If you get all the facts, your judgment can be right; if you don’t get all the facts, it can’t be right.
—Bernard M. Baruch (1870–1965) American Financier, Economic Consultant
Although this may seem a paradox, all exact science is dominated by the idea of approximation. When a man tells you that he knows the exact truth about anything, you are safe in inferring that he is an inexact man.
—Bertrand A. Russell (1872–1970) British Philosopher, Mathematician, Social Critic
I deal with the obvious. I present, reiterate and glorify the obvious—because the obvious is what people need to be told.
—Dale Carnegie (1888–1955) American Self-Help Author
Measure three times before you cut once.
—Common Proverb
Trifles make perfection, but perfection itself is no trifle.
—Michelangelo (1475–1564) Italian Painter, Sculptor, Architect, Poet, Engineer
I never believe facts; Canning said nothing was so fallacious as facts, except figures.
—Sydney Smith (1771–1845) English Clergyman, Essayist, Wit
Every fact is related on one side to sensation, and, on the other, to morals. The game of thought is, on the appearance of one of these two sides, to find the other; given the upper, to find the under side.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
My facts shall be falsehoods to the common sense. I would so state facts that they shall be significant, shall be myths or mythologies. Facts which the mind perceived, thoughts which the body thought—with these I deal.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
I have always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific.
—Lily Tomlin (b.1939) American Comedy Actress
Accuracy of statement is one of the first elements of truth; inaccuracy is a near kin to falsehood.
—Tryon Edwards American Theologian
God give me strength to face a fact though it slay me.
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95) English Biologist
Facts quite often, I fear to confess, like lawyers, put me to sleep at noon. Not theories, however. Theories are invigorating and tonic. Give me an ounce of fact and I will produce you a ton of theory by tea this afternoon. That is, after all, my job.
—Ray Bradbury (b.1920) American Novelist, Short Story Writer
I hate facts. I always say the chief end of man is to form general propositions—adding that no general proposition is worth a damn.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935) American Jurist, Author
To some lawyers, all facts are created equal.
—Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American Judge
What are your historical Facts; still more your biographical? Wilt thou know a man by stringing-together beadrolls of what thou namest Facts?
—Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish Historian, Essayist
Some facts should be suppressed, or, at least, a just sense of proportion should be observed in treating them.
—Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) Scottish Writer
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 facts are always friendly, every bit of evidence one can acquire, in any area, leads one that much closer to what is true.
—Carl Rogers (1902–1987) American Psychologist
The fastidious are unfortunate; nothing satisfies them.
—Jean de La Fontaine (1621–95) French Poet, Short Story Writer
There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
Get your facts first, and then you can distort ’em as you please.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
The sky is not less blue because the blind man does not see it.
—Danish Proverb
A concept is stronger than a fact.
—Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935) American Feminist, Writer
One of the most untruthful things possible, you know, is a collection of facts, because they can be made to appear so many different ways.
—Karl Menninger (1893–1990) American Psychiatrist
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
It is easier to believe a lie that one has heard a thousand times than to believe a fact that no one has heard before.
—Unknown
Pedantry crams our heads with learned lumber, and takes out our brains to make room for it.
—Charles Caleb Colton (c.1780–1832) English Clergyman, Aphorist
If a man will kick a fact out of the window, when he comes back he finds it again in the chimney corner.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Facts and truth really don’t have much to do with each other.
—William Faulkner (1897–1962) American Novelist
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