--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here's the general theory: To clarify…" description: "\"Here's the general theory: To clarify, add detail. Imagine that. To clarify, add detail. And clutter and overload are not an attribute of information, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/edward-tufte-10613_add_here-s-the-general-theory-to-clarify-add_129275.jpg" --- # Here's the general theory: To clarify, add detail. Imagine… ![“Here's the general theory: To clarify, add detail. Imagine that. To clarify, add detail. And clutter and overload are not an attribute of information, they are failures of design. If the information is in chaos, don't start throwing out information, instead fix the design.” quote by Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/edward-tufte-10613_add_here-s-the-general-theory-to-clarify-add_129275.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/edward-tufte-10613_add_here-s-the-general-theory-to-clarify-add_129275.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/edward-tufte-10613_add_here-s-the-general-theory-to-clarify-add_129275.jpg) > “Here's the general theory: To clarify, add detail. Imagine that. To clarify, add detail. And clutter and overload are not an attribute of information, they are failures of design. If the information is in chaos, don't start throwing out information, instead fix the design.” [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective communication requires clear design; clutter and overload stem from poor design, not excess information. **In simple terms:** Good design prevents information overload. Key Takeaway Design before adding detail. Themes communication design clarity information overload Mood analytical instructive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - business reports - educational material - software UI - data visualization - marketing copy Practical Applications - simplify layout - prioritize essential data Questions to Reflect On - How can you improve design? - When is detail essential? A Different Perspective Design constraints can limit creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Clutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clutter/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) ## Related quotes > [“The exhibition strategy always resounds to access and sustainability issues, and must rescind to a given budget. It is not the design per se,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-hughes/the-exhibition-strategy-always-resounds-to-access-and-sustainability/) [Philip Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-hughes/) > [There is no such thing as information overload, just bad design. If something is cluttered and/or confusing, fix your design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/there-is-no-such-thing-as-information-overload-just-bad-design-if/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [Clutter is not an attribute of information, clutter is a failure of design...fix the design rather than stripping all the detail out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/clutter-is-not-an-attribute-of-information-clutter-is-a-failure-of/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [Clutter is not a property of information. Clutter is a failure of design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/clutter-is-not-a-property-of-information-clutter-is-a-failure-of/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [Confusion and clutter are failures of design, not attributes of information. And so the point is to find design strategies that reveal detail and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/confusion-and-clutter-are-failures-of-design-not-attributes-of/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [Clutter and confusion are failures of design, not attributes of information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/clutter-and-confusion-are-failures-of-design-not-attributes-of/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [Normal people have an incredible lack of empathy. They have good emotional empathy, but they don't have much empathy for the autistic kid who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/normal-people-have-an-incredible-lack-of-empathy-they-have-good/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [I see within us all (myself included) the replacement of complex inner density with a new kind of self—evolving under the pressure of information…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-foreman/i-see-within-us-all-myself-included-the-replacement-of-complex-inner/) [Richard Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-foreman/) > [An entrepreneur... is a person of action, one who possesses an unnatural overload of two attributes: optimism and determination. Because entrepreneurs are optimistic, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-clifton/an-entrepreneur-is-a-person-of-action-one-who-possesses-an-unnatural/) [Jim Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-clifton/) > [When the next big problem comes online, be it the Euro crisis, nuclear proliferation, an overstretched Internet, a killer flu, or any of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-casti/when-the-next-big-problem-comes-online-be-it-the-euro-crisis-nuclear/) [John L. Casti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-casti/) > [My emotions overload because there is no hand to hold, there’s no shoulder here to lean on; I’m walking all on my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/my-emotions-overload-because-there-is-no-hand-to-hold-there-s-no/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [Everyone spoke of an information overload, but what there was in fact was a non-information overload.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/everyone-spoke-of-an-information-overload-but-what-there-was-in-fact/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) > [everything is toxic. That's the point. You can't avoid toxins. Thinking you can is just another symptom of the toxic overload stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/everything-is-toxic-that-s-the-point-you-can-t-avoid-toxins-thinking/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [We have used the Bible as if it was a mere special constable's handbook — an opium-dose for keeping beasts of burden patient while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/we-have-used-the-bible-as-if-it-was-a-mere-special-constable-s/) [Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/) > [Overloading attention shrinks mental control. Life immersed in digital distractions creates a near constant cognitive overload. And that overload wears out self-control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/overloading-attention-shrinks-mental-control-life-immersed-in-digital/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) ## More by Edward Tufte > [If you’re told what to look for, you can’t see anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/if-you-re-told-what-to-look-for-you-can-t-see-anything-else/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [“Comparisons must be enforced within the scope of the eyespan, a fundamental point occasionally forgotten in practice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/comparisons-must-be-enforced-within-the-scope-of-the-eyespan-a/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [If there is a well thought-out design standard, it should be followed. In practice, great design comes from great designers. That is empirically the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/if-there-is-a-well-thought-out-design-standard-it-should-be-followed/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [The point of the essay is to change things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/the-point-of-the-essay-is-to-change-things/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [My idea here is that, inasmuch as certain cognitive tasks and principles are tied to nature's laws, these tasks and principles are indifferent to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/my-idea-here-is-that-inasmuch-as-certain-cognitive-tasks-and/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [Clutter and confusion are failures of design, not attributes of information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/clutter-and-confusion-are-failures-of-design-not-attributes-of/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [Confusion and clutter are failures of design, not attributes of information. And so the point is to find design strategies that reveal detail and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/confusion-and-clutter-are-failures-of-design-not-attributes-of/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [We've drifted into this presentation mode without realizing the cost to the content and the audience in the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/we-ve-drifted-into-this-presentation-mode-without-realizing-the-cost/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [If your words or images are not on point, making them dance in color won't make them relevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/if-your-words-or-images-are-not-on-point-making-them-dance-in-color/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [I hope that I am generous and tolerant, but certainly on the intellectual side I think that there are discoverable truths, and some things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/i-hope-that-i-am-generous-and-tolerant-but-certainly-on-the/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [“If the statistics are boring, then you've got the wrong numbers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/if-the-statistics-are-boring-then-you-ve-got-the-wrong-numbers/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [Good design is a lot like clear thinking made visual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/good-design-is-a-lot-like-clear-thinking-made-visual/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [I think it is important for software to avoiding imposing a cognitive style on workers and their work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/i-think-it-is-important-for-software-to-avoiding-imposing-a-cognitive/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [The essential test of design is how well it assists the understanding of the content, not how stylish it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/the-essential-test-of-design-is-how-well-it-assists-the-understanding/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [A metaphor for good information design is a map. Hold any diagram against a map and see how it compares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/a-metaphor-for-good-information-design-is-a-map-hold-any-diagram/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) [Explore all 64 Edward Tufte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) ## More Add quotes > [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/) [James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. 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The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Thirty days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching the news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cutts/thirty-days-is-just-about-the-right-amount-of-time-to-add-a-new-habit/) [Matt Cutts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cutts/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [The Greeks said grandly in their tragic phrase, 'Let no one be called happy till his death;' to which I would add, 'Let no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-greeks-said-grandly-in-their-tragic-phrase-let-no-one-be-called/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Mostly we just add to the piles of rainbow glass that's been blown off the exteriors of the cany-colored buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/mostly-we-just-add-to-the-piles-of-rainbow-glass-that-s-been-blown/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Global is a unifying bond for people. 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