--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Context is to data what water is to a…" description: "\"Context is to data what water is to a dolphin\" — Dan Simmons" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f02/dan-simmons-968_context_context-is-to-data-what-water-is-to-a-do_75259.jpg" --- # Context is to data what water is to a dolphin ![“Context is to data what water is to a dolphin” quote by Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f02/dan-simmons-968_context_context-is-to-data-what-water-is-to-a-do_75259.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f02/dan-simmons-968_context_context-is-to-data-what-water-is-to-a-do_75259.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f02/dan-simmons-968_context_context-is-to-data-what-water-is-to-a-do_75259.jpg) > “Context is to data what water is to a dolphin” [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Context provides the surrounding information that gives data its relevance and meaning, just as water enables a dolphin to navigate and thrive. **In simple terms:** Context gives data meaning. Key Takeaway Without context, data is directionless. Themes meaning communication environment interpretation relevance Mood curious insightful Type aphor analogy When to use this quote - data science projects - research reporting - business intelligence dashboards - educational material design Key Concepts contextualization data analysis environmental analogy Practical Applications - enhancing data visualization - improving decision-making Questions to Reflect On - How does context change the interpretation of raw data? - What happens when context is missing? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Context](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/context/) [Context Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/context-data-976767/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Data Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data-water-976768/) [Dolphin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dolphin/) [Dolphins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dolphins/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Water Dolphin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water-dolphin-976766/) [Whale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whale/) ## Related quotes > [Cultures have long heard wisdom in non-human voices: Apollo, god of music, medicine and knowledge, came to Delphi in the form of a dolphin.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/cultures-have-long-heard-wisdom-in-non-human-voices-apollo-god-of/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [ “They \[dolphins\] are my least favorite member of the animal kingdom. Everyone seems to think dolphins are cute and "intelligent," but they're best described… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/they-dolphins-are-my-least-favorite-member-of-the-animal-kingdom/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The last ever dolphin message was misinterpreted as a surprisingly sophisticated attempt to do a double-backwards-somersault through a hoop whilst whistling the 'Star Spangled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-last-ever-dolphin-message-was-misinterpreted-as-a-surprisingly/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [You can't get a dolphin. What are you gonna do, like, put it in your pool?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/you-can-t-get-a-dolphin-what-are-you-gonna-do-like-put-it-in-your-pool/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [Just imagine the banner headlines if a marine biologist were to discover a species of dolphin that wove large, intricately meshed fishing nets, twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/just-imagine-the-banner-headlines-if-a-marine-biologist-were-to/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I've never understood the 'things to do before you die' idea. If I was ill, I'd be in no mood to have a swim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/i-ve-never-understood-the-things-to-do-before-you-die-idea-if-i-was/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [“Dolphins. They think they’re so cute. Oh, look at me, I’m a flippy little dolphin, let me flip for you.”     —Chum in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-king/dolphins-they-think-they-re-so-cute-oh-look-at-me-i-m-a-flippy-little/) [Bart King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-king/) > [He paints a dolphin in the woods, a boar in the waves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/he-paints-a-dolphin-in-the-woods-a-boar-in-the-waves/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [I often dream about the Dolphin Hotel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-often-dream-about-the-dolphin-hotel/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Imagine a dolphin dancing in the sky. Let it dance with joy. Think of yourself at the bottom of the ocean watching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/imagine-a-dolphin-dancing-in-the-sky-let-it-dance-with-joy-think-of/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [My first payback to society in life, was The Dolphin Project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-danko/my-first-payback-to-society-in-life-was-the-dolphin-project/) [Rick Danko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-danko/) > [I'd love to sponsor a dolphin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-ora/i-d-love-to-sponsor-a-dolphin/) [Rita Ora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-ora/) > [Ere the dolphin dies Its hues are brightest. Like an infant's breath Are tropic winds before the voice of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fitz-greene-halleck/ere-the-dolphin-dies-its-hues-are-brightest-like-an-infant-s-breath/) [Fitz-Greene Halleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fitz-greene-halleck/) > [I've been a Dolphin for 17 years, and I'll be a Dolphin for the rest of my life. That will never change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-marino/i-ve-been-a-dolphin-for-17-years-and-i-ll-be-a-dolphin-for-the-rest/) [Dan Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-marino/) > [I've never had any intimate relationships with a dolphin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-ve-never-had-any-intimate-relationships-with-a-dolphin/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) ## More by Dan Simmons > [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“The Song of Kali is with us. It has been with us for a very long time. Its chorus grows and grows and grows.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/the-song-of-kali-is-with-us-it-has-been-with-us-for-a-very-long-time/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“In the end, thought Sol, past logic and hope, it is dreams and the love of those dearest to us that form Abraham’s answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/in-the-end-thought-sol-past-logic-and-hope-it-is-dreams-and-the-love/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“After seven centuries of existence and at least four centuries where few citizens existed without it, the datasphere – including the All Thing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/after-seven-centuries-of-existence-and-at-least-four-centuries-where/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Pain is an interesting and off-putting thing. 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YOU ARE DISTURBING OTHERS WHO ARE USING IT TO SERIOUS PURPOSE. ACCESS WILL BE RESTORED…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/there-will-be-no-further-misuse-of-this-channel-you-are-disturbing/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“I know the fucking Bible, and there ain't no fucking Book of Leviathan.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/i-know-the-fucking-bible-and-there-ain-t-no-fucking-book-of-leviathan/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [I loved you backward and forward in time. I loved you beyond boundaries of time and space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/i-loved-you-backward-and-forward-in-time-i-loved-you-beyond/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [ “Men who read a lot have a more sensitive disposition, added Fowler. \[...\] I did not know what to say to this. Maybe reading… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/men-who-read-a-lot-have-a-more-sensitive-disposition-added-fowler-i/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“In the beginning was the Word. In the end . . . past honor, past life, past caring . . . In the end will be the Word.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/in-the-beginning-was-the-word-in-the-end-past-honor-past-life-past/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) [Explore all 307 Dan Simmons quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) ## More Context quotes > [Pakistan now is like a horror film franchise. You know, it's 'Friday the 13th, Episode 63: The Terrorist from Pakistan.' And each time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/pakistan-now-is-like-a-horror-film-franchise-you-know-it-s-friday-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“Christianity doesn't answer all my questions or make me comfortable and happy. What it does do is give me a context for living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bryan-smith/christianity-doesn-t-answer-all-my-questions-or-make-me-comfortable/) [James Bryan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bryan-smith/) > [ People always tend to give the benefit of the doubt to allow people to explain the context \[of their words\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keli-goff/people-always-tend-to-give-the-benefit-of-the-doubt-to-allow-people/) [Keli Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keli-goff/) > [The United States is a very important country to us in the international context. But on other hand, Angola is also important to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joao-lourenco/the-united-states-is-a-very-important-country-to-us-in-the/) [Joao Lourenco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joao-lourenco/) > [I don't think we have to have a personal relation to a life lost to understand that something terrible has taken place, especially in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/i-don-t-think-we-have-to-have-a-personal-relation-to-a-life-lost-to/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [The world isn't fast-paced, it's frenetic. People have to be managers of themselves. Time has been managing itself for 15 billion years; we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-buzan/the-world-isn-t-fast-paced-it-s-frenetic-people-have-to-be-managers/) [Tony Buzan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-buzan/) > [I am repeatedly asked in interviews exactly 'what's wrong' with me, and I always give them the same answer; I don't identify the name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-young/i-am-repeatedly-asked-in-interviews-exactly-what-s-wrong-with-me-and/) [Stella Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-young/) > [To quote out of context is the essence of the photographer's craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/to-quote-out-of-context-is-the-essence-of-the-photographer-s-craft/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [Captaining your country, going out at Wembley, captaining Arsenal to 10 trophies, playing your first game - they're all amazing things. But, phew, saving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-adams/captaining-your-country-going-out-at-wembley-captaining-arsenal-to-10/) [Tony Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-adams/) > [With 'I Want Action,' I think people take it in the context of the Sunset Strip and the party scene; it was tongue-in-cheek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-michaels/with-i-want-action-i-think-people-take-it-in-the-context-of-the/) [Bret Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-michaels/) > [The still image continues to have a ton of strength. An image taken out of context from one fraction of a second to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-greenberg/the-still-image-continues-to-have-a-ton-of-strength-an-image-taken/) [Jill Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-greenberg/) > [I think where a lot of the stuff came from is that it started as something else and then it was transformed into something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-granduciel/i-think-where-a-lot-of-the-stuff-came-from-is-that-it-started-as/) [Adam Granduciel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-granduciel/) > [ “\[Mood allocates\] investments of time, effort, resources, and risk taking to maximize Darwinian fitness in situations of varying propitiousness. High and low moods adjust… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/mood-allocates-investments-of-time-effort-resources-and-risk-taking/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) > [For me context is the key - from that comes the understanding of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-noland/for-me-context-is-the-key-from-that-comes-the-understanding-of/) [Kenneth Noland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-noland/) > [The lighter the skin, the more acceptable you are. The darker the skin, the more marginalised you become. 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