---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Experts often possess more data than…"
description: "\"Experts often possess more data than judgment.\" — Colin Powell"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf5/colin-powell-691_data_experts-often-possess-more-data-than-jud_392239.jpg"
---

#  Experts often possess more data than judgment.

![“Experts often possess more data than judgment.” quote by Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf5/colin-powell-691_data_experts-often-possess-more-data-than-jud_392239.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf5/colin-powell-691_data_experts-often-possess-more-data-than-jud_392239.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf5/colin-powell-691_data_experts-often-possess-more-data-than-jud_392239.jpg)

> “Experts often possess more data than judgment.”

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

## About This Quote

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

Experts may have data but lack sound judgment.

**In simple terms:** Data alone doesn't guarantee good decisions.

Key Takeaway

Seek judgment with data.

Themes

expertise data judgment

Mood

critical reflective

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- military planning
- business strategy
- policy analysis

Key Concepts

critical thinking decision making

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance data and intuition?
- When has data misled you?

A Different Perspective

Data can be misinterpreted without wisdom.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Data Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data-judgment-3536216/) [Experts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experts/) [Experts Possess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experts-possess-2955127/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Possess Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possess-data-3536217/)

## Related quotes

> [Don't be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess more data than judgment. Elites can become so inbred that they produce hemophiliacs who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/don-t-be-buffaloed-by-experts-and-elites-experts-often-possess-more/)

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

> [Statistics: The only science that enables different experts using the same figures to draw different conclusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/statistics-the-only-science-that-enables-different-experts-using-the/)

[Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/)

> [I am not an expert on the Clinton Foundation, so, you know, I don't want to pass judgment on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-am-not-an-expert-on-the-clinton-foundation-so-you-know-i-don-t-want/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [There are experts in little things but there are no experts in big things. There are experts in this fact and that fact but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/there-are-experts-in-little-things-but-there-are-no-experts-in-big/)

[Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/)

> [I thought if I was open and honest, it would help the reader to get open and honest, and they also would realize sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/i-thought-if-i-was-open-and-honest-it-would-help-the-reader-to-get/)

[John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/)

> [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [This is an extraordinary illustrated collection of Chinese herbsaccompanied by concise and expert comments. Jing-Nuan Wu has succeeded incompiling this most unique and informative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-nakanishi/this-is-an-extraordinary-illustrated-collection-of-chinese/)

[Koji Nakanishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-nakanishi/)

> [The big story today, Barack Obama was accused of insulting Sarah Palin when he criticized Republican policies by saying, you can put lipstick on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/the-big-story-today-barack-obama-was-accused-of-insulting-sarah-palin/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

> [Go on - but don't think you can kill my confidence. I've had experts doing it for years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-osborne/go-on-but-don-t-think-you-can-kill-my-confidence-i-ve-had-experts/)

[John Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-osborne/)

> [The question of boundaries is a major question of the Jewish people because the Jews are the great experts of crossing boundaries. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-yehoshua/the-question-of-boundaries-is-a-major-question-of-the-jewish-people/)

[A. B. Yehoshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-yehoshua/)

> [The World Health Organisation has a lot of its medical experts sitting in Geneva while hospitals in Africa have no drugs and desperate patients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-hanson/the-world-health-organisation-has-a-lot-of-its-medical-experts/)

[Pauline Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-hanson/)

> [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/)

[K. Anders Ericsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-anders-ericsson/)

> [As actors, you become an expert at starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-actors-you-become-an-expert-at-starting-over/)

[Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/)

> [I don't think Alfonso was a big expert on Potter either. He was feeling his way through it more than I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-thewlis/i-don-t-think-alfonso-was-a-big-expert-on-potter-either-he-was/)

[David Thewlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-thewlis/)

> [It's a great lesson in modesty that you realize you're illiterate in a field that you think you're an expert in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/it-s-a-great-lesson-in-modesty-that-you-realize-you-re-illiterate-in/)

[Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/)

## More by Colin Powell

> [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/)

> [Effective leaders are made, not born. They learn from trial and error, and from experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/effective-leaders-are-made-not-born-they-learn-from-trial-and-error/)

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

> [Decision-making is lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/decision-making-is-lonely/)

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

> [The purposes of the United States should not be doubted. The Security Council resolutions will be enforced - the just demands of peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/the-purposes-of-the-united-states-should-not-be-doubted-the-security/)

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

> [I always like to take my time and examine the two candidates, see not only the two candidates but the policies they will bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/i-always-like-to-take-my-time-and-examine-the-two-candidates-see-not/)

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

> [We can seldom get our children to do what we tell them, but they almost never fail to imitate us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/we-can-seldom-get-our-children-to-do-what-we-tell-them-but-they/)

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

> [With respect to where we are now, we have a voluntary army. And if we ever go back to conscription I hope that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/with-respect-to-where-we-are-now-we-have-a-voluntary-army-and-if-we/)

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

> [Politics is not bean bags. It's serious, tough stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/politics-is-not-bean-bags-it-s-serious-tough-stuff/)

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

> [There are no secrets to success: don't waste time looking for them, success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/there-are-no-secrets-to-success-don-t-waste-time-looking-for-them/)

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

> [So like any football or basketball coach, you always always believe you're going to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/so-like-any-football-or-basketball-coach-you-always-always-believe/)

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

> [We hope that more assistance will be available to the nations of the region, to include Egypt, on the three pillars that I discussed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/we-hope-that-more-assistance-will-be-available-to-the-nations-of-the/)

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

> [One of the most worrisome things that emerges from the thick intelligence file we have on Iraq's biological weapons is the existence of mobile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/one-of-the-most-worrisome-things-that-emerges-from-the-thick/)

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

> [Pissing people off doesn't mean you're doing the right things, but doing the right things will almost inevitably piss people off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/pissing-people-off-doesn-t-mean-you-re-doing-the-right-things-but/)

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

> [The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/the-less-you-associate-with-some-people-the-more-your-life-will/)

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

> [Be careful what you choose: You may get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/be-careful-what-you-choose-you-may-get-it/)

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

[Explore all 408 Colin Powell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

## More Data quotes

> [Information is money, but data is squat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-llama-butler/information-is-money-but-data-is-squat/)

[Angela Llama-Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-llama-butler/)

> [“ data analytics consulting Perceptive Analtyics is a data analytic company and a trusted advisor to its clients across domains. Click to know more”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastianmax/data-analytics-consulting-perceptive-analtyics-is-a-data-analytic/)

[SebastianMax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastianmax/)

> [The information nation took their clues from all the sound bite gluttons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem/the-information-nation-took-their-clues-from-all-the-sound-bite/)

[REM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem/)

> [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/)

[Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/)

> [But actually theory is very practical. Gravity is a theory, for example. It allows you to predict that if you step off a cliff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-christensen/but-actually-theory-is-very-practical-gravity-is-a-theory-for-example/)

[Clayton Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-christensen/)

> [Statistics are like miniskirts: They give you good ideas but hide the important things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ebbe-skovdahl/statistics-are-like-miniskirts-they-give-you-good-ideas-but-hide-the/)

[Ebbe Skovdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ebbe-skovdahl/)

> [Unlike return, however, risk is no more quantifiable at the end of an investment that it was at its beginning. Risk simply cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/unlike-return-however-risk-is-no-more-quantifiable-at-the-end-of-an/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [Finding patterns is easy in any kind of data-rich environment; that's what mediocre gamblers do. The key is in determining whether the patterns represent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/finding-patterns-is-easy-in-any-kind-of-data-rich-environment-that-s/)

[Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/)

> [ \[Brazil\] went to the UN and said, "We need new standards for this." We need to take a look at what they're calling "data… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/brazil-went-to-the-un-and-said-we-need-new-standards-for-this-we-need/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [We're living in a technological world. You cannot tell me we can't do a better job getting that information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-re-living-in-a-technological-world-you-cannot-tell-me-we-can-t-do/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [Web users ultimately want to get at data quickly and easily. They don't care as much about attractive sites and pretty design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/web-users-ultimately-want-to-get-at-data-quickly-and-easily-they-don/)

[Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/)

> [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/)

[Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/)

> [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/)

[Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/)

> [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/)

[Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/)

> [“The amount of stored information grows four times faster than the world economy, while the processing power of computers grows nine times faster. Little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-mayer-sch-nberger/the-amount-of-stored-information-grows-four-times-faster-than-the/)

[Viktor Mayer-Schönberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-mayer-sch-nberger/)

[Browse all 3,134 Data quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Experts often possess more data than judgment.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Colin Powell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/experts-often-possess-more-data-than-judgment/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Data"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/experts-often-possess-more-data-than-judgment/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf5/colin-powell-691_data_experts-often-possess-more-data-than-jud_392239.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf5/colin-powell-691_data_experts-often-possess-more-data-than-jud_392239.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf5/colin-powell-691_data_experts-often-possess-more-data-than-jud_392239.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Experts often possess more data than judgment.” — Colin Powell",
                "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": "Colin Powell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Experts often possess more data than...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/experts-often-possess-more-data-than-judgment/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/experts-often-possess-more-data-than-judgment/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
