--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing matters but the facts. Without…" description: "\"Nothing matters but the facts. Without them, the science of criminal investigation is nothing more than a guessing game.\" — Blake Edwards" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae3/blake-edwards-40599_criminal-investigati_nothing-matters-but-the-facts-without-th_1899739.jpg" --- # Nothing matters but the facts. Without them, the science… ![“Nothing matters but the facts. Without them, the science of criminal investigation is nothing more than a guessing game.” quote by Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae3/blake-edwards-40599_criminal-investigati_nothing-matters-but-the-facts-without-th_1899739.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae3/blake-edwards-40599_criminal-investigati_nothing-matters-but-the-facts-without-th_1899739.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae3/blake-edwards-40599_criminal-investigati_nothing-matters-but-the-facts-without-th_1899739.jpg) > “Nothing matters but the facts. Without them, the science of criminal investigation is nothing more than a guessing game.” [Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science relies on objective evidence; without facts, investigation becomes speculation. **In simple terms:** Facts are essential for reliable investigation. Key Takeaway Base decisions on verifiable data. Themes science investigation evidence Mood analytical serious Type educational informational When to use this quote - police work - legal cases - research projects Key Concepts empiricism methodology Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify facts before acting? - What safeguards prevent speculation? A Different Perspective Facts may be incomplete or biased, limiting conclusions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criminal investigation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-investigation/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Guessing Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guessing-game/) [Nothing matters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing-matters/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [You know what? I’m sure drug dealers on the street, in some way, they are making money. That’s what I equate it to. Here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cruise/you-know-what-i-m-sure-drug-dealers-on-the-street-in-some-way-they/) [Tom Cruise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cruise/) > [For the longest time, I was always like a guy that people would think they went to high school with. They'd be like, 'How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-messina/for-the-longest-time-i-was-always-like-a-guy-that-people-would-think/) [Chris Messina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-messina/) > [He knew by heart every last minute crack on its surface. He had made maps of the ceiling and gone exploring on them; rivers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/he-knew-by-heart-every-last-minute-crack-on-its-surface-he-had-made/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [Part of filmmaking is always a guessing game, and part of it is always a game of trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-kinnear/part-of-filmmaking-is-always-a-guessing-game-and-part-of-it-is-always/) [Greg Kinnear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-kinnear/) > [Life seemed even more of a guessing game than usual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/life-seemed-even-more-of-a-guessing-game-than-usual/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [Love should not be a guessing game. In fact, it shouldn't be a game at all. One should lay all the cards on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-should-not-be-a-guessing-game-in-fact-it-shouldn-t-be-a-game-at/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To name an object is to deprive a poem of three-fourths of its pleasure, which consists in a little-by-little guessing game; the ideal is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/to-name-an-object-is-to-deprive-a-poem-of-three-fourths-of-its/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [When it came to foods it was a guessing game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-perez/when-it-came-to-foods-it-was-a-guessing-game/) Tony Perez > [“He waited in silence for the blindfold to be tied firmly at the back of his head. ‘Right,’ said Wilkins, emphatically. ‘That should do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coe/he-waited-in-silence-for-the-blindfold-to-be-tied-firmly-at-the-back/) [Jonathan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coe/) > [“I griped about it at lunch one day to Bill Weist and Dr. Leslie Squier, our visiting psychologists from Reed College. I'd been trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-pryor/i-griped-about-it-at-lunch-one-day-to-bill-weist-and-dr-leslie-squier/) [Karen Pryor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-pryor/) > [“It is raining.  The clock ticks.  I am leaning on my elbow.  The wind blows through the cracks.  The door rattles in its frame.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-rehmus/it-is-raining-the-clock-ticks-i-am-leaning-on-my-elbow-the-wind-blows/) E.E. Rehmus > [“Alas, great is my sorrow. Your name is Ah Chen, and when you were born I was not truly pleased. I am a farmer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/alas-great-is-my-sorrow-your-name-is-ah-chen-and-when-you-were-born-i/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [Everything with Peeping Tom is kind of a guessing game. It's constantly exhilarating but also exhausting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-patton/everything-with-peeping-tom-is-kind-of-a-guessing-game-it-s/) [Mike Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-patton/) > [Dear Males; please tell us how you feel straight up. We are not a guessing game and we don't like being played like one.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dear-males-please-tell-us-how-you-feel-straight-up-we-are-not-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's never one thing it's a lot of things because you learn that show business is one of the most complicated industries in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-mitchell/it-s-never-one-thing-it-s-a-lot-of-things-because-you-learn-that-show/) [Liz Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-mitchell/) ## More by Blake Edwards > [Don't just stand there, idiot. Call a doctor, and then help me find a nose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/don-t-just-stand-there-idiot-call-a-doctor-and-then-help-me-find-a/) [Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) > [Being thrown out of this place is significantly better than being thrown out of a leper colony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/being-thrown-out-of-this-place-is-significantly-better-than-being/) [Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) > [Look, there's nothing wrong with people being happy, but there's more to life than turning on and screwing to Ravel's Bolero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/look-there-s-nothing-wrong-with-people-being-happy-but-there-s-more/) [Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) > [Shame is an unhappy emotion invented by pietists in order to exploit the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/shame-is-an-unhappy-emotion-invented-by-pietists-in-order-to-exploit/) [Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) > [I reckon this could mean another 10 million at the box office.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/i-reckon-this-could-mean-another-10-million-at-the-box-office/) [Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) > [If you still want to kill him, do me a favor and take him outside. Those are new sheets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/if-you-still-want-to-kill-him-do-me-a-favor-and-take-him-outside/) [Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) > [It's been my experience that every time I think I know where it's at, it's usually somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/it-s-been-my-experience-that-every-time-i-think-i-know-where-it-s-at/) [Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) > [There's so few people in this town with a conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/there-s-so-few-people-in-this-town-with-a-conscience/) [Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) > [I think that there are few people in one's life that you never really feel that they're gone. I have to remind myself that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/i-think-that-there-are-few-people-in-one-s-life-that-you-never-really/) [Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) [Explore all 10 Blake Edwards quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) ## More Criminal investigation quotes > [My role and my obligation was to conduct criminal investigations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-role-and-my-obligation-was-to-conduct-criminal-investigations/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are two things that matter in a criminal investigation of a subject.What did the person do, and when they did that thing, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-comey/there-are-two-things-that-matter-in-a-criminal-investigation-of-a/) [James Comey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-comey/) > [This whole pre-criminal investigation, where we watch everybody, all the time, just in case, is really an extraordinary departure from the Western liberal tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/this-whole-pre-criminal-investigation-where-we-watch-everybody-all/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The responsibility of a minister is to step aside when there is a criminal investigation of the department. That protects the propriety of Parliament…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-layton/the-responsibility-of-a-minister-is-to-step-aside-when-there-is-a/) [Jack Layton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-layton/) > [I was a huge fan of Lance Armstrong. The only way that they caught him using doping was through a criminal investigation where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fogel/i-was-a-huge-fan-of-lance-armstrong-the-only-way-that-they-caught-him/) [Bryan Fogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fogel/) > [The role of the federal prosecutor and the purpose of a criminal investigation are well-defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barr/the-role-of-the-federal-prosecutor-and-the-purpose-of-a-criminal/) [William Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barr/) > [“A major investigation, once it gets underway, is as exciting as watching reruns of Big Brother, although possibly involving less sex and violence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/a-major-investigation-once-it-gets-underway-is-as-exciting-as/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [Given our law enforcement authorities, our central role in the Intelligence Community, and the span of our responsibilities - from counterterrorism to counterintelligence to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-a-wray/given-our-law-enforcement-authorities-our-central-role-in-the/) [Christopher A. Wray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-a-wray/) > [“Furthermore, after the Justice Department targeted a Fox News reporter for a criminal investigation under the Espionage Act, in a matter involving unauthorized disclosure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mccarthy/furthermore-after-the-justice-department-targeted-a-fox-news-reporter/) [Andrew McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mccarthy/) > [“After business, the next most frequent use of the polygraph test is as part of criminal investigations. It is not only used on criminal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ekman/after-business-the-next-most-frequent-use-of-the-polygraph-test-is-as/) [Paul Ekman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ekman/) > [Derogatory information sometimes is disclosed in the course of criminal investigations and prosecutions, but we never release it gratuitously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-rosenstein/derogatory-information-sometimes-is-disclosed-in-the-course-of/) [Rod Rosenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-rosenstein/) > [The nation certainly would have been better off if President Clinton could have focused on Osama bin Laden without being distracted by the Paula…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-kavanaugh/the-nation-certainly-would-have-been-better-off-if-president-clinton/) [Brett Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-kavanaugh/) > [A president who is concerned about an ongoing criminal investigation is almost inevitably going to do a worse job as president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-kavanaugh/a-president-who-is-concerned-about-an-ongoing-criminal-investigation/) [Brett Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-kavanaugh/) > [As a young prosecutor, I used the Bureau of Criminal Investigation extensively. I saw that there were problems with BCI. Frankly, I thought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-dewine/as-a-young-prosecutor-i-used-the-bureau-of-criminal-investigation/) [Mike DeWine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-dewine/) > [We should not burden a sitting president with civil suits, criminal investigations, or criminal prosecutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-kavanaugh/we-should-not-burden-a-sitting-president-with-civil-suits-criminal/) [Brett Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-kavanaugh/) [Browse all 27 Criminal investigation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-investigation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nothing matters but the facts. Without them, the science of criminal investigation is nothing more than a guessing game.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Blake Edwards" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/nothing-matters-but-the-facts-without-them-the-science-of-criminal/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Criminal investigation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/nothing-matters-but-the-facts-without-them-the-science-of-criminal/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae3/blake-edwards-40599_criminal-investigati_nothing-matters-but-the-facts-without-th_1899739.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae3/blake-edwards-40599_criminal-investigati_nothing-matters-but-the-facts-without-th_1899739.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae3/blake-edwards-40599_criminal-investigati_nothing-matters-but-the-facts-without-th_1899739.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nothing matters but the facts. Without them, the science of criminal investigation is nothing more than a…” — Blake Edwards", "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": "Blake Edwards", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nothing matters but the facts. Without...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/nothing-matters-but-the-facts-without-them-the-science-of-criminal/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/nothing-matters-but-the-facts-without-them-the-science-of-criminal/#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 } } ] } ```