Carlo Cipolla Quotes & Sayings

Quantity is not necessarily synonymous with quality and brilliant ideas are not a function of the number of titles printed. — Carlo M. Cipolla

As Dr. Chiang puts it, while Buddha came to China on white elephants, Christ was borne on cannon balls. — Carlo M. Cipolla

Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular, non-stupid people constantly forget that at all times and places and under any circumstances to deal and/or associate with stupid people always turns out to be a costly mistake. — Carlo M. Cipolla

No matter how high are one's estimates of human stupidity, one is repeatedly and recurrently startled by the fact that:
a) people whom one had once judged rational and intelligent turn out to be unashamedly stupid.
b) day after day, with unceasing monotony, one is harassed in one's activities by stupid individuals who appear suddenly and unexpectedly in the most inconvenient places and at the most improbable moments. — Carlo M. Cipolla

Always and inevitably, everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation. — Carlo M. Cipolla

The "Vasco da Gama's era" ends in a nightmare in which men-Westerners and non-Westerners alike-are bewildered by this confusion and the old fancy of the apprenti sorcier becomes tragically actual. — Carlo M. Cipolla

Nobody knows, understands or can possibly explain why that preposterous creature does what he does. In fact there is no explanation - or better there is only one explanation: the person in question is stupid. — Carlo M. Cipolla

A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses. — Carlo M. Cipolla