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Quote by Thomas Sowell

“Most variables can show either an upward or downward trend, depending on the base year chosen.”

Quote by Thomas Sowell

Book:The Vision of the Anointed: Self-congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy

Work

The Vision of the Anointed: Self-congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy

This book delves into the concept of self-congratulation as a driving force behind the formulation of social policies, analyzing its impact on societal decision-making. more

Author

Thomas Sowell is a renowned economist, born on June 30, 1930. His research spans across various fields such as economic policy, race, and social issues, having a profound impact on economics and the social sciences. more

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“Statistics is a science which ought to be honourable, the basis of many most important sciences; but it is not to be carried on by steam, this science, any more than others are; a wise head is requisite for carrying it on.”

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“The chief instrument of American statistics is the census, which should accomplish a two-fold object. It should serve the country by making a full and accurate exhibit of the elements of national life and strength, and it should serve the science of statistics by so exhibiting general results that they may be compared with similar data obtained by other nations.”

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Book:The works of James Abram Garfield. Volume 1

Source: The works of James Abram Garfield. Volume 1

“The law of diminishing returns means that even the most beneficial prinicple will become harmful if carried far enough.”

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Book:The Vision of the Anointed: Self-congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy

Source: The Vision of the Anointed: Self-congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy

“The same set of statistics can produce opposite conclusions at different levels of aggregation.”

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Book:The Vision of the Anointed: Self-congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy

Source: The Vision of the Anointed: Self-congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy

“The statistician cannot excuse himself from the duty of getting his head clear on the principles of scientific inference, but equally no other thinking man can avoid a like obligation.”

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Author:Ronald Fisher

“To remember simplified pictures is better than to forget accurate figures.”

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Book:Empiricism and sociology

Source: Empiricism and sociology

“You can always create a fraction by putting one variable upstairs and another variable downstairs, but that soes not establish any causal relationship between them, nor does the resulting quotient have any necessary relationship to anything in the real world.”

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Author:Thomas Sowell

“All models are approximations. Essentially, all models are wrong, but some are useful. However, the approximate nature of the model must always be borne in mind.”

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Book:Response Surfaces, Mixtures, and Ridge Analyses

Source: Response Surfaces, Mixtures, and Ridge Analyses

“...for our wisdom is better than the strength of men or of horses. ... nor is it right to prefer strength to excellent wisdom. For if there should be in the city [any athlete whose skill] is honoured more than strength ... the city would not on that account be any better governed.”

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Author:Xenophanes

“[When questioned on his longevity] First of all, I selected my ancestors very wisely. ... They were long-lived, healthy people. Then, as a chemist, I know how to eat, how to exercise, keep my blood circulating. ... I don't worry. I don't get angry at people. I don't worry about things I can't help. I do what I can to make the world a better place to live, but I don't complain if things aren't right. As a scientist I take the world as I find it.”