Edward Tufte Quotes

A painstaking course in qualitative and quantitative analysis by John Wing gave me an appreciation of the need for, and beauty of, accurate measurement.

As the prerogative of Natural Science is to cultivate a taste for observation, so that of Mathematics is, almost from the starting point, to stimulate the faculty of invention.

The intellectual equipment needed for the job of the future is an ability to define problems, quickly assimilate relevant data, conceptualize and reorganize the information, make deductive and inductive leaps with it, ask hard questions about it, discuss findings with colleagues, work collaboratively to find solutions and then convince others.

There's an intelligence that goes with being a good cop. Intuitiveness - they have to be actors; they have to have deductive reasoning, knowledge about a great deal of subjects.

I'm not sure people would think of me in this light, but frankly, what I enjoyed most about Bain & Company, the consulting firm, was the analytical process of solving tough problems.

I know we can all remember the days of sitting in algebra class asking ourselves, 'why will I need algebra or chemistry in the future?' The answer was and still remains that advanced math and science classes help high school students develop their analytical and cognitive skills and better prepare them to compete in college and the workplace.

The best students are ones that are willing to take intellectual risks and challenge conventional thinking.

The methodologies and best practices used to develop software can be applied successfully to any challenge in life.

I learnt early that always being analytical is important for a business. Being analytical as an attitude is more important than just having the aptitude.

I find it fascinating that you can look at the same problem from different perspectives and approach it using different methods.

I've got the brain for systems and a head for figures.

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

Even if you're going into a field that has nothing to do with computer science, just having that way of analytical thinking and being able to process information and break it down is important no matter what you're doing. Having that knowledge of code is something that you can apply to your daily life.

Who's going to be against making sure students have the education for a knowledge economy?

My students may have dexterity with the equations they're required to know, but they lack the capacity to apply their knowledge to real-life problems. This critical shortcoming appears in high school and possibly in elementary grades - long before college.

I could imagine actually being a scientist or a detective, but not a detective who puts his hands into gory, bloody things. But more like someone who figures things out. I like to figure things out.

I just love to read, learn, and think through complex things.

Always make the choice to learn. What Princeton taught me was whatever mess you are studying, pull a thread with great persistence 'til you have clarity of thought. Princeton taught me how to solve a problem. How to think - that's what we pull out of this place.

You always need to be curious and study.

I think I have the special ability to process information quickly and dissect defenses.

The mark of higher education isn't the knowledge you accumulate in your head. It's the skills you gain about how to learn.

Passion provides purpose, but data drives decisions.

I like thinking and being able to answer questions that are tough to answer. You have to try to figure out how to get a good answer and look intelligent.

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.

I think I'm a good fact finder.