WIST Quotations

Butler, Octavia -- Essay (2000-05), “A Few Rules for Predicting the Future,” Essence Magazine

Dave — Mon, 25 May 2026 19:09:39 +0000

I mean there’s no single answer that will solve all our future problems. There’s no magic bullet. Instead there are thousands of answers — at least. You can be one of them if you choose to be.

Octavia Butler (1947-2006) American writer
Essay (2000-05), “A Few Rules for Predicting the Future,” Essence Magazine
(Source)

Feynman, Richard -- Speech (1955-11), “The Value of Science,” National Academy of Sciences Autumn Meeting, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena

Dave — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 22:31:53 +0000

If we want to solve a problem that we have never solved before, we must leave the door to the unknown ajar.

Richard Feynman (1918-1988) American physicist
Speech (1955-11), “The Value of Science,” National Academy of Sciences Autumn Meeting, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
(Source)

Reprinted in What Do You Care What Other People Think? (1988).

Feyman used this general construction on multiple occasions, e.g., in a speech (1964-09), "What Is and What Should Be the Role of Scientific Culture in Modern Society," Galileo Symposium, Florence, Italy (reprinted in The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, ch. 4 (1999) [ed. Jeffrey Robbins]):

In order to make progress, one must leave the door to the unknown ajar -- ajar only.

Bastiat, Frederic -- Economic Sophisms [Sophismes Économiques], 1st Series, ch. 20 “Human Labor, National Labor [Travail Humain, Travail National]” (1845) [tr. Goddard (1964)]

Dave — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 23:38:06 +0000

At least let no one argue that, because an abuse cannot be suppressed without injuring those who profit from it, the fact that it has existed for a time gives it the right to last forever.

[À moins qu’on ne prétende que, parce qu’un abus ne peut être détruit sans froisser ceux qui en profitent, il suffit qu’il existe un moment pour qu’il doive durer toujours.]

Frédéric Bastiat (1801-1850) French philosopher, economist, politician
Economic Sophisms [Sophismes Économiques], 1st Series, ch. 20 “Human Labor, National Labor [Travail Humain, Travail National]” (1845) [tr. Goddard (1964)]
(Source)

See Heinlein (1939).

(Source (French)). Other translations:

It is a rather singular argument to maintain that, because an abuse which has been permitted a temporary existence, cannot be corrected without wounding the interests of those who have profited by it, it ought, therefore, to claim perpetual duration.
[tr. McCord (1848)]

At all events, let no one pretend that because an abuse cannot be done away with, without inconvenience to those who profit by it, what has been suffered to exist for a time should be allowed to exist for ever.
[tr. Stirling (1873)]

Doctor Who (1963) -- 20xS1 “The Five Doctors,” Part 2 (1983-11-23) [w. Terrance Dicks]

Dave — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 20:52:28 +0000

SARAH JANE: I mean, well, whatever’s in that Tower, it’s got enormous powers and, well, what can we do against it?

THE DOCTOR: What I’ve always done, Sarah Jane. Improvise.

Doctor Who (1963-1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
20xS1 “The Five Doctors,” Part 2 (1983-11-23) [w. Terrance Dicks]
(Source)

(Source (Video); dialog confirmed). This 20th Anniversary special feature was originally broadcast as a feature-length TV movie. For later releases, it was broken into four parts/episodes.

Rickover, Hyman -- Speech (1954-03-16), “Administering a Large Military Development Project,” US Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California

Dave — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 21:11:52 +0000

I have for some time thought that a few of our present day ills stem from this childish faith in the existence of perfect answers. It requires a degree of maturity to realize that all solutions are partial ones.

Hyman Rickover (1900-1986) Polish-American naval engineer, admiral [b. Chaim Gdala Rykower]
Speech (1954-03-16), “Administering a Large Military Development Project,” US Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California
(Source)

Adams, Douglas -- Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Phase 1, “Fit the 2nd” (BBC Radio) (1978-03-15)

Dave — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 20:24:00 +0000

NARRATOR: And then one day, nearly two thousand years after one man had been nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be to be nice to people for a change a girl sitting on her own in a small cafe in Rickmansworth suddenly realized what it was that had been going wrong all this time, and she finally knew how the world could be made a good and happy place. This time it was right, it would work, and no one would have to get nailed to anything. Sadly however, before she could get to a phone to tell anyone, the Earth was unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass and so the idea was lost forever.

Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English author, humorist, screenwriter
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Phase 1, “Fit the 2nd” (BBC Radio) (1978-03-15)
(Source)

Though in the second radio episode, when adapted into the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979), this passage was moved into the Introduction:

And then, one Thursday, nearly two thousand years after one man had been nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be to be nice to people for a change a girl sitting on her own in a small cafe in Rickmansworth suddenly realized what it was that had been going wrong all this time, and she finally knew how the world could be made a good and happy place. This time it was right, it would work, and no one would have to get nailed to anything.
Sadly however, before she could get to a phone to tell anyone, a terrible stupid catastrophe occurred, and the idea was lost forever.

Cicero, Marcus Tullius -- Philippics [Philippicae; Antonian Orations], No. 7, ch. 8 / sec. 25 (7.8/7/25) (43-01 BC) [ed. Harbottle (1906)]

Dave — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 16:07:18 +0000

For heaven’s sake beware, lest in the hope of maintaining peace now, we lose the chance of a lasting peace hereafter.

[Cavete, per deos immortales! patres conscripti, ne spe praesentis pacis perpetuam pacem amittatis.]

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC) Roman orator, statesman, philosopher
Philippics [Philippicae; Antonian Orations], No. 7, ch. 8 / sec. 25 (7.8/7/25) (43-01 BC) [ed. Harbottle (1906)]
(Source)

Urging the Senate to discontinue negotiations with Mark Antony.

(Source (Latin)). Other translations:

Beware, I entreat you by the immortal gods, O conscript fathers, that out of hope of present peace you do not lose perpetual peace.
[tr. Yonge (1903)]

Take care in Heaven's name, Conscript Fathers, that you do not, in the hope of present peace, lose the peace that will endure.
[tr. Ker (Loeb) (1926)]

By the Immortal Gods!, Members of the Senate, beware of losing a lasting peace in the hope of immediate peace.
[tr. Manuwald (2007)]

Watts, Alan -- The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, ch. 3 “How to be a Genuine Fake” (1966)

Dave — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 01:19:08 +0000

Problems that remain persistently insoluble should always be suspected as questions asked in the wrong way.

Alan Watts (1915-1973) Anglo-American philosopher, writer
The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, ch. 3 “How to be a Genuine Fake” (1966)
(Source)

See Peres.

Fuller, Thomas (1654) -- Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 2, # 1890 (1727)

Dave — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 15:31:22 +0000

‘Twill be wiser to run away when thou hast no Remedy, than to die in the Field foolishly.

Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician, preacher, aphorist, writer
Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 2, # 1890 (1727)
(Source)

Fuller, Thomas (1654) -- Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 1, # 84 (1725)

Dave — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 15:08:19 +0000

If thou wilt be cured of thy Ignorance, confess it.

Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician, preacher, aphorist, writer
Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 1, # 84 (1725)
(Source)

Rogers, Will -- Column (1933-01-04), “Daily Telegram: Will Rogers Interviews Forgotten Man”

Dave — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 18:51:04 +0000

What do you think of Technocracy?
Nothing you can’t spell will ever work.

Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist
Column (1933-01-04), “Daily Telegram: Will Rogers Interviews Forgotten Man”
(Source)

In later collections, only the answer is given.

Anstey, F. -- Tourmalin’s Time Cheques, ch. 2 “The Second Cheque” (1885)

Dave — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 20:11:24 +0000

The knowledge that one has a remedy within reach is often as effectual as the remedy itself, if not more so.

F. Anstey (1856-1934) English novelist and journalist (pseud. of Thomas Anstey Guthrie)
Tourmalin’s Time Cheques, ch. 2 “The Second Cheque” (1885)
(Source)

Lehane, Dennis -- Since We Fell (2017)

Dave — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 19:28:36 +0000

A complaint that’s not looking for a solution is a disease not looking for a cure.

Dennis Lehane (b. 1965) American novelist, screenwriter
Since We Fell (2017)
(Source)

A frequent saying of the character Brian Delacroix.

Rogers, Will -- Column (1935-07-28), “Weekly Article: The Lawyers Talking”

Dave — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 18:14:56 +0000

There is nothing as easy as denouncing. […] It don’t take much to see that something is wrong, but it does take some eyesight to see what will put it right again.

Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist
Column (1935-07-28), “Weekly Article: The Lawyers Talking”
(Source)

Grande, Ariana -- “7 Rings”, Thank U, Next (2018)

Dave — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 17:08:12 +0000

Whoever said money can’t solve your problems must not have had enough money to solve them.

Ariana Grande (b. 1993) American singer, songwriter, actress
“7 Rings”, Thank U, Next (2018)
(Source)

McLaughlin, Mignon -- The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 9 (1963)

Dave — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 15:46:21 +0000

No problem of any consequence can be tackled head on.

Mignon McLaughlin (1913-1983) American journalist and author
The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 9 (1963)
(Source)

Gilligan, James -- Preventing Violence, Introduction (2001)

Dave — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 18:31:28 +0000

We cannot learn what causes violence and how we could prevent it as long as we are thinking in the traditional moral and legal terms. The only questions that this way of thinking can ask take the form: “How evil (or heroic) was this particular act of violence, and how much punishment (or reward) does the person who did it deserve?” But even if it were possible to gain the knowledge that would be necessary to answer those questions (which it is not), answers would still not help us in the least to understand what causes violence or how we could prevent it — these are empirical not moral questions.

James Gilligan (b. c. 1936) American psychiatrist and author
Preventing Violence, Introduction (2001)
(Source)

Kingsmill, Hugh -- “Two Poems, After A. E. Housman”, No. 1, st. 2 (1925)

Dave — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 16:52:31 +0000

Like enough, you won’t be glad,
When they come to hang you, lad:
But bacon’s not the only thing
That’s cured by hanging from a string.

Hugh Kingsmill (1889-1949) English biographer, literary critic, man of letters [pen name of Hugh Kingsmill Lunn]
“Two Poems, After A. E. Housman”, No. 1, st. 2 (1925)
(Source)

Houseman, writing to his brother, said of the parody: "It's the best I have seen, and indeed, the only good one."

Shakespeare, William -- All’s Well That Ends Well, Act 1, sc. 1, l. 222ff (1.1.222-223) (1602?)

Dave — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 13:38:28 +0000

HELENA: Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie,
Which we ascribe to Heaven.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
All’s Well That Ends Well, Act 1, sc. 1, l. 222ff (1.1.222-223) (1602?)
(Source)

Fitzgerald, F. Scott -- (Attributed)

Dave — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 21:23:31 +0000

To be kind is more important than to be right. Many times, what people need is not a brilliant mind that speaks but a special heart that listens.

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) American writer [Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald]
(Attributed)

No actual citation found. Also often attributed (also without citation) to Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

Diamond, Jared -- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, Part 4, ch. 16 (2005)

Dave — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 16:14:41 +0000

Thus, because we are rapidly advancing along this non-sustainable course, the world’s environmental problems will get resolved, in one way or another, within the lifetimes of the children and young adults alive today The only question is whether they will become resolved in pleasant ways of our own choice, or in unpleasant ways not of our choice, such as warfare, genocide, starvation, disease epidemics, and collapses of societies. While all of those grim phenomena have been endemic to humanity throughout our history, their frequency increases with environmental degradation, population pressure, and the resulting poverty and political instability.

Jared Diamond (b. 1937) American geographer, historian, ornithologist, author
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, Part 4, ch. 16 (2005)
(Source)

Achebe, Chinua -- Anthills of the Savannah (1987)

Dave — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 16:27:43 +0000

While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary.

Chinua Achebe (1930-2013) Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, critic [Albert Chinualumogu Achebe]
Anthills of the Savannah (1987)
(Source)

Tutu, Desmond -- (Attributed)

Dave — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 18:55:36 +0000

There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.

Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) South African cleric, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Nobel Laureate
(Attributed)

Le Guin, Ursula K. -- “The Child and the Shadow,” Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress (Apr 1975)

Dave — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 19:09:55 +0000

The problem of drugs, of divorce, of race prejudice, of unmarried pregnancy, and so on — as if evil were a problem, something that an be solved, that has an answer, like a problem in fifth grade arithmetic. If you want the answer, you just look in the back of the book. That is escapism, that posing evil as a “problem,” instead of what it is: all the pain and suffering and waste and loss and injustice we will meet our loves long, and must face and cope with over and over and over, and admit, and live with, in order to live human lives at all.

Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) American writer
“The Child and the Shadow,” Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress (Apr 1975)
(Source)

On the difficulty of "realistic fiction" for children to teach morality. First delivered as a speech; later reprinted in The Language of the Night (1979).

Storr, Anthony -- Feet of Clay: Saints, Sinners and Madmen, Introduction (1996)

Dave — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 20:37:06 +0000

Artists and scientists realize that no solution is ever final, but that each new creative step points the way to the next artistic or scientific problem. In contrast, those who embrace religious revelations and delusional systems tend to see them as unshakeable and permanent.

Anthony Storr (1920-2001) English psychiatrist and author
Feet of Clay: Saints, Sinners and Madmen, Introduction (1996)
(Source)

Democritus -- Frag. 119 (Diels) [tr. Bakewell (1907)]

Dave — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 15:52:50 +0000

Men have made an idol of luck as an excuse for their own thoughtlessness. Luck seldom measures swords with wisdom. Most things in life quick wit and sharp vision can set right.

Democritus (c. 460 BC - c. 370 BC) Greek philosopher
Frag. 119 (Diels) [tr. Bakewell (1907)]
(Source)

Bakewell lists this under "The Golden Sayings of Democritus." Freeman notes this as one of the Gnômae, from a collection called "Maxims of Democratês," but because Stobaeus quotes many of these as "Maxims of Democritus," they are generally attributed to the latter. Alternate translations:

"Men have fashioned an image of Chance as an excuse for their own stupidity. For Chance rarely conflicts with intelligence, and most things in life can be set in order by an intelligent sharpsightedness." [tr. Freeman (1948)]
"Men fashioned the image of chance as an excuse for their own thoughtlessness; for chance rarely fights with wisdom, and a man of intelligence will, by foresight, set straight most things in his life." [tr. Barnes (1987)]

Darwin, Charles -- The Descent of Man, Introduction (1871)

Dave — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 00:09:12 +0000

It has often and confidently been asserted, that man’s origin can never be known: but ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.

Charles Darwin (1809-1882) English naturalist
The Descent of Man, Introduction (1871)
(Source)

Gracián, Baltasar -- The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 31 (1647) [tr. Jacobs (1892)]

Dave — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 20:28:53 +0000

The greatest skill in cards is to know when to discard; the smallest of current trumps is worth more than the ace of trumps of the last game.

[La mejor treta del juego es saberse descartar: más importa la menor carta del triunfo que corre que la mayor del que pasó.]

Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601-1658) Spanish Jesuit priest, writer, philosopher
The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 31 (1647) [tr. Jacobs (1892)]
(Source)

(Source (Spanish)). Alternate translations:

The true skill at play, is to know how to discard. The lowest Card that turns up, is better than the highest of the former dealing.
[Flesher ed. (1685)]

The great trick in cards lies in knowing what to discard: and the deuce of a suit that is trump, is more valuable than the ace of a suit that was.
[tr. Fischer (1937)]

The trick is to know what cards to get rid of. The least card in the winning hand in front of you is more important than the best card in the losing hand you just laid down.
[tr. Maurer (1992)]

Goethe, Johann von -- Sprüche in Prosa: Maximen und Reflexionen [Proverbs in Prose: Maxims and Reflections] (1833) [tr. Mann (1948)]

Dave — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 17:42:01 +0000

A correct answer is like an affectionate kiss.

[Eine richtige Antwort ist wie ein lieblicher Kuß.]

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, statesman, scientist
Sprüche in Prosa: Maximen und Reflexionen [Proverbs in Prose: Maxims and Reflections] (1833) [tr. Mann (1948)]
(Source)

See Proverbs 24:26.

(Source (German)). Alternate translation:

A right answer is like a loving kiss.
[tr. Stopp (1995), "Posthumous," "On Literature and Life," #888]

Kierkegaard, Soren -- (Misattributed)

Dave — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 01:49:28 +0000

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.

Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Danish philosopher, theologian
(Misattributed)

Misattributed to Kierkegaard by Cyril Connolly, Horizon, vol. 11 (1945). More properly attributed to Jacobus Johannes van der Leeuw (1893–1934), The Conquest of Illusion, ch. 1: "The mystery of life in not a problem to be solved, it is a reality to be experienced."

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano -- Letter (1938-06-15) to Rev. Daniel Poling, “Greeting to the World’s Christian Endeavor Convention in Melbourne, Australia”

Dave — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 01:55:55 +0000

I doubt if there is in the world a single problem, whether social, political, or economic, which would not find ready solution if men and nations would rule their lives according to the plain teaching of the Sermon on the Mount.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945) American lawyer, politician, statesman, US President (1933–1945)
Letter (1938-06-15) to Rev. Daniel Poling, “Greeting to the World’s Christian Endeavor Convention in Melbourne, Australia”
(Source)

Deng Xiaoping -- Speech, Communist Youth League conference (Jul 1962)

Dave — Sat, 06 Aug 2016 00:00:45 +0000

It doesn’t matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.

Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997) Chinese revolutionary, politician, statesman [Teng Hsiao-p'ing]
Speech, Communist Youth League conference (Jul 1962)

There are a variety of translations, and Deng used the phrase on numerous occasions.

Johnson, Lyndon -- Speech (1967-10-07), Democratic Party Dinner, Washington, D.C.

Dave — Fri, 17 Jun 2016 15:12:22 +0000

In the crisis of this hour — as in all others that we have faced since our Nation began — there are plenty of recommendations on how to get out of trouble cheaply and fast. Most of them in the last analysis really come down to this: Deny your responsibilities.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) American politician, educator, US President (1963-69)
Speech (1967-10-07), Democratic Party Dinner, Washington, D.C.
(Source)

Sometimes paraphrased "There are plenty of recommendations on how to get out of trouble cheaply and fast. Most of them come down to this: Deny your responsibility."

Boileau-Despréaux, Nicolas -- The Art of Poetry [L’Art Poétique], Canto 1, l. 64 (1674)

Dave — Wed, 04 May 2016 14:42:53 +0000

Often the fear of one evil leads us into a worse.

[Souvent la peur d’un mal nous conduit dans un pire.]

Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux (1636-1711) French poet and critic
The Art of Poetry [L’Art Poétique], Canto 1, l. 64 (1674)
(Source)

(Source (French)).

Though this sounds like a profound philosophical comment, in reality it refers to writers overcompensating for problems in their work. Soame (1892) translates this and the following line thus:

A verse was weak, you turn it much too strong.
And grow obscure for fear you should be long.

Seuss, Dr. -- The Lorax (1971)

Dave — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 13:48:52 +0000

Unless someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It’s not.

Dr. Seuss (1904-1991) American author, illustrator [pseud. of Theodor Geisel]
The Lorax (1971)

Kettering, Charles F. -- (Attributed)

Dave — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 13:07:11 +0000

A problem well stated is a problem half-solved.

Charles F. Kettering (1876-1958) American inventor, engineer, researcher, businessman
(Attributed)

Sometimes attributed to John Dewey.

Kettering, Charles F. -- (Attributed)

Dave — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 13:17:52 +0000

The only difference between a problem and a solution is that people understand the solution.

Charles F. Kettering (1876-1958) American inventor, engineer, researcher, businessman
(Attributed)

Quoted in Thomas Alvin Boyd, Charles F. Kettering: A Biography (1957)

Kettering, Charles F. -- Sign at the General Motors research laboratories

Dave — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 16:02:21 +0000

This problem, when solved, will be simple.

Charles F. Kettering (1876-1958) American inventor, engineer, researcher, businessman
Sign at the General Motors research laboratories
(Source)

Quoted by Kettering in "Don't Be Afraid to Stumble," The Rotarian (Jan 1952)

Adams, Douglas -- The Salmon of Doubt, Part 3 “And Everything,” “The Salmon of Doubt,” ch. 5 (2002) [ed. Peter Guzzardi]

Dave — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 15:19:35 +0000

Solutions nearly always come from the direction you least expect, which means there’s no point trying to look in that direction because it won’t be coming from there.

Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English author, humorist, screenwriter
The Salmon of Doubt, Part 3 “And Everything,” “The Salmon of Doubt,” ch. 5 (2002) [ed. Peter Guzzardi]
(Source)

Noted as an observation Dirk Gently "mentioned a lot to people."

Hutchins, Robert M. -- Great Books: The Foundation of a Liberal Education (1954)

Dave — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 12:30:16 +0000

The facts are indispensable; they are not sufficient. To solve a problem it is necessary to think.

Robert M. Hutchins (1899-1977) American educator and educational philosopher
Great Books: The Foundation of a Liberal Education (1954)

Wittgenstein, Ludwig -- Culture and Value, 1940 (1977) [tr. Winch (1980)]

Dave — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 12:06:58 +0000

If this stone won’t budge at present and is wedged in, move some of the other stones around it first.

Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) Austrian-English philosopher
Culture and Value, 1940 (1977) [tr. Winch (1980)]

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- “Let’s Be Honest with Ourselves,” Reader’s Digest (Dec 1963)

Dave — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 11:53:53 +0000

The older I get, the more wisdom I find in the ancient rule of taking first things first — a process which often reduces the most complex human problems to manageable proportions.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969) American general, US President (1953-61)
“Let’s Be Honest with Ourselves,” Reader’s Digest (Dec 1963)

Ackoff, Russell -- “Case Histories Five Years after,” Operations Research 8.2 (1960)

Dave — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 12:46:46 +0000

The only problems that have simple solutions are simple problems. The only managers that have simple problems have simple minds. Problems that arise in organisations are almost always the product of interactions of parts, never the action of a single part. Complex problems do not have simple solutions.

Russell L. Ackoff (1919-2009) American organizational theorist, consultant, management scientist
“Case Histories Five Years after,” Operations Research 8.2 (1960)

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.

George, Henry -- Social Problems, ch. 1 (1883)

Dave — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 12:20:45 +0000

At the bottom of every social problem we will find a social wrong.

Henry George (1839-1897) American economist
Social Problems, ch. 1 (1883)

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)

Jung, Carl -- Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious (1934) [tr. Hull (1959)]

Dave — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 12:34:56 +0000

To ask the right question is already half the solution of a problem.

Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychologist
Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious (1934) [tr. Hull (1959)]

Ackoff, Russell -- The Art of Problem Solving (1978)

Dave — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 14:41:09 +0000

In reactive problem solving we walk into the future facing the past — we move away from, rather than toward, something. This often results in unforeseen consequences that are more distasteful than the deficiencies removed.

Russell L. Ackoff (1919-2009) American organizational theorist, consultant, management scientist
The Art of Problem Solving (1978)

Ackoff, Russell -- “The development of operations research as a science,” Operations Research (Jun 1956)

Dave — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 13:01:31 +0000

A problem never exists in isolation; it is surrounded by other problems in space and time. The more of the context of a problem that a scientist can comprehend, the greater are his chances of finding a truly adequate solution.

Russell L. Ackoff (1919-2009) American organizational theorist, consultant, management scientist
“The development of operations research as a science,” Operations Research (Jun 1956)

Ackoff, Russell -- Redesigning the Future (1974)

Dave — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 14:20:07 +0000

Successful problem solving requires finding the right solution to the right problem. We fail more often because we solve the wrong problem than because we get the wrong solution to the right problem.

Russell L. Ackoff (1919-2009) American organizational theorist, consultant, management scientist
Redesigning the Future (1974)

Butcher, Jim -- Grave Peril (2001)

Dave — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 12:37:36 +0000

“So?” Bob said. “Hat up, go kill her. Problem solved.”
“Bob,” I said. “You can’t just go around killing people.”
“I know. That’s why you should do it.”
“No, no. I can’t go around killing people, either.”

Jim Butcher (b. 1971) American author
Grave Peril (2001)

Joubert, Joseph -- Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 18 “Du Siècle [On the Age],” ¶ 21 (1850 ed.) [tr. Auster (1983), 1813 entry]

Dave — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 17:10:48 +0000

In political institutions, almost everything we call an abuse was once a remedy.

[Presque tout ce que nous appelons un abus fut un remède dans les institutions politiques.]

Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French moralist, philosopher, essayist, poet
Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 18 “Du Siècle [On the Age],” ¶ 21 (1850 ed.) [tr. Auster (1983), 1813 entry]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Alternate translation:

In political institutions nearly everything that we now call an abuse, was once a remedy.
[tr. Lyttelton (1899), ch. 17, ¶ 8]

Joubert, Joseph -- Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 4 “De la Nature des Esprits [On the Nature of Minds],” ¶ 62 (1850 ed.) [tr. Lyttelton (1899), ch. 3, ¶ 21]

Dave — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:54:40 +0000

Questions show the mind’s range, and answers, its subtlety.

[Les questions montrent l’étendue de l’esprit, et les réponses sa finesse.]

Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French moralist, philosopher, essayist, poet
Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 4 “De la Nature des Esprits [On the Nature of Minds],” ¶ 62 (1850 ed.) [tr. Lyttelton (1899), ch. 3, ¶ 21]
(Source)

(Source (French))

While confirmed as an entry in the French, I was unable to find translations other than Lyttelton's in my various sources.

Johnson, Lyndon -- Comment (1968-02) to Sam Houston Johnson

Dave — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:02:29 +0000

That’s just the trouble, Sam Houston — it’s always my move. And damnit, I sometimes can’t tell whether I’m making the right move or not. Now take this Vietnam mess. How in the hell can anyone know for sure what’s right and what’s wrong, Sam? I got some of the finest brains in this country — people like Dean Rusk, Walt Rostow, and Dean Acheson — making some strong and convincing arguments for us to stay in there and not pull out. Then I’ve got some people like George Ball and Fulbright — also intelligent men whose motives I can’t rightly distrust — who keep telling me we’ve got to de-escalate or run the risk of a total war. And, Sam, I’ve got to listen to both sides. […] I’ve just got to choose between my opposing experts. No way of avoiding it. But I sure as hell wish I could really know what’s right.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) American politician, educator, US President (1963-69)
Comment (1968-02) to Sam Houston Johnson
(Source)

Recalled in Sam Houston Johnson, My Brother Lyndon, ch. 1 (1969).

Peres, Shimon -- (Attributed)

Dave — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:28:31 +0000

If a problem has no solution, it may not be a problem, but a fact, not to be solved, but to be coped with over time.

Shimon Peres (1923-2016) Polish-Israeli politician, statesman
(Attributed)

Widely attributed to Peres in different sources. Quoted in the Wall Street Journal (7 Feb 2001). Donald Rumsfeld says that Peres made the observation to him.

Publilius Syrus -- Sententiae [Moral Sayings], # 301 [tr. Lyman (1862)]

Dave — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 05:32:05 +0000

There are some remedies worse than the disease.

Publilius Syrus (d. 42 BC) Assyrian slave, writer, philosopher [less correctly Publius Syrus]
Sententiae [Moral Sayings], # 301 [tr. Lyman (1862)]

Gaiman, Neil -- Sandman, Book 10. The Wake, # 72 “Chapter 3, In Which We Wake” (1995-11)

Dave — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:48:00 +0000

DESTRUCTION: It’s astonishing how much trouble one can get oneself into, if one works at it. And astonishing how much trouble one can get oneself out of, if one simply assumes that everything will, somehow or other, work out for the best.

Neil Gaiman (b. 1960) British author, screenwriter, fabulist
Sandman, Book 10. The Wake, # 72 “Chapter 3, In Which We Wake” (1995-11)
(Source)

Hubbard, Elbert -- A Thousand and One Epigrams (1911)

Dave — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:00:05 +0000

Don’t make excuses — make good!

Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American writer, businessman, philosopher
A Thousand and One Epigrams (1911)

Smith, Sydney -- Lecture (1804-1806), Moral Philosophy, No. 19 “On the Conduct of the Understanding, Part 2” Royal Institution, London

Dave — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:50:31 +0000

It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little. Do what you can.

Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English clergyman, essayist, wit
Lecture (1804-1806), Moral Philosophy, No. 19 “On the Conduct of the Understanding, Part 2” Royal Institution, London
(Source)

Collected in Elementary Sketches of Moral Philosophy (1849).

Mencken, H. L. -- “The Divine Afflatus,” New York Evening Mail (16 Nov 1917)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 18:00:00 +0000

Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong.

H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American writer and journalist [Henry Lewis Mencken]
“The Divine Afflatus,” New York Evening Mail (16 Nov 1917)
(Source)

Reprinted in Prejudices: Second Series (1920) and A Mencken Chrestomathy, ch. 25 (1949).

Variants:

"There is always an easy solution to every human problem -- neat, plausible, and wrong."
"For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong."

~Other -- Mike Huber, Techwr-L

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

I never, ever say, “I can’t,” about anything. I might say, “I don’t have the authority to make that decision,” or, “Building A is too heavy for me to lift,” or, “I will need training before I pilot that space shuttle.”

(Other Authors and Sources)
Mike Huber, Techwr-L

Dinesen, Isak -- (Attributed)

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

All things can be cured by salt water: sweat, tears, or the ocean.

Isak Dinesen (1885-1962) Danish writer [pseud. of Karen Christence, Countess Blixen]
(Attributed)

Doyle, Arthur Conan -- Story (1890-02), “The Sign of the Four,” ch. 6 [Holmes], Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, Vol. 45 (US) / 1 (UK)

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

How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) British writer and physician
Story (1890-02), “The Sign of the Four,” ch. 6 [Holmes], Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, Vol. 45 (US) / 1 (UK)
(Source)

The first appearance of the phrase in its most quoted form. However, earlier in the story, chapter 1, Holmes tells Watson:

Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.

Similar expressions occur in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ("The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet"), The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes ("Silver Blaze"), The Return of Sherlock Holmes ("The Adventure of the Priory School"), His Last Bow ("The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans"), and The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes ("The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier").

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).

Gide, André -- Journal (26 Oct 1924) [tr. O’Brien (1951)]

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

It is not always by plugging away at a difficulty and sticking at it that one overcomes it; but, rather, often by working on the one next to it. Certain people and certain things require to be approached on an angle.

André Gide (1869-1951) French author, Nobel laureate
Journal (26 Oct 1924) [tr. O’Brien (1951)]

~Other -- Jeff Shepherd, Jeff’s Weekly Quotations, #39 (1994)

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

A rain came along last night and gently wet San Diego. It cleaned off my car except for a stubborn bird blessing on the hood. I had been staring at it for several days and the rain cleaned everything except that single spot. (sigh) For the most part, things take care of themselves if we just let them, but every now and again we’ve got to get involved, and dirty our hands.

(Other Authors and Sources)
Jeff Shepherd, Jeff’s Weekly Quotations, #39 (1994)

Rogers, Will -- (Attributed)

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

If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can’t it get us out?

Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist
(Attributed)

I cannot find this in a primary source by Rogers.

Nietzsche, Friedrich -- Human, All Too Human [Menschliches, Allzummenschliches], Part 1, ch. 9 “Man Alone with Himself [Der Mensch mit sich allein],” ¶ 494 (1878)

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

Many are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit of the goal.

[Viele sind hartnäckig in Bezug auf den einmal eingeschlagenen Weg, Wenige in Bezug auf das Ziel.]

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher and poet
Human, All Too Human [Menschliches, Allzummenschliches], Part 1, ch. 9 “Man Alone with Himself [Der Mensch mit sich allein],” ¶ 494 (1878)
(Source)

This is a frequent translation of this passage, but I cannot find the original translator.

(Source (German)). Alternate translations:

Many are obstinate with regard to the once-chosen path, few with regard to the goal.
[tr. Zimmern (1909)]

Many people are obstinate about the path once it is taken, few people about the destination.
(tr. Faber/Lehmann (1984)]

Many are obstinate with regard to the path once they have entered upon it, few with regard to the goal.
[tr. Hollingdale (1986)]

Einstein, Albert -- Letter (1946-05-25), quoted in “Atomic Education Urged by Einstein,” New York Times

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

A new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move toward higher levels.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American physicist
Letter (1946-05-25), quoted in “Atomic Education Urged by Einstein,” New York Times
(Source)

This may be the source of some otherwise unsourced Einstein quotes:

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them"
"The world we have created today as a result of our thinking thus far has problems which cannot be solved by thinking the way we thought when we created them."
"The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking."
"This problem will not be solved by the same minds that created it."
"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that created them."

The missive was sent by telegram to "several hundred prominent Americans."

Einstein revisited (alt. source) this theme in "The Real Problem Is in the Hearts of Men," New York Times Magazine (1946-06-23): "Many persons have inquired concerning a recent message of mine that 'a new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move toward higher levels.' [...] Past thinking and methods did not prevent world wars. Future thinking must prevent wars."