---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Results \"are no good unless they answer…"
description: "\"Results \"are no good unless they answer (or can be made to seem to answer, or can be twisted and wrenched and piled into odd shapes until they hint at ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a45/david-quammen-9256_answer_results-are-no-good-unless-they-answer-o_2942998.jpg"
---

#  Results "are no good unless they answer (or can be made to…

![“Results "are no good unless they answer (or can be made to seem to answer, or can be twisted and wrenched and piled into odd shapes until they hint at being somehow perhaps on the verge or answering) a question that someone might conceivably want asked."” quote by David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a45/david-quammen-9256_answer_results-are-no-good-unless-they-answer-o_2942998.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a45/david-quammen-9256_answer_results-are-no-good-unless-they-answer-o_2942998.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a45/david-quammen-9256_answer_results-are-no-good-unless-they-answer-o_2942998.jpg)

> “Results "are no good unless they answer (or can be made to seem to answer, or can be twisted and wrenched and piled into odd shapes until they hint at being somehow perhaps on the verge or answering) a question that someone might conceivably want asked."”

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

## About This Quote

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

Results are valuable only if they address or can be shaped to answer a meaningful question.

**In simple terms:** Answers give results purpose.

Key Takeaway

Seek questions before data.

Themes

purpose analysis interpretation questioning

Mood

analytical inquisitive

Type

scientific philosophical

When to use this quote

- research
- data science
- problem solving

Key Concepts

epistemology critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- What question drives your current work?
- How do you ensure results remain relevant?

A Different Perspective

Data can be meaningless without context.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answer/) [Answer Twisted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answer-twisted-4397218/) [Answering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answering/) [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Good Unless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-unless-599058/) [Hints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hints/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Odd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odd/) [Question Conceivably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-conceivably-4397220/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Truth Seeking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-seeking/) [Twisted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twisted/) [Unless Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unless-answer-4397219/) [Verge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verge/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/)

## Related quotes

> [“Question everything, unless it's the answer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-bellamacina/question-everything-unless-it-s-the-answer/)

[Benny Bellamacina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-bellamacina/)

> [Nothing will do me any good unless I learn to control this body of mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dunbar-nelson/nothing-will-do-me-any-good-unless-i-learn-to-control-this-body-of/)

[Alice Dunbar Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dunbar-nelson/)

> [People cannot remain good unless good is expected of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/people-cannot-remain-good-unless-good-is-expected-of-them/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [No one who desires to become good will become good unless he does good things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/no-one-who-desires-to-become-good-will-become-good-unless-he-does/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [You are good for nothing unless you are clever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/you-are-good-for-nothing-unless-you-are-clever/)

[Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/)

> [None of the arts are any good unless you really are great at them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/none-of-the-arts-are-any-good-unless-you-really-are-great-at-them/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [The world is sown with good; but unless I turn my glad thoughts into practical living and till my own field. I cannot reap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/the-world-is-sown-with-good-but-unless-i-turn-my-glad-thoughts-into/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [Having the world's best idea will do you no good unless you act on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-grant/having-the-world-s-best-idea-will-do-you-no-good-unless-you-act-on-it/)

[Curtis Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-grant/)

> [“Knowing where you are is no good unless you know what way to go”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-hamilton/knowing-where-you-are-is-no-good-unless-you-know-what-way-to-go/)

[Jackson hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-hamilton/)

> [Positive is always good, unless you took a pregnancy test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-is-always-good-unless-you-took-a-pregnancy-test/)

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

> [Once you have your schtick that you think is good, unless you got something way better, just do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-mcinnes/once-you-have-your-schtick-that-you-think-is-good-unless-you-got/)

[Gavin McInnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-mcinnes/)

> [You can't get good at anything unless you do it day in and day out, over and over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/you-can-t-get-good-at-anything-unless-you-do-it-day-in-and-day-out/)

[Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/)

> [It doesn't pay to be good at something unless you are the absolute best at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/it-doesn-t-pay-to-be-good-at-something-unless-you-are-the-absolute/)

[Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/)

> [Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/undertake-something-that-is-difficult-it-will-do-you-good-unless-you/)

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

> [If you do anything for 40 years, you can do it comfortably. And it will always be good. But unless you're willing to risk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlo-guthrie/if-you-do-anything-for-40-years-you-can-do-it-comfortably-and-it-will/)

[Arlo Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlo-guthrie/)

## More by David Quammen

> [I wrote four novels, but then I realized that the world didn't need me to be a novelist, but the world could use me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-wrote-four-novels-but-then-i-realized-that-the-world-didn-t-need-me/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [I am very, very old-fashioned and clumsy. I use those long reporter notebooks. This is what a troglodyte I am. The night before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-am-very-very-old-fashioned-and-clumsy-i-use-those-long-reporter/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [Most Americans know nothing about the African forest, and it seems to them a very scary, spooky dangerous place. I've spent a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/most-americans-know-nothing-about-the-african-forest-and-it-seems-to/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [“Horses aren’t native to Australia. They are exotic, first brought there by European settlers barely more than two centuries ago. Hendra is probably an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/horses-aren-t-native-to-australia-they-are-exotic-first-brought-there/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [Viruses have to live somewhere. They can only replicate in living creatures. So, when the Ebola virus disappears between outbreaks, it has to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/viruses-have-to-live-somewhere-they-can-only-replicate-in-living/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [“People and gorillas, horses and duikers and pigs, monkeys and chimps and bats and viruses: We’re all in this together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/people-and-gorillas-horses-and-duikers-and-pigs-monkeys-and-chimps/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [Islands are havens and breeding grounds for the unique and anomalous. They are natural laboratories of extravagant evolutionary experimentation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/islands-are-havens-and-breeding-grounds-for-the-unique-and-anomalous/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [“Each outbreak, by this view, represents a local event primarily explicable by a larger cause—the arrival of the wave. The main proponent of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/each-outbreak-by-this-view-represents-a-local-event-primarily/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [“The Towner paper contained a very interesting statement, as an aside, concerning the five ebolaviruses: “Viruses of each species have genomes that are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/the-towner-paper-contained-a-very-interesting-statement-as-an-aside/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [I used to read only fiction. Now I don't read much, only occasionally, such as a Cormac McCarthy or a Jim Harrison novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-used-to-read-only-fiction-now-i-don-t-read-much-only-occasionally/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [The swallow that hibernates underwater is a creature called yearning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/the-swallow-that-hibernates-underwater-is-a-creature-called-yearning/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [“It comes and it goes. But epidemiologists have recognized that, with measles virus, as with other pathogens, there’s a critical minimum size of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/it-comes-and-it-goes-but-epidemiologists-have-recognized-that-with/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [Whether you like the label 'Anthropocene' or not, whether you find the prospect of what it signifies inevitable or appalling (or both), the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/whether-you-like-the-label-anthropocene-or-not-whether-you-find-the/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [Ebola isn't a respiratory virus. It doesn't spread through the airborne route. So it's not likely to spread like wildfire around the world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/ebola-isn-t-a-respiratory-virus-it-doesn-t-spread-through-the/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [I'm a white, middle-class male who had a happy childhood in Ohio. The world does not need me to be a novelist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-m-a-white-middle-class-male-who-had-a-happy-childhood-in-ohio-the/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

[Explore all 73 David Quammen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

## More Answer quotes

> [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [What you are is a question only you can answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/what-you-are-is-a-question-only-you-can-answer/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/)

[Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/)

> [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/)

[Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/)

> [“And if you can’t say yes, answer anyway. Because I’d rather live with the answer than die with the question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ellis/and-if-you-can-t-say-yes-answer-anyway-because-i-d-rather-live-with/)

[Jon Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ellis/)

> [“There is a cure and answer to everything, we just haven't found them yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-halimi/there-is-a-cure-and-answer-to-everything-we-just-haven-t-found-them/)

[Eve Halimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-halimi/)

> [Whenever I'm asked about Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, I always answer: 'Neymar is the best,' not just because of his goals but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-carlos/whenever-i-m-asked-about-cristiano-ronaldo-or-lionel-messi-i-always/)

[Roberto Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-carlos/)

> [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/)

[Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/)

> [“Those are good questions. I recognize good questions, because I can come up with them myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-brust/those-are-good-questions-i-recognize-good-questions-because-i-can/)

[Steven Brust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-brust/)

> [My answer is bring 'em on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/my-answer-is-bring-em-on/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [I'll answer anything... I'm brutally honest, actually, which gets me in trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/i-ll-answer-anything-i-m-brutally-honest-actually-which-gets-me-in/)

[Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/)

> [“...I guess I can put two and two together." "Sometimes the answer's four," I said, "and sometimes it's twenty-two...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-guess-i-can-put-two-and-two-together-sometimes-the-answer-s-four-i/)

[Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/)

> [Jumping someone is never the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/jumping-someone-is-never-the-answer/)

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

> [I play along myself, even though I can't help the player. So I can't say what I think the answer might be. But I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-mcguinness/i-play-along-myself-even-though-i-can-t-help-the-player-so-i-can-t/)

[Paddy McGuinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-mcguinness/)

> [Sometimes the question is complicated, but the answers are simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-suess/sometimes-the-question-is-complicated-but-the-answers-are-simple/)

[Dr Suess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-suess/)

[Browse all 2,090 Answer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answer/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Results \"are no good unless they answer (or can be made to seem to answer, or can be twisted and wrenched and piled into odd shapes until they hint at being somehow perhaps on the verge or answering) a question that someone might conceivably want asked.\"",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Quammen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/results-are-no-good-unless-they-answer-or-can-be-made-to-seem-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Answer"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/results-are-no-good-unless-they-answer-or-can-be-made-to-seem-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a45/david-quammen-9256_answer_results-are-no-good-unless-they-answer-o_2942998.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a45/david-quammen-9256_answer_results-are-no-good-unless-they-answer-o_2942998.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a45/david-quammen-9256_answer_results-are-no-good-unless-they-answer-o_2942998.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Results \"are no good unless they answer (or can be made to seem to answer, or can be twisted and wrenched…” — David Quammen",
                "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 Quammen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Results \"are no good unless they...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/results-are-no-good-unless-they-answer-or-can-be-made-to-seem-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/results-are-no-good-unless-they-answer-or-can-be-made-to-seem-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```