There are two times in a man’s life when he shouldn’t speculate: when he can afford to and when he can’t.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
You must stick to your conviction, but be ready to abandon your assumptions.
—Denis Waitley (b.1933) American Motivational Speaker, Author
Our minds have the need to know. When we don’t know we make assumptions – they make us feel safer than not knowing. And we are pretty much always making assumptions.
—Miguel Angel Ruiz (b.1952) Mexican Spiritualist Author
Creating a new theory is not like destroying an old barn and erecting a skyscraper in its place. It is rather like climbing a mountain, gaining new and wider views, discovering unexpected connections between our starting points and its rich environment. But the point from which we started out still exists and can be seen, although it appears smaller and forms a tiny part of our broad view gained by the mastery of the obstacles on our adventurous way up.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
There never comes a point where a theory can be said to be true. The most that one can claim for any theory is that it has shared the successes of all its rivals and that it has passed at least one test which they have failed.
—A. J. Ayer (1910–89) English Philosopher
The psychological context of dream-contents consists in the web of associations in which the dream is naturally embedded. Theoretically we can never know anything in advance about this web, but in practice it is sometimes possible, granted long enough experience. Even so, careful analysis will never rely too much on technical rules; the danger of deception and suggestion is too great. In the analysis of isolated dreams above all, this kind of knowing in advance and making assumptions on the grounds of practical expectation or general probability is positively wrong. It should therefore be an absolute rule to assume that every dream, and every part of a dream, is unknown at the outset, and to attempt an interpretation only after carefully taking up the context. We can then apply the meaning we have thus discovered to the text of the dream itself and see whether this yields a fluent reading, or rather whether a satisfying meaning emerges.
—Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961) Swiss Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Philosopher
A young man is a theory, an old man is a fact.
—E. W. Howe (1853–1937) American Novelist, Editor
The world can doubtless never be well known by theory: practice is absolutely necessary; but surely it is of great use to a young man, before he sets out for that country, full of mazes, windings, and turnings, to have at least a general map of it, made by some experienced traveler.
—Earl of Chesterfield (1694–1773) English Statesman, Man of Letters
It is always better to ask then to make an assumption.
—Miguel Angel Ruiz (b.1952) Mexican Spiritualist Author
A theory is the more impressive the greater is the simplicity of its premises, the more different are the kinds of things it relates and the more extended the range of its applicability.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
It is not enough for theory to describe and analyze, it must itself be an event in the universe it describes. In order to do this theory must partake of and become the acceleration of this logic. It must tear itself from all referents and take pride only in the future. Theory must operate on time at the cost of a deliberate distortion of present reality.
—Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007) French Sociologist, Philosopher
A conception not reducible to the small change of daily experience is like a currency not exchangeable for articles of consumption; it is not a symbol, but a fraud.
—George Santayana (1863–1952) Spanish-American Poet, Philosopher
It is theory that decides what can be observed.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won’t come in.
—Alan Alda (b.1936) American Actor, TV Personality, Screenwriter
I never guess. It is a shocking habit—destructive to the logical faculty.
—Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) Scottish Writer
Let us work without theorizing, ‘Tis the only way to make life endurable.
—Voltaire (1694–1778) French Philosopher, Author
What most people don’t seem to realize is that there is just as much money to be made out of the wreckage of a civilization as from the upbuilding of one.
—Margaret Mitchell (1900–49) American Novelist, Journalist
To insure the adoration of a theorem for any length of time, faith is not enough, a police force is needed as well.
—Albert Camus (1913–60) Algerian-born French Philosopher, Dramatist, Essayist, Novelist, Author
Socrates thought and so do I that the wisest theory about the gods is no theory at all.
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–92) French Essayist
A theory is no more like a fact than a photograph is like a person.
—E. W. Howe (1853–1937) American Novelist, Editor
Theories are always very thin and insubstantial, experience only is tangible.
—Hosea Ballou (1771–1852) American Theologian
The temptation to form premature theories upon insufficient data is the bane of our profession.
—Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) Scottish Writer
Unaware of the absurdity of it, we introduce our own petty household rules into the economy of the universe for which the life of generations, peoples, of entire planets, has no importance in relation to the general development.
—Alexander Herzen (1812–70) Russian Revolutionary, Writer
Speculation is only a word covering the making of money out of the manipulation of prices, instead of supplying goods and services.
—Henry Ford (1863–1947) American Businessperson, Engineer
A speculator is a man who observes the future, and acts before it occurs.
—Bernard M. Baruch (1870–1965) American Financier, Economic Consultant
The wise man regulates his conduct by the theories both of religion and science. But he regards these theories not as statements of ultimate fact but as art-forms.
—J. B. S. Haldane (1892–1964) British Biologist, Geneticist
Some theories are good for nothing except to be argued about.
—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742–99) German Philosopher, Physicist
Even for practical purposes theory generally turns out the most important thing in the end.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935) American Jurist, Author
Delight at having understood a very abstract and obscure system leads most people to believe in the truth of what it demonstrates.
—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742–99) German Philosopher, Physicist
The way to keep yourself from making assumptions is to ask questions.
—Miguel Angel Ruiz (b.1952) Mexican Spiritualist Author