Conclusion Quote by Arthur Conan Doyle
“I had ... come to an entirely erroneous conclusion, which shows, my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is to reason from insufficient data.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Hound of the Baskervilles, 1902
Reasoning from insufficient data leads to false conclusions, as shown by Watson’s error.
In simple terms: Bad data leads to bad conclusions.
Key Takeaway
Base conclusions on solid evidence.
Themes
reasoning
data
error
Mood
analytical
skeptical
Type
cautionary
educational
When to use this quote
- science
- law
- journalism
- decision making
Key Concepts
logic
epistemology
investigation
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence would you need to avoid this error?
- How can you test assumptions before concluding?
A Different Perspective
Insufficient data can mislead even experts.
![“This branch of mathematics [Probability] is the only one, I believe, in which good writers frequently get results which are entirely erroneous.” quote by Charles Sanders Peirce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/891/charles-sanders-peirce-5105_believe_this-branch-of-mathematics-probability-i_2178157.jpg)
![“[Sherlock Holmes:] The temptation to form premature theories upon insufficient data is the bane of our profession.” quote by Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/199/arthur-conan-doyle-273_bane_sherlock-holmes-the-temptation-to-form-p_181407.jpg)
