---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had innumerable analysts who came to me…"
description: "\"I had innumerable analysts who came to me in apology that the world that we were finding was not the world that they had thought existed and that they ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/david-kay-20711_analysts_i-had-innumerable-analysts-who-came-to-m_807664.jpg"
---

#  I had innumerable analysts who came to me in apology that…

![“I had innumerable analysts who came to me in apology that the world that we were finding was not the world that they had thought existed and that they had estimated. Reality on the ground differed in advance.” quote by David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/david-kay-20711_analysts_i-had-innumerable-analysts-who-came-to-m_807664.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/david-kay-20711_analysts_i-had-innumerable-analysts-who-came-to-m_807664.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/david-kay-20711_analysts_i-had-innumerable-analysts-who-came-to-m_807664.jpg)

> “I had innumerable analysts who came to me in apology that the world that we were finding was not the world that they had thought existed and that they had estimated. Reality on the ground differed in advance.”

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

## About This Quote

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

Experts often discover that real‑world conditions diverge from their models and expectations.

**In simple terms:** Reality can differ from predictions.

Key Takeaway

Adjust models when faced with new evidence.

Themes

uncertainty analysis reality

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

reflective informative

When to use this quote

- policy planning
- military strategy
- business forecasting
- scientific research

Key Concepts

modeling prediction bias

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you verify assumptions before acting?
- What processes ensure models stay current?

A Different Perspective

Models are only as good as the data and assumptions they rely on.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Analysts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analysts/) [Analysts Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analysts-came-6162402/) [Apology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apology/) [Apology World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apology-world-4035414/) [Estimated Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/estimated-reality-6162404/) [Existed Estimated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existed-estimated-6162403/) [Findings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/findings/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Thought Existed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-existed-572800/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Sometimes you may apologies many times through words only to find out that theres no apology in the world that encompasses all the reasons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/sometimes-you-may-apologies-many-times-through-words-only-to-find-out/)

[Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/)

> [“She did not expect to find him in the city; she did not want to find him. She never worried whether he would come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-did-not-expect-to-find-him-in-the-city-she-did-not-want-to-find/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“Every beauty and greatness in this world is created by a single thought or emotion inside a man. Every thing we see today, made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/every-beauty-and-greatness-in-this-world-is-created-by-a-single-2/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [“...I did not even know this existed...this world, I did not know. I thought it existed only in one's head, and in dreams…And now:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/i-did-not-even-know-this-existed-this-world-i-did-not-know-i-thought/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [“And then there are always clever people about to promise you that everything will be all right if only you put yourself out a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/and-then-there-are-always-clever-people-about-to-promise-you-that/)

[Emile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/)

> [“...up until that point, I'd thought that whatever existed between Cal and me was separate and distinct from the rest of the world. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-dermont/up-until-that-point-i-d-thought-that-whatever-existed-between-cal-and/)

[Amber Dermont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-dermont/)

> [I go to an analyst not because I need to but because I choose to and maybe that's the difference. I don't think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-tyler-moore/i-go-to-an-analyst-not-because-i-need-to-but-because-i-choose-to-and/)

[Mary Tyler Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-tyler-moore/)

> [This is what analysts have calculated. It's a number that's out there and we're not arguing with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-edward-kirk/this-is-what-analysts-have-calculated-it-s-a-number-that-s-out-there/)

[David Edward Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-edward-kirk/)

> [I'm old-fashioned, a storyteller. I'm not an analyst and I'm not an intellectual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-m-old-fashioned-a-storyteller-i-m-not-an-analyst-and-i-m-not-an/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [“analysts were more likely to maintain their star performance if they worked with high-quality colleagues in their teams and departments. The star analysts relied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-m-grant/analysts-were-more-likely-to-maintain-their-star-performance-if-they/)

[Adam M. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-m-grant/)

> [There was an analyst who came out the other day who's had a long track record of projecting presidential campaigns based on the economy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/there-was-an-analyst-who-came-out-the-other-day-who-s-had-a-long/)

[Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/)

> [I respect the astute and rigorously unsentimental David Horowitz as one of America's most original and courageous political analysts. He has the true 1960s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-respect-the-astute-and-rigorously-unsentimental-david-horowitz-as/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [In the corporate world, if you have analysts, due diligence, and no horse sense, you've just described hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/in-the-corporate-world-if-you-have-analysts-due-diligence-and-no/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

> [Freud pointed out, in his Problem of Lay Analysis, that it is extremely unlikely that a young man who would throw the best years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/freud-pointed-out-in-his-problem-of-lay-analysis-that-it-is-extremely/)

[Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/)

> [In Hollywood, not to have an analyst is virtually an admission of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-vanderbilt/in-hollywood-not-to-have-an-analyst-is-virtually-an-admission-of/)

[Amy Vanderbilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-vanderbilt/)

## More by David Kay

> [The fact that it wasn't tells me that we've got a much more fundamental problem of understanding what went wrong, and we've got to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/the-fact-that-it-wasn-t-tells-me-that-we-ve-got-a-much-more/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [And like I say, I think we've got other cases other than Iraq. I do not think the problem of global proliferation of weapons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/and-like-i-say-i-think-we-ve-got-other-cases-other-than-iraq-i-do-not/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [I've seen looting around the world and thought I knew the best looters in the world. The Iraqis excel at that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/i-ve-seen-looting-around-the-world-and-thought-i-knew-the-best/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [I do believe we have to understand why reality turned out to be different than expectations and estimates. But you have more public service…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/i-do-believe-we-have-to-understand-why-reality-turned-out-to-be/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [There's a long record here of being wrong. There's a good reason for it. There are probably multiple reasons. Certainly proliferation is a hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/there-s-a-long-record-here-of-being-wrong-there-s-a-good-reason-for/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [I would also point out that many governments that chose not to support this war - certainly, the French president, Jacques Chirac, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/i-would-also-point-out-that-many-governments-that-chose-not-to/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [And let me take one of the explanations most commonly given: Analysts were pressured to reach conclusions that would fit the political agenda of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/and-let-me-take-one-of-the-explanations-most-commonly-given-analysts/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [Both of us are known for probably at times regrettable streak of independence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/both-of-us-are-known-for-probably-at-times-regrettable-streak-of/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [I think the aim - and certainly the aim of what I've tried to do since leaving - is not political and certainly not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/i-think-the-aim-and-certainly-the-aim-of-what-i-ve-tried-to-do-since/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [And you know, almost in a perverse way, I wish it had been undue influence because we know how to correct that. We get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/and-you-know-almost-in-a-perverse-way-i-wish-it-had-been-undue/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [The Libyan program recently discovered was far more extensive than was assessed prior to that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/the-libyan-program-recently-discovered-was-far-more-extensive-than/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [As leader of the effort of the Iraqi Survey Group, I spent most of my days not out in the field leading inspections. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/as-leader-of-the-effort-of-the-iraqi-survey-group-i-spent-most-of-my/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [I think that shows a level of maturity and understanding that I think bodes well for getting to the bottom of this. But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/i-think-that-shows-a-level-of-maturity-and-understanding-that-i-think/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [The Germans certainly - the intelligence service believed that there were WMD. It turns out that we were all wrong, probably in my judgment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/the-germans-certainly-the-intelligence-service-believed-that-there/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

> [In my judgment, based on the work that has been done to this point of the Iraq Survey Group, and in fact, that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/in-my-judgment-based-on-the-work-that-has-been-done-to-this-point-of/)

[David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

[Explore all 30 David Kay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/)

## More Analysts quotes

> [In Hollywood, not to have an analyst is virtually an admission of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-vanderbilt/in-hollywood-not-to-have-an-analyst-is-virtually-an-admission-of/)

[Amy Vanderbilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-vanderbilt/)

> [Freud pointed out, in his Problem of Lay Analysis, that it is extremely unlikely that a young man who would throw the best years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/freud-pointed-out-in-his-problem-of-lay-analysis-that-it-is-extremely/)

[Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/)

> [In the corporate world, if you have analysts, due diligence, and no horse sense, you've just described hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/in-the-corporate-world-if-you-have-analysts-due-diligence-and-no/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

> [I respect the astute and rigorously unsentimental David Horowitz as one of America's most original and courageous political analysts. He has the true 1960s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-respect-the-astute-and-rigorously-unsentimental-david-horowitz-as/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [There was an analyst who came out the other day who's had a long track record of projecting presidential campaigns based on the economy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/there-was-an-analyst-who-came-out-the-other-day-who-s-had-a-long/)

[Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/)

> [“analysts were more likely to maintain their star performance if they worked with high-quality colleagues in their teams and departments. The star analysts relied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-m-grant/analysts-were-more-likely-to-maintain-their-star-performance-if-they/)

[Adam M. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-m-grant/)

> [I'm old-fashioned, a storyteller. I'm not an analyst and I'm not an intellectual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-m-old-fashioned-a-storyteller-i-m-not-an-analyst-and-i-m-not-an/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [This is what analysts have calculated. It's a number that's out there and we're not arguing with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-edward-kirk/this-is-what-analysts-have-calculated-it-s-a-number-that-s-out-there/)

[David Edward Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-edward-kirk/)

> [I go to an analyst not because I need to but because I choose to and maybe that's the difference. I don't think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-tyler-moore/i-go-to-an-analyst-not-because-i-need-to-but-because-i-choose-to-and/)

[Mary Tyler Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-tyler-moore/)

> [I feel genuinely sorry for those who are so blinded by narrow partisanship that they cannot appreciate Limbaugh's energy, intelligence and satiric skill. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-feel-genuinely-sorry-for-those-who-are-so-blinded-by-narrow/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [At nineteen I was pretty sure I was going to be a professional soccer player. At that time I played for one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesbo/at-nineteen-i-was-pretty-sure-i-was-going-to-be-a-professional-soccer/)

[Jo Nesbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesbo/)

> [Analysts may be correct that the presidential election won't primarily turn on entitlements reform, but by choosing Paul Ryan as his running mate, Mitt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-limbaugh/analysts-may-be-correct-that-the-presidential-election-won-t/)

[David Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-limbaugh/)

> [The correct attitude of the security analyst toward the stock market might well be that of a man toward his wife. He shouldn't pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-correct-attitude-of-the-security-analyst-toward-the-stock-market/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [When we started Skype, if you look at analyst reports, no one forecasted it as a big business. Also when Google started, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niklas-zennstrom/when-we-started-skype-if-you-look-at-analyst-reports-no-one/)

[Niklas Zennstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niklas-zennstrom/)

> [The analysts try in vain to conceal the fact that they do not deduce: they combine, they compose ... when they do arrive at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evariste-galois/the-analysts-try-in-vain-to-conceal-the-fact-that-they-do-not-deduce/)

[Evariste Galois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evariste-galois/)

[Browse all 203 Analysts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analysts/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I had innumerable analysts who came to me in apology that the world that we were finding was not the world that they had thought existed and that they had estimated. Reality on the ground differed in advance.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Kay"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/i-had-innumerable-analysts-who-came-to-me-in-apology-that-the-world/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Analysts"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/i-had-innumerable-analysts-who-came-to-me-in-apology-that-the-world/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/david-kay-20711_analysts_i-had-innumerable-analysts-who-came-to-m_807664.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/david-kay-20711_analysts_i-had-innumerable-analysts-who-came-to-m_807664.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/david-kay-20711_analysts_i-had-innumerable-analysts-who-came-to-m_807664.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I had innumerable analysts who came to me in apology that the world that we were finding was not the world…” — David Kay",
                "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": "David Kay",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I had innumerable analysts who came...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/i-had-innumerable-analysts-who-came-to-me-in-apology-that-the-world/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/i-had-innumerable-analysts-who-came-to-me-in-apology-that-the-world/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
