I hate to be that guy but...if your justification/explanation for taking or not taking risk involves more words than numbers, you don't understand risk. References to popular science books scores double points. You're merely tricking yourself into thinking that you do so you can feel better when it goes to shit.
You must, must, must, do a) the research, and b) the math. Everything else is fluff.
You must, must, must, do a) the research, and b) the math. Everything else is fluff.