Frederick Mosteller Quotes & Sayings

The main purpose of a significance test is to inhibit the natural enthusiasm of the investigator. — Frederick Mosteller

The Skeptic's mistake lies in thinking that we should tie our hands behind our backs just because we will not be able to reach rock-hard conclusions. — Frederick Mosteller

Much of what I have learned, as well as much of my intellectual enjoyment, has come through problem solving. Through the years, I've found it more and more difficult to tell when I was working and when playing, for it has so often turned out that what I have learned playing with problems has been useful in my serious work. — Frederick Mosteller

It is easy to lie with statistics; it is easier to lie without them. — Frederick Mosteller

While it is easy to lie with statistics, it is even easier to lie without them. — Frederick Mosteller

Although we often hear that data speak for themselves, their voices can be soft and sly — Frederick Mosteller

In a problem, the great thing is the challenge. A problem can be challenging for many reasons: because the subject matter is intriguing, because the answer defies unsophisticated intuition, because it illustrates an important principle, because of its vast generality, because of its difficulty, because of a clever solution, or even because of the simplicity or beauty of the answer. — Frederick Mosteller