--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Science by itself is about numbers, and…" description: "\"Science by itself is about numbers, and it's about measuring things. It's very important but it's very dry.\" — James Balog" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/james-balog-18078_about_science-by-itself-is-about-numbers-and-i_3083349.png" --- # Science by itself is about numbers, and it's about… ![“Science by itself is about numbers, and it's about measuring things. It's very important but it's very dry.” quote by James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/james-balog-18078_about_science-by-itself-is-about-numbers-and-i_3083349.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/james-balog-18078_about_science-by-itself-is-about-numbers-and-i_3083349.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/james-balog-18078_about_science-by-itself-is-about-numbers-and-i_3083349.png) > “Science by itself is about numbers, and it's about measuring things. It's very important but it's very dry.” [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science relies on quantification, but without engaging narrative it can feel uninteresting. **In simple terms:** Numbers are essential but can be boring. Key Takeaway Make data compelling through storytelling. Themes science communication engagement data Mood thoughtful educational Type explanatory inspirational When to use this quote - public lectures - science museums - media reports - educational videos Key Concepts quantitative analysis storytelling visualization Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance accuracy with appeal? - What stories can numbers tell? A Different Perspective Complex topics may still alienate audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [It takes a lot of guts to stop measuring things that are measurable, and even more guts to create things that don't measure well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/it-takes-a-lot-of-guts-to-stop-measuring-things-that-are-measurable/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [Our incapacity to comprehend other cultures stems from our insistence on measuring things in our own terms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-erickson/our-incapacity-to-comprehend-other-cultures-stems-from-our-insistence/) [Arthur Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-erickson/) > [If truth can be found in any sublunary science, numbers will produce it, for to that at last almost all other sciences refer for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hester-lynch-piozzi/if-truth-can-be-found-in-any-sublunary-science-numbers-will-produce/) [Hester Lynch Piozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hester-lynch-piozzi/) > [The science of numbers ought to be preferred as an acquisition before all others, because of its necessity and because of the great secrets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boethius/the-science-of-numbers-ought-to-be-preferred-as-an-acquisition-before/) [Boethius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boethius/) > [Perhaps measuring animal intelligence by comparing it to human intelligence isn't the best litmus test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/perhaps-measuring-animal-intelligence-by-comparing-it-to-human/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [Time is a measure of space, just as a range-finder is a measure of space, but measuring locks us into the place we measure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/time-is-a-measure-of-space-just-as-a-range-finder-is-a-measure-of/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [The science of the church is neglected for the study of geometry, and they lose sight of Heaven while they are employed in measuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-science-of-the-church-is-neglected-for-the-study-of-geometry-and/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [In my eyes, baking and pastry-making is like a science - all the measuring of quantities and temperatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-stein/in-my-eyes-baking-and-pastry-making-is-like-a-science-all-the/) [Rick Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-stein/) > [Measuring life by what others do for us may disappoint us...But Measuring life by what we do for others will add more meaning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/measuring-life-by-what-others-do-for-us-may-disappoint-us-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Morality without religion is only a kind of dead reckoning - an endeavor to find our place on a cloudy sea by measuring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/morality-without-religion-is-only-a-kind-of-dead-reckoning-an/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Learning to decipher words had only added to the pleasures of holding spines and turning pages, measuring the journey to the end with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-crowley/learning-to-decipher-words-had-only-added-to-the-pleasures-of-holding/) [John Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-crowley/) > [There's always the tendency to transform the Church into an ethical agency, and of measuring the Church by the yardstick of social and cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lehmann/there-s-always-the-tendency-to-transform-the-church-into-an-ethical/) [Karl Lehmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lehmann/) > [It is much easier to make measurements than to know exactly what you are measuring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-w-n-sullivan/it-is-much-easier-to-make-measurements-than-to-know-exactly-what-you/) [J. W. N. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-w-n-sullivan/) > [By measuring the proportion of children living with the same parents from birth and whether their parents report a good quality relationship we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-duncan-smith/by-measuring-the-proportion-of-children-living-with-the-same-parents/) [Iain Duncan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-duncan-smith/) > [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by James Balog > [We still carry this old caveman-imprint idea that we're small, nature's big, and it's everything we can manage to hang on and survive. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/we-still-carry-this-old-caveman-imprint-idea-that-we-re-small-nature/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [Climate change should not fundamentally be seen as a political or partisan issue, but it has been turned into a political football primarily by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/climate-change-should-not-fundamentally-be-seen-as-a-political-or/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [Once upon a time, I was a climate-change skeptic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/once-upon-a-time-i-was-a-climate-change-skeptic/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [I've always believed that photography is a way to shape human perception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/i-ve-always-believed-that-photography-is-a-way-to-shape-human/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [Ultimately, we have to ask ourselves an essential spiritual and ethical question: Are we the kind of people who take everything for ourselves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/ultimately-we-have-to-ask-ourselves-an-essential-spiritual-and/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [You know, I've read Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' about fifteen times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/you-know-i-ve-read-joseph-conrad-s-heart-of-darkness-about-fifteen/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [Hindsight can be merciless. People of any given era often look back in time and wonder how their predecessors could have been so dimwitted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/hindsight-can-be-merciless-people-of-any-given-era-often-look-back-in/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [It's important to recognise that humans are not the measure of all things... The Earth is the measure of all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/it-s-important-to-recognise-that-humans-are-not-the-measure-of-all/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [The problem is almost everybody is just recording the world with home photographic toys, not doing metaphor or ideas. We have a photographic culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/the-problem-is-almost-everybody-is-just-recording-the-world-with-home/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [I have often thought that my work with wildlife taught me the meaning of patience, and my work with the big trees taught me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/i-have-often-thought-that-my-work-with-wildlife-taught-me-the-meaning/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [When I worked with wildlife a lot in the Eighties and Nineties, I learnt the meaning of patience. And when I worked with trees,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/when-i-worked-with-wildlife-a-lot-in-the-eighties-and-nineties-i/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [I've got at least two major project ideas that I've been chewing on for several years in my head and I've been trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/i-ve-got-at-least-two-major-project-ideas-that-i-ve-been-chewing-on/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [You know, we humans are programmed to think that big changes on the Earth happened a long time ago, or will happen a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/you-know-we-humans-are-programmed-to-think-that-big-changes-on-the/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [I was raised a Catholic as a boy and went to a Catholic boys' high school, a private school, and kind of drifted away,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/i-was-raised-a-catholic-as-a-boy-and-went-to-a-catholic-boys-high/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [Climate change is a really abstract thing in most of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/climate-change-is-a-really-abstract-thing-in-most-of-the-world/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) [Explore all 35 James Balog quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Science by itself is about numbers, and it's about measuring things. It's very important but it's very dry.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Balog" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/science-by-itself-is-about-numbers-and-it-s-about-measuring-things-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/science-by-itself-is-about-numbers-and-it-s-about-measuring-things-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/james-balog-18078_about_science-by-itself-is-about-numbers-and-i_3083349.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/james-balog-18078_about_science-by-itself-is-about-numbers-and-i_3083349.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/james-balog-18078_about_science-by-itself-is-about-numbers-and-i_3083349.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Science by itself is about numbers, and it's about measuring things. It's very important but it's very dry.” — James Balog", "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": "James Balog", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Science by itself is about numbers,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/science-by-itself-is-about-numbers-and-it-s-about-measuring-things-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/science-by-itself-is-about-numbers-and-it-s-about-measuring-things-it/#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 } } ] } ```