It has always seemed to me that so long as you produce your dramatic effect, accuracy of detail matters little. I have never striven for it and I have made some bad mistakes in consequence. What matter if I hold my readers?
Arthur Conan DoyleRead
Still, it is an error to argue in front of your data. You find yourself insensibly twisting them round to fit your theories.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the pitfalls of letting personal biases skew the interpretation of data.
Arthur Conan Doyle's quote emphasizes the importance of objectivity when analyzing data. It suggests that when faced with information that contradicts our beliefs or theories, we may unconsciously manipulate the data to support our preconceived notions, rather than allowing the evidence to guide our understanding. This serves as a caution against confirmation bias in both scientific research and everyday reasoning.
Themes
DataBiasTheoryEvidenceReasoningObjectivity
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation about data analysis, one might quote this to stress the importance of remaining impartial.
More from Arthur Conan Doyle
All quotes βI had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore as free as air -- or as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will permit a man to be. Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained.
Arthur Conan DoyleRead
A dog reflects the family life. Whoever saw a frisky dog in a gloomy family, or a sad dog in a happy one? Snarling people have snarling dogs, dangerous people have dangerous ones.
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You yourself may not be luminous, but you are a conductor of light.
Arthur Conan DoyleRead
I could not rest, Watson, I could not sit quiet in my chair, if I thought that such a man as Professor Moriarty were walking the streets of London unchallenged.
Arthur Conan DoyleRead
It seems very strange ... that in the course of the world's history so obvious an improvement should never have been adopted. ... The next generation of Britishers would be the better for having had this extra hour of daylight in their childhood.
Arthur Conan DoyleRead
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