Ely Devons Quotes

8 Sourced Quotes

The way statistics are presented, their arrangement in a particular way in tables, the juxtaposition of sets of figures, in itself reflects the judgment of the author about what is significant and what is trivial in the situation which the statistics portray.

Ely Devons
I cannot oscillate a time series or properly analyze a variance...

Ely Devons
This exaggerated influence of statistics resulting from willingness, indeed eagerness, to be impressed by the "hard facts" provided by the "figures", may play an important role in decision-making.

Ely Devons
The two most important characteristics of the language of statistics are first, that it describes things in quantitative terms, and second, that it gives this description an air of accuracy and precision.

Ely Devons
Statistical magic, like its primitive counterpart, is a mystery to the public; and like primitive magic it can never be proved wrong... The oracle is never wrong; a mistake merely reinforces the belief in magic.

Ely Devons
What more tempting facade of rationality than the portrayal of some statistics that seem to point to policy in one direction rather than another?

Ely Devons
"statistics are only for the statistician", and even then, I might add, only for the good statistician.

Ely Devons
There seems to be striking similarities between the role of economic statistics in our society and some of the functions which magic and divination play in primitive society.

Ely Devons