It is in the treatment of trifles that a person shows what they are.
—Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) German Philosopher
Facts and truth really don’t have much to do with each other.
—William Faulkner (1897–1962) American Novelist
Accuracy is to a newspaper what virtue is to a lady, but a newspaper can always print a retraction.
—Adlai Stevenson (1900–65) American Diplomat, Politician, Orator
Get the facts, or the facts will get you. And when you get them, get them right, or they will get you wrong.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
A world of facts lies outside and beyond the world of words.
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95) English Biologist
Creative thinking will improve as we relate the new fact to the old and all facts to each other.
—John Dewey (1859–1952) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Educator
Men on their side must force themselves for a while to lay their notions by and begin to familiarize themselves with facts.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
There comes a time when you’ve got to say, “Let’s get off our asses and go …” I have always found that if I move with 75 percent or more of the facts I usually never regret it. It’s the guys who wait to have everything perfect that drive you crazy.
—Lee Iacocca (1924–2019) American Businessperson
Facts are generally overesteemed. For most practical purposes, a thing is what men think it is. When they judged the earth flat, it was flat. As long as men thought slavery tolerable, tolerable it was. We live down here among shadows, shadows among shadows.
—John Updike (1932–2009) American Novelist, Poet, Short-Story Writer
Facts are counterrevolutionary.
—Eric Hoffer (1902–83) American Philosopher, Author
There is nothing as deceptive as an obvious fact.
—Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) Scottish Writer
In some small field each child should attain, within the limited range of its experience and observation, the power to draw a justly limited inference from observed facts.
—Charles William Eliot (1834–1926) American Educationalist
The fatal futility of Fact.
—Henry James (1843–1916) American-born British Novelist, Writer
The pathetic almost always consists in the detail of little events.
—Edward Gibbon (1737–94) English Historian, Politician
There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
Only feeble minds are paralyzed by facts.
—Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008) British Scientist, Science-fiction Writer
Facts are facts and will not disappear on account of your likes.
—Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) Indian Head of State
Now, what I want is, facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to Facts, sir!
—Charles Dickens (1812–70) English Novelist
Every man has a right to be wrong in his opinions. But no man has a right to be wrong in his facts.
—Bernard M. Baruch (1870–1965) American Financier, Economic Consultant
The demand for certainty is one which is natural to man, but is nevertheless an intellectual vice. … But so long as men are not trained to withhold judgment in the absence of evidence, they will be led astray by cocksure prophets, and it is likely that their leaders will be either ignorant fanatics or dishonest charlatans. To endure uncertainty is difficult, but so are most of the other virtues.
—Bertrand A. Russell (1872–1970) British Philosopher, Mathematician, Social Critic
As a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
One does a whole painting for one peach and people think just the opposite—that particular peach is but a detail.
—Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) Spanish Painter, Sculptor, Artist
The god whom science recognizes must be a God of universal laws exclusively, a God who does a wholesale, not a retail business. He cannot accommodate his processes to the convenience of individuals.
—William James (1842–1910) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician
Never forget the facts are important but it’s the opinion of the facts that causes comment.
—Unknown
Comment is free but facts are sacred.
—C. P. Scott (1846–1932) British Journalist, Editor, Politician
Accuracy of statement is one of the first elements of truth; inaccuracy is a near kin to falsehood.
—Tryon Edwards American Theologian
To some lawyers, all facts are created equal.
—Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American Judge
Accuracy is the twin brother of honesty; inaccuracy, of dishonesty.
—Charles Simmons (1924–2017) American Editor, Novelist
But I hate things all fiction… there should always be some foundation of fact for the most airy fabric—and pure invention is but the talent of a liar.
—Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron) (1788–1824) English Romantic Poet
That’s the kind of ad I like: facts, facts, facts.
—Samuel Goldwyn (1879–1974) Polish-born American Film Producer, Businessperson