Some quotes and proverbs about statistics.

Showing results 1 to 43 of 43
92.3 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
(unknown author)Accidents will happen.
All models are wrong, some are useful.
George BoxAll models are wrong.
George BoxBeware of facts that use the term "majority" — get a precise percentage.
Hans RoslingBirthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.
Larry LorenzoniBy replacing your morning coffee with green tea, you can lose up to 89% of what little joy you still have left in your life.
(unknown author)Cognitive psychology tells us that the unaided human mind is vulnerable to many fallacies and illusions because of its reliance on its memory for vivid anecdotes rather than systematic statistics.
Steven PinkerComplex, statistically improbable things are by their nature more difficult to explain than simple, statistically probable things.
Richard DawkinsDemocracy is an abuse of statistics.
Jorge Luis BorgesGood to know that when I die everybody's IQ will go up.
MinkukelGravity is a contributing factor in nearly 73 percent of all accidents involving falling objects.
Dave BarryI don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
J.R.R. TolkienSource: The Fellowship of the Ring
Quoted: Bilbo
I would rather have an average weight or an average income than an average intelligence.
MinkukelIf your experiment needs a statistician, you need a better experiment.
Ernest RutherfordIsn't keeping statistics on violence a form of violence?
Steven PinkerSource: Enlightenment Now
It is generally recognized that women are better than men at languages, personal relations and multitasking, but less good at map-reading and spatial awareness. It is therefore not unreasonable to suppose that women might be less good at mathematics and physics. It is not politically correct to say such things. ... But it cannot be denied that there are differences between men and women. Of course, these are differences between the averages only. There are wide variations about the mean.
Stephen HawkingIt's difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.
(unknown author)Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!
George CarlinNever believe that one number on its own can be meaningful.
Hans RoslingSource: Factfulness
Nine out of ten women love chocolate. The tenth is lying.
(unknown author)Normal is the wrong name often used for average.
Henry S. HaskinsOnly in Britain could it be thought a defect to be 'too clever by half.' The probability is that too many people are too stupid by three-quarters.
John MajorProbable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities.
AristotleRemember your math: an anecdote is not a trend.
Steven PinkerSource: Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress
Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate.
Sandra BoyntonSlow change is not no change.
Hans RoslingSource: Factfulness
Smoking is one of the leading causes of all statistics.
Liza MinnelliStatistics is the art of lying by means of figures.
Wilhelm StekelStatistics may be defined as "a body of methods for making wise decisions in the face of uncertainty."
W.A. WallisStatistics: The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures.
Evan EsarThe amount of sleep required by the average person is about half an hour more.
Evan EsarThe average human has one breast and one testicle.
Des McHaleThe first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.
Richard P. FeynmanThe only way to comprehend what mathematicians mean by Infinity is to contemplate the extent of human stupidity.
VoltaireThen there is the man who drowned crossing a stream with an average depth of six inches.
W.I.E. GatesThere are three types of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics.
(unknown author)There is no way that we can predict the weather six months ahead beyond giving the seasonal average.
Stephen HawkingThere's zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.
Susan CainThings can be both bad and better.
Hans RoslingTorture numbers, and they'll confess to anything.
Gregg EasterbrookTwo wrongs don't make a right.
It is wrong to harm someone because they have harmed you.We are always at the beginning of infinity.
David Deutsch