WIST Quotations

Doyle, Arthur Conan -- Story (1890-02), “The Sign of the Four,” ch. 1 [Holmes], Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, Vol. 45 (US) / 1 (UK)

Dave — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:25:49 +0000

No, no: I never guess. It is a shocking habit, — destructive to the logical faculty.

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) British writer and physician
Story (1890-02), “The Sign of the Four,” ch. 1 [Holmes], Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, Vol. 45 (US) / 1 (UK)

The original publication, and Doyle's manuscript (along with many other iterations across media) use "The Sign of the Four" as the title, while others (including the first book publications) use "The Sign of Four." The five-word form is used most commonly in the story, but the four-word form does show up. (More info.)

Published in novel form as The Sign of Four (1890-10).

McDevitt, Jack -- Odyssey, ch. 39 (2006)

Dave — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 15:58:04 +0000

Decisions are always made with insufficient information. If you really knew what was going on, the decision would make itself.

Jack McDevitt (b. 1935) American author
Odyssey, ch. 39 (2006)

Feynman, Richard -- The Character of Physical Law, ch. 3 “The Great Conservation Principles” (1965)

Dave — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 21:54:32 +0000

So we have to make guesses in order to give any utility at all to science. In order to avoid simply describing experiments that have been done, we have to propose laws beyond their observed range. There is nothing wrong with that, despite the fact that it makes science uncertain. If you thought before that science was certain — well, that is just an error on your part.

Richard Feynman (1918–1988) American physicist
The Character of Physical Law, ch. 3 “The Great Conservation Principles” (1965)

Wagner, Jane -- The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Part 1 (1985) [perf. Lily Tomlin]

Dave — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:56:54 +0000

TROUT: After all, what is reality anyway? Nothin’ but a
collective hunch.

Jane Wagner (b. 1935) American humorist, writer, director
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Part 1 (1985) [perf. Lily Tomlin]

Variant: "Reality is a collective hunch."

Hand, Learned -- “On Receiving an Honorary Degree,” speech, Harvard University (1939-01-22)

Dave — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:18:46 +0000

Life is made up of a series of judgments on insufficient data, and if we waited to run down all our doubts, it would flow past us.

Learned Hand (1872–1961) American jurist
“On Receiving an Honorary Degree,” speech, Harvard University (1939-01-22)

First printed in the Harvard Alumni Bulletin (7 Jul 1939)