--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you take from a theory only the…" description: "\"If you take from a theory only the conclusions you like and discard the rest, you are using the theory as a drunkard uses a lamp post-for support rathe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/greg-mankiw-50363_conclusion_if-you-take-from-a-theory-only-the-concl_738147.jpg" --- # If you take from a theory only the conclusions you like… ![“If you take from a theory only the conclusions you like and discard the rest, you are using the theory as a drunkard uses a lamp post-for support rather than illumination.” quote by Greg Mankiw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/greg-mankiw-50363_conclusion_if-you-take-from-a-theory-only-the-concl_738147.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/greg-mankiw-50363_conclusion_if-you-take-from-a-theory-only-the-concl_738147.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/greg-mankiw-50363_conclusion_if-you-take-from-a-theory-only-the-concl_738147.jpg) > “If you take from a theory only the conclusions you like and discard the rest, you are using the theory as a drunkard uses a lamp post-for support rather than illumination.” [Greg Mankiw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mankiw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Selective use of theory leads to misuse, like a lamp post for support. **In simple terms:** Misusing theory is like using a lamp post for support. Key Takeaway Apply theories fully. Themes critical thinking integrity analysis Mood cautionary analytical Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - academic research - business strategy Key Concepts philosophy of science logic Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure comprehensive use of theory? - What risks arise from cherry‑picking conclusions? A Different Perspective Complex theories may be oversimplified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conclusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclusion/) [Illumination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illumination/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) ## Related quotes > [We all have a tendency to use research as a drunkard uses a lamppost – for support, not for illumination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/we-all-have-a-tendency-to-use-research-as-a-drunkard-uses-a-lamppost/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [“Most people use statistics the way a drunkard uses a lamp post, more for support than illumination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-bartlett/most-people-use-statistics-the-way-a-drunkard-uses-a-lamp-post-more/) [Randy Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-bartlett/) > [The drunkard forfeits man and doth divest All wordly right, save what he hath by beast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/the-drunkard-forfeits-man-and-doth-divest-all-wordly-right-save-what/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [It is not cheerful for a girl to discover within twenty-four hours of her wedding that her husband is a hopeless drunkard, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-john-locke/it-is-not-cheerful-for-a-girl-to-discover-within-twenty-four-hours-of/) [William John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-john-locke/) > [Reasoning with a drunkard is like Going under water with a torch to seek for a drowning man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thiruvalluvar/reasoning-with-a-drunkard-is-like-going-under-water-with-a-torch-to/) [Thiruvalluvar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thiruvalluvar/) > [It were better for a man to be subject to any vice than to drunkenness; for all other vanities and sins are recovered, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-raleigh/it-were-better-for-a-man-to-be-subject-to-any-vice-than-to/) [Walter Raleigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-raleigh/) > [Poe wrote like a drunkard and a man who is not accustomed to pay his debts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-twining-hadley/poe-wrote-like-a-drunkard-and-a-man-who-is-not-accustomed-to-pay-his/) [Arthur Twining Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-twining-hadley/) > [The dyspeptic and the drunkard do not know how to eat or drink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/the-dyspeptic-and-the-drunkard-do-not-know-how-to-eat-or-drink/) [Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/) > [Oh! if you could only hear Intemperance with drunkards' bones drumming on the top of the wine cask the Dead March of immortal souls,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-de-witt-talmage/oh-if-you-could-only-hear-intemperance-with-drunkards-bones-drumming/) [Thomas De Witt Talmage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-de-witt-talmage/) > [The drunkard is convicted by his praises of wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/the-drunkard-is-convicted-by-his-praises-of-wine/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [I am a drunkard from another kind of tavern. I dance to a silent tune. I am the symphony of stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/i-am-a-drunkard-from-another-kind-of-tavern-i-dance-to-a-silent-tune/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [“These are the words of a fool: I am happy to be a fool, for i won't spend my time gazing at lines difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/these-are-the-words-of-a-fool-i-am-happy-to-be-a-fool-for-i-won-t/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [Some people miss flesh as a drunkard misses his dram.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/some-people-miss-flesh-as-a-drunkard-misses-his-dram/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Sometimes I wish I was just a simple drunkard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/sometimes-i-wish-i-was-just-a-simple-drunkard/) [Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/) > [A drunkard is like a whiskey-bottle, all neck and belly and no head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/a-drunkard-is-like-a-whiskey-bottle-all-neck-and-belly-and-no-head/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) ## More by Greg Mankiw > [Outsourcing American jobs will prove to be a plus for the economy in the long run. It's simply a new way of doing international…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mankiw/outsourcing-american-jobs-will-prove-to-be-a-plus-for-the-economy-in/) [Greg Mankiw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mankiw/) > [I have tried to put myself in the position of someone seeing economics for the first time. My goal is to emphasize the material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mankiw/i-have-tried-to-put-myself-in-the-position-of-someone-seeing/) [Greg Mankiw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mankiw/) > [ These teenagers \[that drop out of school to take the higher wage jobs\] take jobs that would go to unskilled adults, making it harder… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mankiw/these-teenagers-that-drop-out-of-school-to-take-the-higher-wage-jobs/) [Greg Mankiw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mankiw/) > [Economics is the study of how society manages its scarce resources.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mankiw/economics-is-the-study-of-how-society-manages-its-scarce-resources/) [Greg Mankiw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mankiw/) > [Higher saving leads to faster growth . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mankiw/higher-saving-leads-to-faster-growth/) [Greg Mankiw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mankiw/) > [You can't rule out deflation just because you've never seen it in your lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mankiw/you-can-t-rule-out-deflation-just-because-you-ve-never-seen-it-in/) [Greg Mankiw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mankiw/) [Explore all 7 Greg Mankiw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mankiw/) ## More Conclusion quotes > [I'm not going to be part of looking at information only partially. I'm not going to be part of just coming to quick conclusions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-cleland/i-m-not-going-to-be-part-of-looking-at-information-only-partially-i-m/) [Max Cleland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-cleland/) > [From what I have seen, I am driven to the conclusion that religion is only good for good people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/from-what-i-have-seen-i-am-driven-to-the-conclusion-that-religion-is/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [The thing about living alone is that it gives you a lot of time to think. You don't necessarily reach any conclusions, because wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/the-thing-about-living-alone-is-that-it-gives-you-a-lot-of-time-to/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [The main conclusion here arrived at ... is that man is descended from some less highly organized form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-main-conclusion-here-arrived-at-is-that-man-is-descended-from/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [Your deeper sense isn’t a springboard; it’s a landing place. If you draw conclusions too quickly or too slowly, you’ll establish your self where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-ruiter/your-deeper-sense-isn-t-a-springboard-it-s-a-landing-place-if-you/) [John de Ruiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-ruiter/) > [When there is a mission before you, you see it from its beginning to its conclusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-white/when-there-is-a-mission-before-you-you-see-it-from-its-beginning-to/) [Jesse White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-white/) > [Every study on chocolate is pointing to the same conclusion: there is something in chocolate that is really good for us. That something is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/every-study-on-chocolate-is-pointing-to-the-same-conclusion-there-is/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [I have come to the definite conclusion that musical ability is not an inborn talent but an ability which can be developed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinichi-suzuki/i-have-come-to-the-definite-conclusion-that-musical-ability-is-not-an/) [Shinichi Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinichi-suzuki/) > [Study how a society uses its land, and you can come to pretty reliable conclusions as to what its future will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-f-schumacher/study-how-a-society-uses-its-land-and-you-can-come-to-pretty-reliable/) [E. F. Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-f-schumacher/) > [Dr. Arnold . . . the admired reformer of public schools, came across some cranks who thought it a mistake to flog boys. Anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/dr-arnold-the-admired-reformer-of-public-schools-came-across-some/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [That's what politics is. It's the story of what's happening, what does it mean, what's the conclusion, who are the interesting characters?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickerson/that-s-what-politics-is-it-s-the-story-of-what-s-happening-what-does/) [John Dickerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickerson/) > [It's my firm conclusion that human meaning comes from humans, not from a supernatural source. After we die, our hopes for an afterlife reside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/it-s-my-firm-conclusion-that-human-meaning-comes-from-humans-not-from/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [To each eye, perhaps, the outlines of a great civilization present a different picture. In the wide ocean upon which we venture, the possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-burckhardt/to-each-eye-perhaps-the-outlines-of-a-great-civilization-present-a/) [Jacob Burckhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-burckhardt/) > [If you jump to conclusion you can't step on a clue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-santinello/if-you-jump-to-conclusion-you-can-t-step-on-a-clue/) [James Santinello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-santinello/) > [I cannot escape from the conclusion that the great ages of progress have depended upon a small number of individuals of transcendent ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-cannot-escape-from-the-conclusion-that-the-great-ages-of-progress/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) [Browse all 1,619 Conclusion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclusion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you take from a theory only the conclusions you like and discard the rest, you are using the theory as a drunkard uses a lamp post-for support rather than illumination.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Greg Mankiw" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mankiw/if-you-take-from-a-theory-only-the-conclusions-you-like-and-discard/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conclusion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mankiw/if-you-take-from-a-theory-only-the-conclusions-you-like-and-discard/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/greg-mankiw-50363_conclusion_if-you-take-from-a-theory-only-the-concl_738147.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/greg-mankiw-50363_conclusion_if-you-take-from-a-theory-only-the-concl_738147.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/greg-mankiw-50363_conclusion_if-you-take-from-a-theory-only-the-concl_738147.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you take from a theory only the conclusions you like and discard the rest, you are using the theory as a…” — Greg Mankiw", "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": "Greg Mankiw", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mankiw/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you take from a theory...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mankiw/if-you-take-from-a-theory-only-the-conclusions-you-like-and-discard/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mankiw/if-you-take-from-a-theory-only-the-conclusions-you-like-and-discard/#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 } } ] } ```