Numbers Quotes

If even in science there is no a way of judging a theory but by assessing the number, faith and vocal energy of its supporters, then this must be even more so in the social sciences: truth lies in power.

Imre Lakatos

The role of science is to be systematic, to be accurate, to be orderly, but it certainly is not to imply that the aggregated, successful hypotheses of the past have the kind of truth that goes into a number system.

Edwin H. Land

The assertion that art may be good art and at the same time incomprehensible to a great number of people is extremely unjust, and its consequences are ruinous to art itself...it is the same as saying some kind of food is good but most people can't eat it.

Leo Tolstoy

The acquisition of a new truth is like the acquisition of a new sense, which renders a man capable and recognizing a large number of phenomena that are hidden from another, as they were from him originally.

Justus von Liebig

The weakness of a soul is proportionate to the number of truths that must be kept from it.

Eric Hoffer

At 30 a man should know himself like the palm of his hand, know the exact number of his defects and qualities, know how far he can go, foretell his failures - be what he is. And, above all, accept these things.

Albert Camus

Opera happens because a large number of things amazingly fail to go wrong.

Terry Pratchett

A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers.

Plato

All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.

Voltaire

My own opinion is enough for me, and I claim the right to have it defended against any consensus, any majority, anywhere, any place, any time. And anyone who disagrees with this can pick a number, get in line and kiss my ass.

Christopher Hitchens

Perhaps we cannot prevent this world from being a world in which children are tortured. But we can reduce the number of tortured children. And if you don't help us, who else in the world can help us do this?

Albert Camus

Do you think Arabs are dumb? They gave us our numbers. Try doing long division with Roman numerals.

Kurt Vonnegut

Science can be divided into an infinite number of disciplines, and the amount of knowledge that can be pursued in each discipline is limitless. The most critical piece of knowledge, then, is the knowledge of what is essential to learn and what isn't.

Leo Tolstoy

Round numbers are always false.

Samuel Johnson

I'll agonize over sentences. Mostly because you're trying to create specific effects with sentences, and because there are a number of different voices in the book.

Neil Gaiman

The greater, far the greater number of those who rave and rail, and inquire and accuse, neither suspect nor fear, nor care for the publick; but hope to force their way to riches, by virulence and invective, and are vehement and clamorous, only that they may be sooner hired to be silent.

Samuel Johnson

It is the quality of the moment, not the number of days, or events, or of actors, that imports.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.

Henry David Thoreau

In this world one must have a name; it prevents confusion, even when it does not establish identity. Some, though, are known by numbers, which also seem inadequate distinctions.

Ambrose Bierce

The value of a principle is the number of things it will explain.

Ralph Waldo Emerson