Carlo M. Cipolla Quotes

#1. 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

#2. As Dr. Chiang puts it, while Buddha came to China on white elephants, Christ was borne on cannon balls.

Carlo M. Cipolla

#3. 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

#4. 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

#5. Always and inevitably, everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation.

Carlo M. Cipolla

#6. Quantity is not necessarily synonymous with quality and brilliant ideas are not a function of the number of titles printed.

Carlo M. Cipolla

#7. 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