Malcolm Forbes Quotes

A conclusion is the place where you got tired thinking.

Don't confuse evidence with a conclusion.

Reasons come first. Answers come second

To be clever in argument is not rationality but rationalization.

Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises.

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.

Comparing and contrasting is a valuable human skill - and not just during high school English exams. Our ability to rank-order things is invaluable in making choices and setting priorities.

To invent is to discern, to choose.

Men of routine or men who can do what they are told are not hard to find; but men who can think and plan and tell the routine men what to do are very rare.

Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted... but to weigh and consider.

But I don't think I have any particular talent for prediction, because when you have three or four elements in hand, you don't have to be a genius to reach certain conclusions.

Well, it seems to me a scientist has need for both vision and confidence.

People need meanings to everything. People want you to intellectualize every choice you make.

Why is this thus? What is the reason for this thusness?

What I do, basically, is look at things from different angles. That is what I do on stage comedically, and that is what I do in art. I was always fascinated by the structure of things, why things work this way and not that way. So I like to see how things behave if you change the point of view.

Men of routine or men who can do what they are told are not hard to find; but men who can think and plan and tell the routine men what to do are very rare. They are paid in proportion to the supply and demand of them

Logic can become enormously difficult, and it would undoubtedly be well to produce more assurance in its use.

It's just human nature to try and figure things out. So, when we're in the midst of a situation, we usually try to reason our way through it.

My favorite question is 'Why?' I think it can be really helpful - I also think it can be annoying to people at times; I'll admit that. But I really do try to understand why are we approaching it this way, does it makes sense, is this the right answer, why is it the right answer, are there other paths to getting there, could those be better.

It's really important when we're writing our opinions to be transparent about what our decision method in the case is and how we get from Point A to B to C in the analysis.

Observing is really the fuel to innovating, ultimately.

I need something, Wax. A place to look. You always did the thinking.” “Yes, having a brain helps with that, surprisingly.

When I was research head of General Motors and wanted a problem solved, I'd place a table outside the meeting room with a sign: "Leave slide rules here." If I didn't do that, I'd find someone reaching for his slide rule. Then he'd be on his feet saying, "Boss, you can't do it."

It doesn't matter how smart you are unless you stop and think.

You can never discard too many bad ideas.