WIST Quotations

Russell, Bertrand -- Conquest of Happiness, Part 1, ch. 2 “Byronic Unhappiness” (1930)

Dave — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 16:04:04 +0000

We must distinguish between a mood and its intellectual expression. There is no arguing with mood; it can be changed by some fortunate event, or by a change in our bodily condition, but it cannot be changed by argument.

Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) English mathematician and philosopher
Conquest of Happiness, Part 1, ch. 2 “Byronic Unhappiness” (1930)
(Source)

Carr, E. H. -- What Is History?, ch. 1 (1961)

Dave — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 19:59:51 +0000

Study the historian before you begin to study the facts. This is, after all, not very abstruse. It is what is already done by the intelligent undergraduate who, when recommended to read a work by that great scholar Jones of St. Jude’s, goes round to a friend at St. Jude’s to ask what sort of chap Jones is, and what bees he has in his bonnet. When you read a work of history, always listen out for the buzzing. If you can detect none, either you are tone deaf or your historian is a dull dog. The facts are really not at all like fish on the fishmonger’s slab. They are like fish swimming about in a vast and sometimes inaccessible ocean; and what the historian catches will depend partly on chance, but mainly on what part of the ocean he chooses to fish in and what tackle he chooses to use – these two factors being, of course, determined by the kind of fish he wants to catch. By and large, the historian will get the kind of facts he wants. History means interpretation.

E. H. Carr (1892–1982) British historian, journalist, international relations theorist [Edward Hallett "Ted" Carr]
What Is History?, ch. 1 (1961)
(Source)

O'Malley, Austin -- Keystones of Thought (1914)

Dave — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 20:40:31 +0000

There’s many a slip betwixt the observation and the conclusion.

Austin O'Malley (1858–1932) American ophthalmologist, professor of literature, aphorist
Keystones of Thought (1914)
(Source)

Dyson, Freeman -- The Scientist as Rebel, Part 4, ch. 25 “Is God in the Lab?” (2006)

Dave — Mon, 01 May 2023 15:23:37 +0000

It is a curious accident of history that the Christian religion became heavily involved with theology. No other religion finds it necessary to formulate elaborately precise statements about the abstract qualities and relationships of gods and humans. […] The idea that God may be approached and understood through intellectual analysis is uniquely Christian.

Freeman Dyson (1923–2020) English-American theoretical physicist, mathematician, futurist
The Scientist as Rebel, Part 4, ch. 25 “Is God in the Lab?” (2006)
(Source)

Originally published in New York Review of books (1998-05-28).

Von Clausewitz, Karl -- On War [Vom Kriege], Book 1, ch. 1 “What Is War? [Was ist der Krieg?],” § 22 (1.1.22) (1832) [tr. Graham (1873)]

Dave — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 15:28:34 +0000

Although our intellect always feels itself urged towards clearness and certainty, still our mind often feels itself attracted by uncertainty. Instead of threading its way with the understanding along the narrow path of philosophical investigations and logical conclusions, in order almost unconscious of itself, to arrive in spaces where it feels itself a stranger, and where it seems to part from all well known objects, it prefers to remain with the imagination in the realms of chance and luck.

[Obgleich sich unser Verstand immer zur Klarheit und Gewißheit hingedrängt fühlt, so fühlt sich doch unser Geist oft von der Ungewißheit angezogen. Statt sich mit dem Verstande auf dem engen Pfade philosophischer Untersuchung und logischer Schlußfolgen durchzuwinden, um, seiner selbst sich kaum bewußt, in Räumen anzukommen, wo er sich fremd fühlt, und wo ihn alle bekannten Gegenstände zu verlassen scheinen, weilt er lieber mit der Einbildungskraft im Reiche der Zufälle und des Glücks.]

Karl von Clausewitz (1780–1831) Prussian soldier, historian, military theorist
On War [Vom Kriege], Book 1, ch. 1 “What Is War? [Was ist der Krieg?],” § 22 (1.1.22) (1832) [tr. Graham (1873)]
(Source)

(Source (German)). Other translations:

Although our intellect always feels itself urged toward clarity and certainty, our mind still often feels itself attracted by uncertainty. Instead of threading its way with the intellect along the narrow path of philosophical investigation and logical deduction, in order almost unconsciously, to arrive in spaces where it finds itself a stranger and where all familiar objects seem to abandon it, it prefers to linger with imagination in the realms of chance and luck.
[tr. Jolles (1943)]

Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating. It prefers to day-dream in the realms of chance and luck rather than accompany the intellect on its narrow and tortuous path of philosophical enquiry and logical deduction only to arrive -- hardly knowing how -- in unfamiliar surroundings where all the usual landmarks seem to have disappeared.
[tr. Howard & Paret (1976)]

Descartes, René -- Discourse on Method [Discours de la méthode], Part 2 (1637) [tr. Veitch (1850)]

Dave — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 22:54:16 +0000

… To divide each of the difficulties under examination into as many parts as possible, and as might be necessary for its adequate solution.

[… De diviser chacune des difficultés que j’examinerais, en autant de parcelles qu’il se pourroit, et qu’il seroit requis pour les mieux résoudre.]

René Descartes (1596–1650) French philosopher, mathematician
Discourse on Method [Discours de la méthode], Part 2 (1637) [tr. Veitch (1850)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Other translations:

... To divide every One of these difficulties, which I was to examine into as many parcels as could be, and, as was requisite the better to resolve them.
[Newcombe ed. (1649)]

... To divide up each of the difficulties which I examined into as many parts as possible, and as seemed requisite in order that it might be resolved in the best manner possible.
[tr. Haldane & Ross (1911)]

... To divide each problem I examined into as many parts as was feasible, and as was requisite for its better solution.
[tr. Ascombe & Geach (1971)]

... To divide each of the difficulties I examined into as many parts as possible, and as may be required in order to resolve them better.
[tr. Cottingham, Stoothoff (1985)]

Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it.

Taylor, A. J. P. -- “What Else Indeed?” New York Review of Books (5 Aug 1965)

Dave — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 17:57:16 +0000

Historians can sometimes explain, or at any rate discuss the immediate causes of some great event. Beyond that they can do little more than arrive at the platitude that every generation is, to some extent, responsible for what happened afterwards. In this way, we can finally reach the preposterous conclusion that the ancient Romans were responsible for the First World War, when they failed to civilize the Germans. This is sometimes called learning from history.

A. J. P. Taylor (1906–1990) British historian, journalist, broadcaster [Alan John Percivale Taylor]
“What Else Indeed?” New York Review of Books (5 Aug 1965)
(Source)

Gordon, Peter E. -- “Why Historical Analogy Matters,” New York Review of Books (7 Jan 2020)

Dave — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 13:59:37 +0000

In the popular imagination, the belief persists that history involves little more than reconstruction, a retelling of the past “as it actually was.” But historical understanding involves far more than mere empiricism; it demands a readiness to draw back from the facts to reflect on their significance and their interconnection.

Peter E, Gordon (b. 1966) American intellectual historian
“Why Historical Analogy Matters,” New York Review of Books (7 Jan 2020)
(Source)

Arago, Francois -- Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men, “Joseph Fourier” (1859) [tr. Smyth, Powell, Grant]

Dave — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 20:30:43 +0000

Such is the privilege of genius; it perceives, it seizes relations where vulgar eyes see only isolated facts.

[Tel est le privilége du génie: il aperçoit, il saisit des rapports, là où des yeux vulgaires lie voient que des faits isolés.]

François Arago (1786–1853) French Catalan mathematician, physicist, astronomer, politician
Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men, “Joseph Fourier” (1859) [tr. Smyth, Powell, Grant]
(Source)

Mull, Martin -- (Attributed)

Dave — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 19:15:34 +0000

Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.

Martin Mull (b. 1943) American actor, comedian
(Attributed)

Many people have put many hours into determining the origin of this quotation, but the best evidence at present points to Mull, in or before early 1979. See:

Writing About Music is Like Dancing About Architecture – Quote Investigator

Alan P. Scott - Talking about Music...

Commager, Henry Steele -- Essay (1953-02-21), “Is Freedom Really Necessary?” Saturday Review

Dave — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 22:06:44 +0000

Censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion, incapable, that is, of doing an honest or intelligent job, and thus guarantees a steady intellectual decline.

Henry Steele Commager (1902–1998) American historian, writer, activist
Essay (1953-02-21), “Is Freedom Really Necessary?” Saturday Review
(Source)

Based on a discussion by the American Round Table, New York City (1951). Collected as "Free Enterprise in Ideas," Freedom, Loyalty and Dissent (1954).

Aaronovitch, Ben -- False Value (2020)

Dave — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 14:31:25 +0000

But everyone assumes causation when they should be thinking coincidence, and correlation when they should be asking whether Twitter is really a reliable source of information.

Ben Aaronovitch (b. 1964) British author
False Value (2020)
(Source)

Nathan, George Jean -- Materia Critica, “Critic and Criticism,” sec. 4 (1924)

Dave — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 21:31:40 +0000

The path of sound credence is through the thick forest of skepticism.

George Jean Nathan (1892–1958) American editor and critic
Materia Critica, “Critic and Criticism,” sec. 4 (1924)
(Source)

~Other -- Anonymous

Dave — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 20:57:00 +0000

The difference between a conviction and a prejudice is that you can explain a conviction without getting angry.

(Other Authors and Sources)
Anonymous

No definitive source is found for this quotation. Frequently attributed to Gregory Benford, Deeper than the Darkness (1970), but it has shown up anonymously at least as early as 1951 as "filler" material in periodicals. Also sometimes attributed to Samuel Butler or Dorothy Sarnoff, but not with any citation.

Plato -- (Spurious)

Dave — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 02:24:28 +0000

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.

Plato (c.428–347 BC) Greek philosopher
(Spurious)

Frequently attributed to Plato, starting in the 1950s, but not found in his works. Earliest citation is as a Portuguese proverb, in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs, tr. Henry G. Bohn (1857): "Mais descobre huma hora de jogo, que hum anno de conversação." For more see here.

Kubrick, Stanley -- In Newsweek (26 May 1980)

Dave — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 21:59:18 +0000

You sit at the board and suddenly your heart leaps. Your hand trembles to pick up the piece and move it. But what chess teaches you is that you must sit there calmly and think about whether it’s really a good idea and whether there are other, better ideas.

Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999) American film director, screenwriter, producer
In Newsweek (26 May 1980)

Layton, Irving -- “Obs II,” The Whole Bloody Bird (1969)

Dave — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 01:29:42 +0000

If poetry is like an orgasm, an academic can be likened to someone who studies the passion-stains on the bedsheets.

Irving Layton (1912–2006) Romanian-Canadian poet [b. Israel Pincu Lazarovitch]
“Obs II,” The Whole Bloody Bird (1969)
(Source)

Shakur, Tupac -- (Attributed)

Dave — Wed, 31 May 2017 17:27:48 +0000

You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could’ve, would’ve happened. … Or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move the fuck on.

Tupac Shakur (1971–1996) American rapper, record producer, actor [b. Lesane Parish Crooks]
(Attributed)

Widely quoted and included in memes, but without citation. Considered spurious by a number of fans.

Disraeli, Benjamin -- (Attributed)

Dave — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 14:35:28 +0000

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) English politician and author
(Attributed)
(Source)

Attributed by Mark Twain in "Chapters from My Autobiography" (Apr 1904), North American Review (7 Sep 1906): "Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: 'There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.'"

The phrase has not been found in any of Disraeli's works, and he is considered unlikely to be the originator. Variants of the phrase date back a century or more from Twain's reference. More discussion about this quotation here:

Adams, Douglas -- Dirk Gently No. 1, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, ch. 4 [Richard] (1987)

Dave — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 13:07:13 +0000

What I mean is that if you really want to understand something, the best way is to try and explain it to someone else. That forces you to sort it out in your mind. And the more slow and dim-witted your pupil, the more you have to break things down into more and more simple ideas. And that’s really the essence of programming. By the time you’ve sorted out a complicated idea into little steps that even a stupid machine can deal with, you’ve learned something about it yourself.

Douglas Adams (1952–2001) English author, humorist, screenwriter
Dirk Gently No. 1, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, ch. 4 [Richard] (1987)
(Source)

Hook, Sydney -- Political Power and Personal Freedom, ch. 28 “Socialism Without Utopia: A Rejoinder to Max Eastman”(1959)

Dave — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 12:32:18 +0000

More important than any belief a man holds is the way he holds it. Any fool or fanatic can embrace a doctrine. Even if true, it remains a dogma unless it is evaluated in the light of its alternatives, and the relevant evidence for them.

Sidney Hook (1902–1989) American philosopher
Political Power and Personal Freedom, ch. 28 “Socialism Without Utopia: A Rejoinder to Max Eastman”(1959)

Fuller, Thomas (1654) -- Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 1, # 583 (1725)

Dave — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 12:03:32 +0000

If thy Business be perplexed, divide it, and look upon all its Parts and Sides.

Thomas Fuller (1654–1734) English physician, preacher, aphorist, writer
Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 1, # 583 (1725)
(Source)

See Descartes.

Ackoff, Russell -- “The future of operational research is past,” The Journal of the Operational Research Society, Vol 30 (1979)

Dave — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 12:43:12 +0000

When a mess, which is a system of problems, is taken apart, it loses its essential properties and so does each of its parts. The behavior of a mess depends more on how the treatment of its parts interact than how they act independently of each other. A partial solution to a whole system of problems is better than whole solutions of each of its parts taken separately.

Russell L. Ackoff (1919–2009) American organizational theorist, consultant, management scientist
“The future of operational research is past,” The Journal of the Operational Research Society, Vol 30 (1979)

White, E. B. -- “The Preaching Humorist,” The Saturday Review of Literature (1941-10-18) [with Katherine White]

Dave — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 14:45:05 +0000

Humor can be dissected, as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the purely scientific mind.

E. B. White (1899–1985) American author, critic, humorist [Elwyn Brooks White]
“The Preaching Humorist,” The Saturday Review of Literature (1941-10-18) [with Katherine White]
(Source)

The apparent origin of "Analyzing humor is a bit like dissecting a frog: You learn how it works but you end up with a dead frog" (and variants).

Also attributed to Mark Twain (not found in his writing) and André Maurois (who said something similar in 1960). See here for more discussion.

Ackoff, Russell -- “Management Misinformation Systems,” Management Sciences (Dec 1967)

Dave — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 12:51:46 +0000

I do not deny that most managers lack a good deal of information that they should have, but I do deny that this is the most important informational deficiency from which they suffer. It seems to me that they suffer more from an overabundance of irrelevant information.

Russell L. Ackoff (1919–2009) American organizational theorist, consultant, management scientist
“Management Misinformation Systems,” Management Sciences (Dec 1967)

Pratchett, Terry -- Good Omens, 4. “Thursday” (1990) [with Neil Gaiman]

Dave — Thu, 08 May 2014 14:47:42 +0000

He didn’t say “That’s weird.” He wouldn’t have said “That’s weird” if a flock of sheep had cycled past playing violins. It wasn’t the sort of thing a responsible engineer said.

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) English author
Good Omens, 4. “Thursday” (1990) [with Neil Gaiman]
(Source)

Einstein, Albert -- (Attributed)

Dave — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 12:28:14 +0000

You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-American physicist
(Attributed)

Alternate versions:

"If you can't explain something to a six-year-old, you really don't understand it yourself."
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."

No source found. The quote is frequently also attributed to Richard Feynman. It is likely based on a similar quote by Ernest Rutherford.

The closest reference to it can be found in Ronald W. Clark, Einstein: The Life and Times (1972):

To de Broglie, Einstein revealed an instinctive reason for his inability to accept the purely statistical interpretation of wave mechanics. It was a reason which linked him with Rutherford, who used to state that "it should be possible to explain the laws of physics to a barmaid." Einstein, having a final discussion with de Broglie on the platform of the Gare du Nord in Paris, whence they had traveled from Brussels to attend the Fresnel centenary celebrations, said "that all physical theories, their mathematical expressions apart ought to lend themselves to so simple a description 'that even a child could understand them.'"

More discussion of this quotation here.

Holmes, Oliver Wendell, Jr. -- Letter (1902-10-24) to Lady Georgina Deffell Pollock

Dave — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:01:07 +0000

The only simplicity for which I would give a straw is that which is on the other side of the complex — not that which never has divined it.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935) American jurist, Supreme Court Justice
Letter (1902-10-24) to Lady Georgina Deffell Pollock
(Source)

In context, criticizing those who praise simplicity (at least in literature, if not beyond), except that simplicity which results after a synthesis of the complex.

Collected in Mark Howe (ed.), Holmes-Pollock Letters: The Correspondence of Mr. Justice Holmes and Sir Frederick Pollock, 1874-1932 (1961).

This quotation is frequently misattributed to his father, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. It also has (at least two) incorrect variants that are seen more frequently on the Internet:

For the simplicity on this side of complexity, I wouldn't give you a fig. But for the simplicity on the other side of complexity, for that I would give you anything I have.

I wouldn’t give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity; I would give my right arm for the simplicity on the far side of complexity.

Bierce, Ambrose -- The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Vol. 8, “Epigrams” (1911)

Dave — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:06:03 +0000

All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusion is called a philosopher.

Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?) American writer and journalist
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Vol. 8, “Epigrams” (1911)
(Source)

Rickover, Hyman -- Speech (1981-11-05), “Doing a Job,” Egleston Medal Award Dinner, Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science, New York

Dave — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:10:05 +0000

Nothing so sharpens the thought process as writing down one’s arguments. Weaknesses overlooked in oral discussion become painfully obvious on the written page.

Hyman Rickover (1900–1986) Polish-American naval engineer, admiral [b. Chaim Gdala Rykower]
Speech (1981-11-05), “Doing a Job,” Egleston Medal Award Dinner, Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science, New York
(Source)

Doyle, Arthur Conan -- Story (1891-07), “A Scandal in Bohemia,” ch. 1 [Holmes], The Strand Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 1

Dave — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:02:49 +0000

I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) British writer and physician
Story (1891-07), “A Scandal in Bohemia,” ch. 1 [Holmes], The Strand Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 1
(Source)

Collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, No. 1, ch. 1 (1892).

Holmes uses a similar phrase in The Sign of the Four (1890).

Peter, Lawrence J. -- Peter’s Almanac, entry for 24 Sep. (1982).

Dave — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:33:10 +0000

Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919–1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s Almanac, entry for 24 Sep. (1982).

Peter, Lawrence J. -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn’t happen today.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919–1990) American educator, management theorist
(Attributed)

Knuth, Donald E. -- Essay (1974-12), “Structured Programming with go to Statements,” ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 6

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

There is no doubt that the “grail” of efficiency leads to abuse. Programmers waste enormous amounts of time thinking about, or worrying about, the speed of noncritical parts of their programs, and these attempts at efficiency actually have a strong negative impact when debugging and maintenance are considered. We should forget about small efficiencies, say about 97% of the time: premature optimization is the root of all evil.

Donald E. Knuth (b. 1938) American computer scientist, mathematician, academic
Essay (1974-12), “Structured Programming with go to Statements,” ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 6
(Source)

Carlyle, Thomas -- Letter (1836-04-29) to Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

I grow daily to honor Facts more and more, and Theory less and less.

Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish essayist and historian
Letter (1836-04-29) to Ralph Waldo Emerson
(Source)