--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yet, when these facts are seen side by…" description: "\"Yet, when these facts are seen side by side with other facts in the case, it is difficult not to become lost in superstitious awe. Their very absurdity..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/eric-ambler-30787_absurdity_yet-when-these-facts-are-seen-side-by-si_358778.jpg" --- # Yet, when these facts are seen side by side with other… ![“Yet, when these facts are seen side by side with other facts in the case, it is difficult not to become lost in superstitious awe. Their very absurdity seems to prohibit the use of the words 'chance' and 'coincidence.' For the sceptic there remains only one consolation: if there should be such a…” quote by Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/eric-ambler-30787_absurdity_yet-when-these-facts-are-seen-side-by-si_358778.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/eric-ambler-30787_absurdity_yet-when-these-facts-are-seen-side-by-si_358778.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/eric-ambler-30787_absurdity_yet-when-these-facts-are-seen-side-by-si_358778.jpg) > “Yet, when these facts are seen side by side with other facts in the case, it is difficult not to become lost in superstitious awe. Their very absurdity seems to prohibit the use of the words 'chance' and 'coincidence.' For the sceptic there remains only one consolation: if there should be such a thing as superhuman Law, it is administered with sub-human inefficiency.” [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Extraordinary coincidences can feel like supernatural law, but they often reveal human inefficiency and randomness. **In simple terms:** Supernatural awe hides the randomness of events. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty and avoid over‑attributing meaning. Themes chance coincidence superstition human error law efficiency Mood skeptical analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - decision making - risk assessment - scientific inquiry - critical thinking - skepticism Key Concepts probability theory philosophy of randomness cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - What evidence would change your view on chance? - How do you guard against superstitious thinking? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on pattern can lead to misinterpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurdity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurdity/) [Awe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awe/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Coincidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coincidence/) [Consolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consolation/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [Sceptic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sceptic/) [Side by side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/side-by-side/) [Superhuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superhuman/) [Superstitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstitious/) ## Related quotes > [For the skeptic there remains only one consolation: if there should be such a thing as superhuman law it is administered with subhuman inefficiency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/for-the-skeptic-there-remains-only-one-consolation-if-there-should-be/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) > [The governments alone are responsible for the spread of the superstitious awe with which the common man looks upon every bit of paper upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-governments-alone-are-responsible-for-the-spread-of-the/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [The conduct of a man, who studies philosophy in this careless manner, is more truly sceptical than that of any one, who feeling inhimself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-conduct-of-a-man-who-studies-philosophy-in-this-careless-manner/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [“You are a sceptic." "Never! Scepticism is the beginning of faith." "What are you?" "To define is to limit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/you-are-a-sceptic-never-scepticism-is-the-beginning-of-faith-what-are/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Seeing clearly within himself and always able to dodge around the ends of any position, including his own, Shaw assumed from the start the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/seeing-clearly-within-himself-and-always-able-to-dodge-around-the/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [If you are only skeptical, then no new ideas make it through to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/if-you-are-only-skeptical-then-no-new-ideas-make-it-through-to-you/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [I note that warmists are often banging on about the fact that sceptics like Christopher Booker and myself 'only' have arts degrees. But actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-delingpole/i-note-that-warmists-are-often-banging-on-about-the-fact-that/) [James Delingpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-delingpole/) > [To be a philosophical sceptic is, in a man of letters, the first and most essential to being a sound, believing Christian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/to-be-a-philosophical-sceptic-is-in-a-man-of-letters-the-first-and/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [A sceptic finds Dallas absurd. A cynic thinks the public doesn't](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/a-sceptic-finds-dallas-absurd-a-cynic-thinks-the-public-doesn-t/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [I come from a generation of sceptics, who do not believe what politicians say. The Labour Party wants to convince people through actions, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-muscat/i-come-from-a-generation-of-sceptics-who-do-not-believe-what/) [Joseph Muscat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-muscat/) > [ \[The sceptic\] must acknowledge, if he will acknowledge any thing, that all human life must perish, were his principles to prevail.All discourse, all action… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-sceptic-must-acknowledge-if-he-will-acknowledge-any-thing-that/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [Limbo is the place. In Limbo one has natural happiness without the beatific vision; no harps; no communal order; but wine and conversation and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/limbo-is-the-place-in-limbo-one-has-natural-happiness-without-the/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [My position is such that there is no necessity for me to enter into competition with struggling humanity. As to expensive and ruinous pleasures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henryk-sienkiewicz/my-position-is-such-that-there-is-no-necessity-for-me-to-enter-into/) [Henryk Sienkiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henryk-sienkiewicz/) > [The want of faith, as well as faith itself, is best shewn by works. If a sceptic avoid the fire as much as those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-reid/the-want-of-faith-as-well-as-faith-itself-is-best-shewn-by-works-if-a/) [Thomas Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-reid/) > [Never trust anyone who has no doubts. And I'm not talking about scepticism either: scepticism can be a healthy thing. You can have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bragg/never-trust-anyone-who-has-no-doubts-and-i-m-not-talking-about/) [Billy Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bragg/) ## More by Eric Ambler > [“If such things were not so dangerous one would laugh. But one recognizes the technique. Such propaganda always begins with words, but soon it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/if-such-things-were-not-so-dangerous-one-would-laugh-but-one/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) > [“but when you have been nourishing your soul on expectation, reality is apt to be disappointing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/but-when-you-have-been-nourishing-your-soul-on-expectation-reality-is/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) > [In a dying civilization, political prestige is the reward not of the shrewdest diagnostician, but of the man with the best bedside manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/in-a-dying-civilization-political-prestige-is-the-reward-not-of-the/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) > [The important thing to know about an assassination or an attempted assassination is not who fired the shot, but who paid for the bullet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/the-important-thing-to-know-about-an-assassination-or-an-attempted/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) > [A person who searched rooms, brandished pistols, dangled promises of half a million franc fees for nameless services and then wrote instructions to Polish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/a-person-who-searched-rooms-brandished-pistols-dangled-promises-of/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) > [“It was the power of Business, not the deliberations of statesman, that shaped the destinies of nations. 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The two resolved, destroyed each other and created new 'evils', new 'goods' which slew each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/good-did-not-triumph-evil-did-not-triumph-the-two-resolved-destroyed/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) > [Reality is always so obstructive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/reality-is-always-so-obstructive/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) > [Never tell a lie when you can bullshit your way through it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/never-tell-a-lie-when-you-can-bullshit-your-way-through-it/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) > [“I am tempted to find reason and justice in the fact that he died as violently and indecently as he lived. But that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/i-am-tempted-to-find-reason-and-justice-in-the-fact-that-he-died-as/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) > [International business may conduct its operations with scraps of paper, but the ink it uses is human blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/international-business-may-conduct-its-operations-with-scraps-of/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) > [“They don't talk the same language as us. I don't mean that they don't speak English, but that their minds are different. They're like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/they-don-t-talk-the-same-language-as-us-i-don-t-mean-that-they-don-t/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) > [“Your international financier... has no political convictions. For him there is no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest. He believes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/your-international-financier-has-no-political-convictions-for-him/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) > [“In a dying civilisation, political prestige is the reward not of the shrewdest diagnostician but of the man with the best beside manner. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/in-a-dying-civilisation-political-prestige-is-the-reward-not-of-the/) [Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) [Explore all 16 Eric Ambler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/) ## More Absurdity quotes > [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. 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"Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [One would think that a system loaded with such gross and vulgar absurdities as Scripture religion is could never have obtained credit; yet we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/one-would-think-that-a-system-loaded-with-such-gross-and-vulgar/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Such squeamish youths as cannot bear to be connected with a little absurdity are not worth a regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/such-squeamish-youths-as-cannot-bear-to-be-connected-with-a-little/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Thought of the incomprehensible sequence of changes and chances that make up a life, all the beauties and horrors and absurdities whose conjunctions create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/thought-of-the-incomprehensible-sequence-of-changes-and-chances-that/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [We all live inside the terrible engine of authority, and it grinds and shrieks and burns so that no one will say: lines on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/we-all-live-inside-the-terrible-engine-of-authority-and-it-grinds-and/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Desire is this absurdity that holds open the infinity of possibility. Ever optimistic, ever resourceful, desire tells us what it sees as it speeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-farley/desire-is-this-absurdity-that-holds-open-the-infinity-of-possibility/) Wendy Farley > [I've always felt that comedy doesn't just come from misery. 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