---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No data yet,\" he answered. \"It is a…"
description: "\"“No data yet,\" he answered. \"It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment.”\" — Arthur Conan Doyle"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a9/arthur-conan-doyle-273_failure_no-data-yet-he-answered-it-is-a-capital_1254415.jpg"
---

#  No data yet," he answered. "It is a capital mistake to…

![“No data yet,&quot; he answered. &quot;It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment.” quote by Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a9/arthur-conan-doyle-273_failure_no-data-yet-he-answered-it-is-a-capital_1254415.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a9/arthur-conan-doyle-273_failure_no-data-yet-he-answered-it-is-a-capital_1254415.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a9/arthur-conan-doyle-273_failure_no-data-yet-he-answered-it-is-a-capital_1254415.jpg)

> ““No data yet," he answered. "It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment.””

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Premature theorizing without sufficient evidence leads to biased conclusions.

**In simple terms:** Jumping to conclusions without data skews judgment.

Key Takeaway

Gather full evidence before forming opinions.

Themes

science logic bias

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- research design
- legal investigations
- medical diagnostics
- journalistic reporting

Key Concepts

epistemology critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- When is it acceptable to hypothesize early?
- How can bias be mitigated?

A Different Perspective

Time constraints may force early judgments.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Statistics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statistics/)

## Related quotes

> [It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-a-capital-mistake-to-theorize-before-you-have-all-the-evidence/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-capital-mistake-to-theorize-before-one-has-data-insensibly/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-a-capital-mistake-to-theorize-before-one-has-data/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“What was it Sherlock Holmes said about theories?” “‘It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data,’” I rattled off. And as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-andrews/what-was-it-sherlock-holmes-said-about-theories-it-is-a-capital/)

[Donna Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-andrews/)

> [“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.” - Sherlock Holmes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-capital-mistake-to-theorize-before-one-has-data-sherlock/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Theory has all too often been a zoo in which we cage the wild beasts of violence that inhabit our worlds. We then gaze…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-nordstrom/theory-has-all-too-often-been-a-zoo-in-which-we-cage-the-wild-beasts/)

Carolyn Nordstrom

> [I dont theorize too much. I sort of let the experience sink in, and I have to discover what the character is by doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-clayburgh/i-dont-theorize-too-much-i-sort-of-let-the-experience-sink-in-and-i/)

[Jill Clayburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-clayburgh/)

> [Despite long-standing claims by elites that Blacks, women, Latinos, and other similarly derogated groups in the United States remain incapable of producing the type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-hill-collins/despite-long-standing-claims-by-elites-that-blacks-women-latinos-and/)

[Patricia Hill Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-hill-collins/)

> [“We need to theorize the meaning of beauty in our lives so that we can educate for critical consciousness, talking through the issues: how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/we-need-to-theorize-the-meaning-of-beauty-in-our-lives-so-that-we-can/)

[bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [I don't theorize too much. I sort of let the experience sink in, and I have to discover what the character is by doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-clayburgh/i-don-t-theorize-too-much-i-sort-of-let-the-experience-sink-in-and-i/)

[Jill Clayburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-clayburgh/)

> [“That' the thing about theories. You can theorize all you want, but at the end of the day when you theories become reality, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-green/that-the-thing-about-theories-you-can-theorize-all-you-want-but-at/)

[Jane Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-green/)

> [“Experience the world, then theorize it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-maier/experience-the-world-then-theorize-it/)

Josef Maier

> [“To theorize’ means, to see as a whole. The actual is a small part of the whole, or a single aspect of it, which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-oakeshott/to-theorize-means-to-see-as-a-whole-the-actual-is-a-small-part-of-the/)

[Michael Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-oakeshott/)

> [When I used to theorize about a nuclear standoff, I didn't really have to understand what was happening inside the Soviet Union. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-schelling/when-i-used-to-theorize-about-a-nuclear-standoff-i-didn-t-really-have/)

[Thomas Schelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-schelling/)

> [I think it's often easier to theorize in the official codes of theory rather than to theorize lightly through scene, object, story, and incident…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-nixon/i-think-it-s-often-easier-to-theorize-in-the-official-codes-of-theory/)

[Rob Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-nixon/)

## More by Arthur Conan Doyle

> [“shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/shattered-the-bone-and-grazed-the-subclavian-artery-i/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [...it was a huge creature, luminous, ghastly, and spectral. I have cross-examined these men, one of them a hard-headed countryman, one a farrier, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-was-a-huge-creature-luminous-ghastly-and-spectral-i-have-cross/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“A study in scarlet, eh? Why shouldn't we use a little art jargon. There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/a-study-in-scarlet-eh-why-shouldn-t-we-use-a-little-art-jargon-there/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/mediocrity-knows-nothing-higher-than-itself-but-talent-instantly/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“Holy men? Holy cabbages! Holy bean-pods! What do they do but live and suck in sustenance and grow fat? If that be holiness, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/holy-men-holy-cabbages-holy-bean-pods-what-do-they-do-but-live-and/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“Wonderful!" I ejaculated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/wonderful-i-ejaculated/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Amberley excelled at chess - a mark, Watson, of a scheming mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/amberley-excelled-at-chess-a-mark-watson-of-a-scheming-mind/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Ex-Professor Moriarty of mathematical celebrity... is the Napoleon of crime, Watson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/ex-professor-moriarty-of-mathematical-celebrity-is-the-napoleon-of/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals. He has the nerve and he has the knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/when-a-doctor-does-go-wrong-he-is-the-first-of-criminals-he-has-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of Nature!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/how-small-we-feel-with-our-petty-ambitions-and-strivings-in-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [You wish to put me in the dark. I tell you that I will never be put in the dark. You wish to beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/you-wish-to-put-me-in-the-dark-i-tell-you-that-i-will-never-be-put-in/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-he-said-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“It is hard luck on a young fellow to have expensive tastes, great expectations, aristocratic connections but no actual money in his pocket, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-hard-luck-on-a-young-fellow-to-have-expensive-tastes-great/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/in-the-year-1878-i-took-my-degree-of-doctor-of-medicine-of-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

[Explore all 740 Arthur Conan Doyle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

## More Failure quotes

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/)

[Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/)

> [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/)

[Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/)

> [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/)

[Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/)

> [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/)

[Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/)

> [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/)

[Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/)

> [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/)

[Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/)

> [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“No data yet,\" he answered. \"It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Arthur Conan Doyle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/no-data-yet-he-answered-it-is-a-capital-mistake-to-theorize-before/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Failure"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/no-data-yet-he-answered-it-is-a-capital-mistake-to-theorize-before/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a9/arthur-conan-doyle-273_failure_no-data-yet-he-answered-it-is-a-capital_1254415.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a9/arthur-conan-doyle-273_failure_no-data-yet-he-answered-it-is-a-capital_1254415.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a9/arthur-conan-doyle-273_failure_no-data-yet-he-answered-it-is-a-capital_1254415.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No data yet,\" he answered. \"It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases…” — Arthur Conan Doyle",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Arthur Conan Doyle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“No data yet,\" he answered. \"It...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/no-data-yet-he-answered-it-is-a-capital-mistake-to-theorize-before/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/no-data-yet-he-answered-it-is-a-capital-mistake-to-theorize-before/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
