Quotes on statistics
While the individual man is an insoluble puzzle, in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. You can, for example, never foretell what any one man will be up to, but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to. Individuals vary, but percentages remain constant. So says the statistician.
Doyle, Arthur Conan
I always find that statistics are hard to swallow and impossible to digest. The only one I can ever remember is that if all the people who go to sleep in church were laid end to end they would be a lot more comfortable.
Taft, Mrs. Robert A.
The average human has one breast and one testicle.
McHale, Des
Say you were standing with one foot in the oven and one foot in an ice bucket. According to the percentage people, you should be perfectly comfortable.
Bragan, Bobby
98% of all statistics are made up.
Unknown, Author
Satan delights equally in statistics and in quoting scripture...
Wells, H.G.
He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts - for support rather than for illumination.
Lang, Andrew
Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable.
Peter, Laurence J.
Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."
Twain, Mark