Stephen J. Dubner Quotes

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.'

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

No matter how complicated a problem is, it usually can be reduced to a simple, comprehensible form which is often the best solution.

There are no big problems, there are just a lot of little problems.

Solving big problems is easier than solving little problems.

Simple solutions seldom are. It takes a very unusual mind to undertake analysis of the obvious.

There are no simple solutions to today’s problems.

The problem is that we attempt to solve the simplest questions cleverly, thereby rendering them unusually complex. One should seekthe simple solution.

Complexity has and will maintain a strong fascination for many people. It is true that we live in a complex world and strive to solve inherently complex problems, which often do require complex mechanisms. However, this should not diminish our desire for elegant solutions, which convince by their clarity and effectiveness. Simple, elegant solutions are more effective, but they are harder to find than complex ones, and they require more time, which we too often believe to be unaffordable

There is no problem so complicated that you can't find a very simple answer to it if you look at it right.

I'd be wary of simple solutions to complex problems.

The best solutions are often simple, yet unexpected.

I try to take large, general questions that are difficult to resolve and break them down into small, very specific questions that have clear answers.

Every problem can be solved as long as they use common sense and apply the right research and techniques.

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

It's so easy to make things complicated in business.

I'm a perfectionist. And that's served me very well in my career. It allows me to handle these large, complex problems without letting things fall through the cracks... That is the mentality you have to have to attack these complex problems of chip design, for example, when you're overwhelmed with complexity.

It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes.

What we do as a society is seek simple answers.

The easiest way to solve a problem is to pick an easy one.

I have yet to see any problem, however complicated, which, when you looked at it in the right way, did not become still more complicated.

There are many people who want simple solutions, but there are none ... nor will there be.

It’s not very profitable to sit and think nowadays. So many problems, and they seem all to have such twists to them – nothing is straightforward.

I give people ideas on how to solve intractable problems.

If you go deep into a problem, you'll find most all of the time that there are yet more problems to be solved from the ground up.