Here are some of my favorites:
“In matters of scientific investigation the method that should be employed is think, plan, calculate, experiment and first, last, and foremost, think. The method most often employed is wonder, guess, putter, theoize, guess again, and above all avoid calculation.”
-A.G. Webster 1910
“I don’t mind lying, but I can’t stand inaccuracy.” – Samuel Butler
“It’s better to be approximately right than exactly wrong.” – Can’t remember author on this one
The insult
“There’s lies, damned lies, and statistics.” -Twain and others
The response
“Only the truly educated can be moved to tears by statistics.” G.B. Shaw
“Ignorance won’t kill you but it will make you sweat a lot.” -African Proverb
“We trained hard-but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralization.” – Petronius; 70 A.D.
“There are no uninteresting problems. There are just disinterested people.”
-John Bailar Jr.
“When attacking a problem the good scientist will utilize anything that suggests itself as a weapon.” – George Kaplan
“There is nothing more tragic than the spectacle of a beautiful theory murdered by a brutal gang of facts.” – Don’t know this author
“Every now and then a fool must, by chance, be right.” – Don’t know this author
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