Well, another box is suggested by the maxim better to fail quickly than to fail slowly which I’m attributing to venture capitalists but also applies in everyday life. Better to have a marriage fail after 7 months rather than 7 years; better to decide you don’t really want to do a Ph.D. after 7 months rather than 7 years. Actions that turn slow-failure outcomes into fast-failure outcomes may be better; you can stop what you’re doing and try something completely different, outside the context of the model.

-  David Aldous