--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can invent as many theories we like…" description: "\"We can invent as many theories we like, and any one of them can be made to fit the facts. But that theory is always preferred which makes the fewest nu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/albert-einstein-33_assumption_we-can-invent-as-many-theories-we-like-a_2715975.jpg" --- # We can invent as many theories we like, and any one of… ![“We can invent as many theories we like, and any one of them can be made to fit the facts. But that theory is always preferred which makes the fewest number of assumptions.” quote by Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/albert-einstein-33_assumption_we-can-invent-as-many-theories-we-like-a_2715975.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/albert-einstein-33_assumption_we-can-invent-as-many-theories-we-like-a_2715975.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/albert-einstein-33_assumption_we-can-invent-as-many-theories-we-like-a_2715975.jpg) > “We can invent as many theories we like, and any one of them can be made to fit the facts. But that theory is always preferred which makes the fewest number of assumptions.” [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The best theory is the one that explains data with the fewest assumptions, even though many explanations can be forced to fit facts. **In simple terms:** Simplify assumptions to explain facts. Key Takeaway Prefer simpler, testable explanations. Themes science philosophy logic Mood analytical inquisitive Type epistemic methodological When to use this quote - research design - data analysis - model building - policy making Key Concepts Occam's razor theory choice parsimony Questions to Reflect On - Are you favoring simplicity over completeness? - How do you test if fewer assumptions still capture reality? A Different Perspective Complex phenomena may need multiple assumptions for accuracy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Theories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theories/) ## Related quotes > [A work in which there are theories is like an object which still has the ticket that shows its price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/a-work-in-which-there-are-theories-is-like-an-object-which-still-has-2/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Theories are like scaffolding: they are not the house, but you cannot build the house without them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-fenimore-woolson/theories-are-like-scaffolding-they-are-not-the-house-but-you-cannot/) [Constance Fenimore Woolson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-fenimore-woolson/) > [A work of art that contains theories is like an object on which the price tag has been left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/a-work-of-art-that-contains-theories-is-like-an-object-on-which-the/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [Theories are like patches on a coat, one day they just wear off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/theories-are-like-patches-on-a-coat-one-day-they-just-wear-off/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [“A work in which there are theories is like an object which still has its price-tag on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/a-work-in-which-there-are-theories-is-like-an-object-which-still-has/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Man is so intelligent that he feels impelled to invent theories to account for what happens in the world. Unfortunately, he is not quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/man-is-so-intelligent-that-he-feels-impelled-to-invent-theories-to/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“If he goes after Sophia's father right after the divorce, then everybody knows he's whacked out over it." She'd spent some time analyzing it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/if-he-goes-after-sophia-s-father-right-after-the-divorce-then/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [Theories are like a stairway; by climbing, science widens its horizon more and more, because theories embody and necessarily include proportionately more facts as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/theories-are-like-a-stairway-by-climbing-science-widens-its-horizon/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) > [Theories can be based on any assumptions, however bizarre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/theories-can-be-based-on-any-assumptions-however-bizarre/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [I never thought that others would take my theories so much more seriously than I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-never-thought-that-others-would-take-my-theories-so-much-more/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Theories of genius are the peculiar constructions of our own philosophical times; ages of genius had passed away, and they left no other record…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-d-israeli/theories-of-genius-are-the-peculiar-constructions-of-our-own/) [Isaac D'Israeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-d-israeli/) > [“You make experiments and I make theories. Do you know the difference? A theory is something nobody believes, except the person who made it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/you-make-experiments-and-i-make-theories-do-you-know-the-difference-a/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Necessity is the mother of all invention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/necessity-is-the-mother-of-all-invention/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Compound interest on debt was the banker's greatest invention, to capture, and enslave, a productive society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/compound-interest-on-debt-was-the-banker-s-greatest-invention-to/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“Theory shows a way to a goal, but it is not the goal. Theory offers security, but there are no secure theories. Theories shed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-blankinship/theory-shows-a-way-to-a-goal-but-it-is-not-the-goal-theory-offers/) [D.A. Blankinship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-blankinship/) ## More by Albert Einstein > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The faster you go, the shorter you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-faster-you-go-the-shorter-you-are/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You imagine that I look back on my life's work with calm satisfaction. But from nearby it looks quite different. There is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/you-imagine-that-i-look-back-on-my-life-s-work-with-calm-satisfaction/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The strongest force in the universe is Compound Interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-strongest-force-in-the-universe-is-compound-interest/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The right to search for the truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-right-to-search-for-the-truth-implies-also-a-duty-one-must-not/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/everything-that-is-really-great-and-inspiring-is-created-by-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The world we have made is a result of the level of thinking we have done thus far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-world-we-have-made-is-a-result-of-the-level-of-thinking-we-have/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Life isn't worth living, unless it is lived for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/life-isn-t-worth-living-unless-it-is-lived-for-someone-else/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“Just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it isn't true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/just-because-you-don-t-believe-in-something-doesn-t-mean-it-isn-t-true/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [But there is another reason for the high repute of mathematics: it is mathematics that offers the exact natural sciences a certain measure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/but-there-is-another-reason-for-the-high-repute-of-mathematics-it-is/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nothing-will-benefit-human-health-and-increase-the-chances-for/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) [Explore all 2,339 Albert Einstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) ## More Assumption quotes > [Next to the assumption of power was the responsibility of relinquishing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/next-to-the-assumption-of-power-was-the-responsibility-of/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) Richard Doll > [Fortunately, the mind is restless; when it uncovers a layer of its own deception, gives up an illusion, exposes a lie, it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-chernin/fortunately-the-mind-is-restless-when-it-uncovers-a-layer-of-its-own/) [Kim Chernin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-chernin/) > [The possibility of saying anything about a thing rests on the assumption that it preserves its identity, or continues to be the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-knight/the-possibility-of-saying-anything-about-a-thing-rests-on-the/) [Frank Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-knight/) > [She spent hours drawing on her own, trying to perfect her craft. And when she got into music, she had that same diligence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/she-spent-hours-drawing-on-her-own-trying-to-perfect-her-craft-and/) [Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/) > [If they are, then the only ultimate truths are the particulars of concrete experience, and no postulate or general assumption is inherent in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-wright/if-they-are-then-the-only-ultimate-truths-are-the-particulars-of/) [Chauncey Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-wright/) > [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Leadership, pure and simple, is the assumption of responsibility for the pursuit of excellence in group life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-selznick/leadership-pure-and-simple-is-the-assumption-of-responsibility-for/) Philip Selznick > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [When I see a fan coming over, I can't help but make an assumption about what they want to talk about. A middle-aged American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/when-i-see-a-fan-coming-over-i-can-t-help-but-make-an-assumption/) [Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [Pussy Riot have certainly changed some people's assumptions about the role of political art and the relationship between the intelligentsia and the church. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/pussy-riot-have-certainly-changed-some-people-s-assumptions-about-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) [Browse all 1,277 Assumption quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We can invent as many theories we like, and any one of them can be made to fit the facts. 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