WIST Quotations

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

Dave — Thu, 14 May 2026 20:18:27 +0000

You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear.

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).

Doyle, Arthur Conan -- Story (1886-04), “A Study in Scarlet,” Part 1, ch. 2, Beeton’s Christmas Annual, Vol. 28 (1887-11-21)

Dave — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:34:09 +0000

“You appeared to be surprised when I told you, on our first meeting, that you had come from Afghanistan.”
“You were told, no doubt.”
“Nothing of the sort. I knew you came from Afghanistan. From long habit the train of thoughts ran so swiftly through my mind that I arrived at the conclusion without being conscious of intermediate steps. There were such steps, however. The train of reasoning ran, ‘Here is a gentleman of a medical type, but with the air of a military man. Clearly an army doctor, then. He has just come from the tropics, for his face is dark, and that is not the natural tint of his skin, for his wrists are fair. He has undergone hardship and sickness, as his haggard face says clearly. His left arm has been injured. He holds it in a stiff and unnatural manner. Where in the tropics could an English army doctor have seen much hardship and got his arm wounded? Clearly in Afghanistan.’ The whole train of thought did not occupy a second. I then remarked that you came from Afghanistan, and you were astonished.”

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) British writer and physician
Story (1886-04), “A Study in Scarlet,” Part 1, ch. 2, Beeton’s Christmas Annual, Vol. 28 (1887-11-21)
(Source)

Holmes and Watson. Published in novel form 1888-07.

In the Sherlock TV episode 01x01 "A Study in Pink" (w. Steven Moffat) (2010-07-25), this explanation is reworked:

HOLMES: When I met you for the first time yesterday, I said "Afghanistan or Iraq?" You looked surprised.
WATSON: How did you know?
HOLMES: I didn't know, I saw. Your haircut, the way you hold yourself, says military. But your conversation as you entered the room said trained at Bart's, so army doctor. Obvious. Your face is tanned, but no tan above the wrists: you've been abroad but not sunbathing. The limp's really bad when you walk, but you don't ask for a chair when you stand, like you've forgotten about it, so it's at least partly psychosomatic. That says the original circumstances of the injury were probably traumatic: wounded in action, then. Wounded in action, suntan: Afghanistan or Iraq.

Bernard, Claude -- An Introduction to the Study of Experimental Medicine [Introduction à l’Étude de la Médecine Expérimentale], ch. 3 (1865) [tr. Greene (1957)]

Dave — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 21:44:45 +0000

Men who have excessive faith in their theories or ideas are not only ill prepared for making discoveries; they also make very poor observations. Of necessity, they observe with a preconceived idea, and when they devise an experiment, they can see, in its results, only a confirmation of their theory. In this way they distort observation and often neglect very important facts because they do not further their aim.

[Les hommes qui ont une foi excessive dans leurs théories ou dans leurs idées sont non-seulement mal disposés pour faire des découvertes, mais ils font aussi de très-mauvaises observations. Ils observent nécessairement avec une idée préconçue, et quand ils ont institué une expérience, ils ne veulent voir dans ses résultats qu’une confirmation de leur théorie. Ils défigurent ainsi l’observation et négligent souvent des faits très-importants, parce qu’ils ne concourent pas à leur but.]

Claude Bernard (1813-1878) French physiologist, scientist
An Introduction to the Study of Experimental Medicine [Introduction à l’Étude de la Médecine Expérimentale], ch. 3 (1865) [tr. Greene (1957)]
(Source)

(Source (French))

Pasteur, Louis -- Speech, as new Dean of Science, University of Lille, France (1854-12-07)

Dave — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 16:17:31 +0000

In the fields of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind.

[Dans les champs de l’observation, le hasard ne favorise que les espirits préparés.]

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) French chemist, pharmacist, microbiologist
Speech, as new Dean of Science, University of Lille, France (1854-12-07)
(Source)

Often misattributed to Ansel Adams. It was, though, Adams' favorite aphorism, which he usually paraphrased as to "Chance favors the prepared mind."

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)

Mencken, H. L. -- A Little Book in C Major, ch. 1, § 19 (1916)

Dave — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 16:05:58 +0000

Do not be deceived by appearances. The virtue of a man is not to be measured by what he does while his wife is watching.

H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American writer and journalist [Henry Lewis Mencken]
A Little Book in C Major, ch. 1, § 19 (1916)
(Source)

Woolf, Virginia -- “An Unwritten Novel” (1920)

Dave — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 17:21:59 +0000

The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages.

Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) English modernist writer [b. Adeline Virginia Stephen]
“An Unwritten Novel” (1920)
(Source)

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Journal (1834-05-16)

Dave — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 00:33:16 +0000

Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers in it.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Journal (1834-05-16)
(Source)

Perot, H. Ross -- (Attributed)

Dave — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 16:40:37 +0000

An activist is the guy who cleans the river, not the guy who concludes it’s dirty.

H. Ross Perot (1930-2019) American entrepreneur, politician, reformer [Henry Ross Perot, Sr.]
(Attributed)
(Source)

In Ken Gross, Ross Perot: The Man Behind the Myth, ch. 14 (1992). A favorite saying of Perot's, varying slightly over the years (e.g., "The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river.").

Halifax, George Savile, Marquis of -- “Of Caution and Suspicion,” Political, Moral, and Miscellaneous Thoughts and Reflections (1750)

Dave — Thu, 29 Dec 2016 00:45:06 +0000

A wise Man will keep his Suspicions muzzled, but he will keep them awake.

George Savile, Marquis of Halifax (1633-1695) English politician and essayist
“Of Caution and Suspicion,” Political, Moral, and Miscellaneous Thoughts and Reflections (1750)
(Source)

Bronowski, Jacob -- Science and Human Values, Part 2 “The Habit of Truth”, §11 (1956)

Dave — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 04:32:51 +0000

In effect what Luther said in 1517 was that we may appeal to a demonstrable work of God, the Bible, to override any established authority. The Scientific Revolution begins when Nicolaus Copernicus implied the bolder proposition that there is another work of God to which we may appeal even beyond this: the great work of nature. No absolute statement is allowed to be out of reach of the test, that its consequence must conform to the facts of nature.

Jacob Bronowski (1908-1974) Polish-English humanist and mathematician
Science and Human Values, Part 2 “The Habit of Truth”, §11 (1956)

Brewster, Kingman -- Lecture, St George’s Chapel, Windsor, England (5 May 1978)

Dave — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 06:11:41 +0000

We all live in a televised goldfish bowl.

Kingman Brewster, Jr. (1919-1988) American educator, diplomat
Lecture, St George’s Chapel, Windsor, England (5 May 1978)

Lebowitz, Fran -- “Children: Pro or Con,” Metropolitan Life (1978)

Dave — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 13:31:52 +0000

Notoriously insensitive to subtle shifts in mood, children will persist in discussing the color of a recently sighted cement-mixer long after one’s interest in the topic has waned.

Fran Lebowitz (b. 1950) American journalist, essayist
“Children: Pro or Con,” Metropolitan Life (1978)
(Source)

LaBelle, Patti -- (Attributed)

Dave — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 14:54:50 +0000

“Sing loud!” my father always told me, “just in case someone is listening.”

Patti LaBelle (b. 1944) American singer, author, actress [stage name for Patricia Louise Holt-Edwards]
(Attributed)

Pope, Alexander -- “Thoughts on Various Subjects” (1727)

Dave — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 21:39:10 +0000

One who is too nice an observer of the business of others, like one who is too curious in observing the labor of bees, will often be stung for his curiosity.

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet
“Thoughts on Various Subjects” (1727)
(Source)

Johnson, Samuel -- Comment (22 Mar 1767)

Dave — Thu, 24 Dec 2015 18:40:17 +0000

The Church does not superstitiously observe days, merely as days, but as memorials of important facts. Christmas might be kept as well upon one day of the year as another; but there should be a stated day for commemorating the birth of our Savior, because there is danger that what may be done on any day, will be neglected.

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
Comment (22 Mar 1767)
(Source)

In James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson (1791)

~Other -- A. Kindsvater, “MIST’s Law” [Man in the Street]

Dave — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 14:01:44 +0000

The probability of someone watching you is proportional to the stupidity of your action.

(Other Authors and Sources)
A. Kindsvater, “MIST’s Law” [Man in the Street]

Franklin, Benjamin -- Poor Richard (1740 ed.)

Dave — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 13:48:50 +0000

Observe all men, thy self most.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, scientist, philosopher, aphorist
Poor Richard (1740 ed.)
(Source)

Updike, John -- Self-Consciousness: Memoirs, ch. 6 (1989)

Dave — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 14:18:44 +0000

Celebrity is a mask that eats into the face. As soon as one is aware of being “somebody,” to be watched and listened to with extra interest, input ceases, and the performer goes blind and deaf in his overanimation. One can either see or be seen.

John Updike (1932-2009) American writer
Self-Consciousness: Memoirs, ch. 6 (1989)
(Source)

Russell, Bertrand -- “An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish,” Unpopular Essays (1950)

Dave — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:17:44 +0000

To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind are prone, no superhuman genius is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all error, but from silly error. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle to keep her mouth open while he counted. He did not do so because he thought he knew. Thinking that you know when in fact you don’t is a fatal mistake, to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but if I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I should not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this unappetizing diet.

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) English mathematician and philosopher
“An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish,” Unpopular Essays (1950)

Gaiman, Neil -- Sandman, Book 9. The Kindly Ones, # 60 “The Kindly Ones: 4” (1994-06)

Dave — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:41:26 +0000

DREAM: It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes. But the half-wit remains a half-wit, and the emperor remains an emperor.

Neil Gaiman (b. 1960) British author, screenwriter, fabulist
Sandman, Book 9. The Kindly Ones, # 60 “The Kindly Ones: 4” (1994-06)
(Source)

Burns, Robert -- “To a Louse,” l.43-46 (1786)

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

O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
An’ foolish notion ….

Robert Burns (1759-1796) Scottish national poet
“To a Louse,” l.43-46 (1786)

The poem is reprinted in various forms and anglicizations of Burns' Scottish, e.g.,

O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us
An foolish notion

O would some Power the gift to give us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,
And foolish notion: