Franklin P. Jones Quotes

There is no single right answer or path forward, but there is one right way to frame the problem.

I don't look at a problem and put variables in there that don't affect it.

And then what makes the work interesting is if you choose the right questions.

Tinkering is a way of understanding difficult problems, of wrapping our heads around them and quantifying the unknowns.

Never bring the problem solving stage into the decision making stage. Otherwise, you surrender yourself to the problem rather than the solution.

If you're willing to put two thoughts into a picture then you're already ahead of the game.

Sometimes big problems are best solved with lots of small and creative solutions.

We only think when we are confronted with problems.

Early on, in discussions of financial oversight, people would say, 'Well, this is a very complicated problem, therefore it requires a complicated solution.' And at that step, I would say, 'Well, wait a minute. Just because it's a complicated problem doesn't mean the best course of action immediately is one that's complicated.'

Problem solving is hunting. It is savage pleasure and we are born to it.

I have had my results for a long time: but I do not yet know how I am to arrive at them.

The possible solutions to a given problem emerge as the leaves of a tree, each node representing a point of deliberation and decision.

Think small. Don't pretend you know the answers. Experiment; get feedback. These are all the premises of 'Think Like a Freak,' really.

I try to look at problems very clearly and think, 'How do we get out of this? What will work? What will be the consequences for the people involved?'

The world is complicated. But does every problem require a complicated solution?

I always try to stay methodical and logical with everything I do, playing cricket and making decisions.

Science is the practice of failing repeatedly but learning as you go.

I don't think I'm always right, but I would like to empower people to come to sound conclusions using a systematic way of looking at things.

Writing is sort of like chess for me. You have to think carefully before you move, thinking, planning.

I give people ideas on how to solve intractable problems.

Approximating involves making a series of educated guesses systematically by partitioning the problem into manageable chunks, identifying assumptions, and then using your general knowledge of the world to fill in the blanks.

He [John von Neumann] had the invaluable faculty of being able to take the most difficult problem and separate it into its components, whereupon everything looked brlliantly simple.

Mechanical rules are never a substitute for clarity of thought.

Thinking is one of the most important weapons in dealing with problems

Learning what not to do is sometimes more important than learning what to do.