity.
In practice
While discussing life challenges during a motivational speech.
How could economics not be behavioral? If it isn't behavioral, what the hell is it?
The world of derivatives is full of holes that very few people are really aware of. It's like hydrogen and oxygen sitting on the corner waiting for a little flame.
I believe in the discipline of mastering the best that other people have ever figured out. I don't believe in just sitting down and trying to dream it all up yourself. Nobody's that smart.
Economics is in many respects the queen of the soft sciences. It's expected to be better than the rest. It's my view that economics is better at the multi-disciplinary stuff than the rest of the soft science. And it's also my view that it's still lousy.
Look at this generation, with all of its electronic devices and multitasking. I will confidently predict less success than Warren, who just focused on reading.
Economics profession, they've been - they've been confident in various formulas, but economics is not physics. The same formula that works in one decade doesn't work in the next. Economics is a difficult subject.
Nothing ever gets settled in this town. a seething debating society in which the debate never stops, in which people never give up, including me. And so that's the atmosphere in which you administer.
...we must first scrutinize thoroughly anything appearing in our hearts or any saying suggested to us. Has it come purified from the divine and heavenly fire of the Holy Spirit? Or does it lean toward Jewish superstition? Is its surface piety something which has come down from bloated worldly philosophy? We must examine this most carefully, doing as the apostle bids us: 'Do not believe in every spirit, but make sure to find out if spirits are from God'.
Irresolution on the schemes of life which offer themselves to our choice, and inconstancy in pursuing them, are the greatest causes of all our unhappiness.
To claim that theft or adultery or lying are "evil" simply reflects our degraded idea of good-βthat it has something to do with respect for property, respectability, and sincerity.
The idol of today pushes the hero of yesterday out of our recollection; and will, in turn, be supplanted by his successor of tomorrow.
A fully functional multiracial society cannot be achieved without a sense of history and open, honest dialogue.
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