Blood pressure Quote by E.B. White
““The so-called science of poll-taking is not a science at all but mere necromancy. People are unpredictable by nature, and although you can take a nation's pulse, you can't be sure that the nation hasn't just run up a flight of stairs, and although you can take a nation's blood pressure, you can't be sure that if you came back in twenty minutes you'd get the same reading. This is a damn fine thing.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: The New Yorker, 1950s
Polling attempts to predict human behavior are unreliable because people are inherently unpredictable and context changes quickly.
In simple terms: Polls are unreliable due to human unpredictability.
Key Takeaway
Accept uncertainty and avoid overreliance on polls.
Themes
uncertainty
prediction
human nature
Mood
skeptical
analytical
Type
critical
observational
When to use this quote
- elections
- market research
- public opinion surveys
- policy making
Key Concepts
statistics
behavioral science
probability
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we improve poll accuracy?
- When should we trust poll results?
A Different Perspective
Polls can still provide useful trends despite noise.
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