Edward R. Tufte Quotes & Sayings

It is not how much empty space there is, but rather how it is used. It is not how much information there is, but rather how effectively it is arranged. — Edward R. Tufte

Allowing artist-illustrators to control the design and content of statistical graphics is almost like allowing typographers to control the content, style, and editing of prose. — Edward R. Tufte

Above all else show the data. — Edward R. Tufte

What about confusing clutter? Information overload? Doesn't data have to be "boiled down" and "simplified"? These common questions miss the point, for the quantity of detail is an issue completely separate from the difficulty of reading. Clutter and confusion are failures of design, not attributes of information. — Edward R. Tufte

Small, noncomparative, highly labeled data sets usually belong in tables. — Edward R. Tufte

Graphical excellence is that which gives to the viewer the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space. — Edward R. Tufte

Design cannot rescue failed content. — Edward R. Tufte

If the statistics are boring, then you've got the wrong numbers. — Edward R. Tufte

To clarify, *add* data. — Edward R. Tufte

Comparisons must be enforced within the scope of the eyespan, a fundamental point occasionally forgotten in practice. — Edward R. Tufte

I have stared long enough at the glowing flat rectangles of computer screens. Let us give more time for doing things in the real world ... plant a plant, walk the dogs, read a real book, go to the opera. — Edward R. Tufte

PowerPoint is like being trapped in the style of early Egyptian flatland cartoons rather than using the more effective tools of Renaissance visual representation. — Edward R. Tufte

Cosmetic decoration, which frequently distorts the data, will never salvage an underlying lack of content. — Edward R. Tufte