--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What this means is that we shouldn't…" description: "\"What this means is that we shouldn't abbreviate the truth but rather get a new method of presentation.\" — Edward Tufte" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/edward-tufte-10613_mean_what-this-means-is-that-we-shouldn-t-abb_1350870.jpg" --- # What this means is that we shouldn't abbreviate the truth… ![“What this means is that we shouldn't abbreviate the truth but rather get a new method of presentation.” quote by Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/edward-tufte-10613_mean_what-this-means-is-that-we-shouldn-t-abb_1350870.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/edward-tufte-10613_mean_what-this-means-is-that-we-shouldn-t-abb_1350870.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/edward-tufte-10613_mean_what-this-means-is-that-we-shouldn-t-abb_1350870.jpg) > “What this means is that we shouldn't abbreviate the truth but rather get a new method of presentation.” [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. Truth should be presented clearly, avoiding shortcuts that distort meaning; seek better communication methods. **In simple terms:** Present truth clearly, not abbreviated. Key Takeaway Prioritize clear, honest communication. Themes communication truth clarity Mood analytical inquisitive Type educational professional When to use this quote - presentations - reports - educational materials Key Concepts information design visualization Questions to Reflect On - What methods improve truth conveyance? - When is abbreviation acceptable? A Different Perspective Complex data may resist simplification. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Presentation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presentation/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“We shouldn’t abbreviate the truth but rather get a new method of presentation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/we-shouldn-t-abbreviate-the-truth-but-rather-get-a-new-method-of/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [History has repeatedly shown that when a new method or material becomes available, new uses for it arise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-greatbatch/history-has-repeatedly-shown-that-when-a-new-method-or-material/) [Wilson Greatbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-greatbatch/) > [Every man is a new method.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-man-is-a-new-method/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I find I journalize too tediously. Let me try to abbreviate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/i-find-i-journalize-too-tediously-let-me-try-to-abbreviate/) [James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/) > [“Never abbreviate your dreams. Only short-hand people always do that. Their punishment is that they can't stretch far, further and forward into the future.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/never-abbreviate-your-dreams-only-short-hand-people-always-do-that/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“When you abbreviate your learning, you abbreviate your growth. Expand your knowledge and you keep growing taller and fatter than your limitations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/when-you-abbreviate-your-learning-you-abbreviate-your-growth-expand/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [False history gets made all day, any day, the truth of the new is never on the news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/false-history-gets-made-all-day-any-day-the-truth-of-the-new-is-never-2/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Truth is new, as well as old. It has new forms; and where you may find a new statement, an earnest statement, you may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/truth-is-new-as-well-as-old-it-has-new-forms-and-where-you-may-find-a/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [About every year or two, there is a moment of truth where there's some new development in the marketplace, some new technology, some sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/about-every-year-or-two-there-is-a-moment-of-truth-where-there-s-some/) [Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/) > [we are, in this country, more open to new ideas. But we are also, it seems to me, more inclined to hail the new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-fox/we-are-in-this-country-more-open-to-new-ideas-but-we-are-also-it/) [Paula Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-fox/) > [The simplest and most familiar truth seems new and wonderful the instant we ourselves experience it for the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/the-simplest-and-most-familiar-truth-seems-new-and-wonderful-the/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [“Tears from the old me trickle into a clear cup of truth for the new.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-garver/tears-from-the-old-me-trickle-into-a-clear-cup-of-truth-for-the-new/) [Laurel Garver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-garver/) > [Truth is a new word in Europe (and elsewhere).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-badiou/truth-is-a-new-word-in-europe-and-elsewhere/) [Alain Badiou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-badiou/) > [Whenever a new discovery is reported to the world, they say first, It is probably not true, Then after, when the truth of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/whenever-a-new-discovery-is-reported-to-the-world-they-say-first-it/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [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/) ## 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/) > [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,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/here-s-the-general-theory-to-clarify-add-detail-imagine-that-to/) [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/) [Explore all 64 Edward Tufte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) ## More Abbreviate quotes > [I find I journalize too tediously. Let me try to abbreviate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/i-find-i-journalize-too-tediously-let-me-try-to-abbreviate/) [James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/) > [“Never abbreviate your dreams. Only short-hand people always do that. Their punishment is that they can't stretch far, further and forward into the future.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/never-abbreviate-your-dreams-only-short-hand-people-always-do-that/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“When you abbreviate your learning, you abbreviate your growth. Expand your knowledge and you keep growing taller and fatter than your limitations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/when-you-abbreviate-your-learning-you-abbreviate-your-growth-expand/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“We shouldn’t abbreviate the truth but rather get a new method of presentation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/we-shouldn-t-abbreviate-the-truth-but-rather-get-a-new-method-of/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) Browse all 5 Abbreviate quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What this means is that we shouldn't abbreviate the truth but rather get a new method of presentation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Tufte" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/what-this-means-is-that-we-shouldn-t-abbreviate-the-truth-but-rather/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abbreviate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/what-this-means-is-that-we-shouldn-t-abbreviate-the-truth-but-rather/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/edward-tufte-10613_mean_what-this-means-is-that-we-shouldn-t-abb_1350870.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/edward-tufte-10613_mean_what-this-means-is-that-we-shouldn-t-abb_1350870.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e3/edward-tufte-10613_mean_what-this-means-is-that-we-shouldn-t-abb_1350870.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What this means is that we shouldn't abbreviate the truth but rather get a new method of presentation.” — Edward Tufte", "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": "Edward Tufte", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What this means is that we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/what-this-means-is-that-we-shouldn-t-abbreviate-the-truth-but-rather/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/what-this-means-is-that-we-shouldn-t-abbreviate-the-truth-but-rather/#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 } } ] } ```