---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more data we have, the more likely we…"
description: "\"The more data we have, the more likely we are to drown in it.\" — Nassim Nicholas Taleb"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_data_the-more-data-we-have-the-more-likely-we_446542.png"
---

#  The more data we have, the more likely we are to drown in…

![“The more data we have, the more likely we are to drown in it.” quote by Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_data_the-more-data-we-have-the-more-likely-we_446542.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_data_the-more-data-we-have-the-more-likely-we_446542.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_data_the-more-data-we-have-the-more-likely-we_446542.png)

> “The more data we have, the more likely we are to drown in it.”

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Having abundant data can overwhelm decision‑making, leading to analysis paralysis and misinterpretation.

**In simple terms:** Too much data can drown us.

Key Takeaway

Focus on relevant data, simplify.

Themes

information overload decision making complexity

Mood

anxious reflective

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- business strategy
- research
- personal finance
- policy development

Key Concepts

statistics risk cognitive bias

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you filter essential information?
- When does data become a hindrance?

A Different Perspective

Data volume alone does not guarantee insight.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Data Likely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data-likely-1339260/) [Drown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drown/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Likely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likely/) [Likely Drown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likely-drown-3407421/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/)

## Related quotes

> [In general, I found that the more that debates can be about facts and data, the more likely government is to make sound decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-genachowski/in-general-i-found-that-the-more-that-debates-can-be-about-facts-and/)

[Julius Genachowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-genachowski/)

> [You're more likely to drown in the sea of sameness than get eaten by a shark while navigating new waters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-jo-martin/you-re-more-likely-to-drown-in-the-sea-of-sameness-than-get-eaten-by/)

[Amy Jo Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-jo-martin/)

> [When someone is drowning and you try to save them, they're more likely to drown you before you pull them out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/when-someone-is-drowning-and-you-try-to-save-them-they-re-more-likely/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [“The person most likely to drown in the river is the one who believes he can swim. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-hashimi/the-person-most-likely-to-drown-in-the-river-is-the-one-who-believes/)

[Nadia Hashimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-hashimi/)

> [“It was his time with the Xanti which had changed him. They thought that everyone’s life was like a river; you had to flow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-ibbotson/it-was-his-time-with-the-xanti-which-had-changed-him-they-thought/)

[Eva Ibbotson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-ibbotson/)

> [ “\[...\] what you see is likely to be less Black Swannish than what you do not see.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/what-you-see-is-likely-to-be-less-black-swannish-than-what-you-do-not/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [“If you survive until tomorrow, it could mean that either a) you are more likely to be immortal or b) that you are closer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-you-survive-until-tomorrow-it-could-mean-that-either-a-you-are/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [For the robust, an error is information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/for-the-robust-an-error-is-information/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [There’s a tremendous power in using the least amount of information to get a point across.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-rubin/there-s-a-tremendous-power-in-using-the-least-amount-of-information/)

[Rick Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-rubin/)

> [“It's not just like that. I can't just swim away." "Why not?" "I'm afraid I'll drown." He looks up and gives the world's smallest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-moskowitz/it-s-not-just-like-that-i-can-t-just-swim-away-why-not-i-m-afraid-i/)

[Hannah Moskowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-moskowitz/)

> [“Let me love you, girl who came from the sea. Let us swim to the bottom of the ocean where we can be anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolee-dean/let-me-love-you-girl-who-came-from-the-sea-let-us-swim-to-the-bottom/)

[Carolee Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolee-dean/)

> [As all of us are only too aware, the loud and frantic voices of the outer world easily drown out the small, still loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/as-all-of-us-are-only-too-aware-the-loud-and-frantic-voices-of-the/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [“Families – can’t live with them – can’t take them down to the river and drown them all in sacks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-r-green/families-can-t-live-with-them-can-t-take-them-down-to-the-river-and/)

[Simon R. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-r-green/)

> [There are many ways to drown, only the most obvious wave their arms as they're going under.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/there-are-many-ways-to-drown-only-the-most-obvious-wave-their-arms-as/)

[Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/)

> [He tried to drown his troubles but they knew how to swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/he-tried-to-drown-his-troubles-but-they-knew-how-to-swim/)

[Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/)

## More by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

> [To become a philosopher, start by walking very slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/to-become-a-philosopher-start-by-walking-very-slowly/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [Wittgenstein's ruler: Unless you have confidence in the ruler's reliability, if you use a ruler to measure a table you may also be using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/wittgenstein-s-ruler-unless-you-have-confidence-in-the-ruler-s/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [My nightmare scenario is that the government saves Citibank once again, as well as the other banks, and business resumes as usual. Then, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/my-nightmare-scenario-is-that-the-government-saves-citibank-once/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [Using, as an excuse, others' failure of common sense is in itself a failure of common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/using-as-an-excuse-others-failure-of-common-sense-is-in-itself-a/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [You know, children philosophize more than adults - and they are critical of adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-know-children-philosophize-more-than-adults-and-they-are-critical/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [“One needs to go out and buy a lottery ticket in order to win. Does it mean that the work involved in the trip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/one-needs-to-go-out-and-buy-a-lottery-ticket-in-order-to-win-does-it/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [Individuals should think about the worst-case scenarios and plan for them. The world will be crazier than you think it will be. Put money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/individuals-should-think-about-the-worst-case-scenarios-and-plan-for/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [“If you are looking for your misplaced wallet in your living room, in a trial and error mode, you exercise rationality by not looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-you-are-looking-for-your-misplaced-wallet-in-your-living-room-in-a/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [“Most humans manage to squander their free time, as free time makes them dysfunctional, lazy, and unmotivated—the busier they get, the more active they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/most-humans-manage-to-squander-their-free-time-as-free-time-makes/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [We learn the most from fools ... yet we pay them back with the worst ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-learn-the-most-from-fools-yet-we-pay-them-back-with-the-worst/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [We are victims of the post-Enlightenment view that the world functions like a sophisticated machine, to be understood like a textbook engineering problem and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-are-victims-of-the-post-enlightenment-view-that-the-world/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [“loss of bone density and degradation of the health of the bones also causes aging, diabetes, and, for males, loss of fertility and sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/loss-of-bone-density-and-degradation-of-the-health-of-the-bones-also/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [“It takes a huge investment in introspection to learn that the thirty or more hours spent “studying” the news last month neither had any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-takes-a-huge-investment-in-introspection-to-learn-that-the-thirty/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

[Explore all 635 Nassim Nicholas Taleb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

## More Data quotes

> [Information is money, but data is squat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-llama-butler/information-is-money-but-data-is-squat/)

[Angela Llama-Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-llama-butler/)

> [“ data analytics consulting Perceptive Analtyics is a data analytic company and a trusted advisor to its clients across domains. Click to know more”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastianmax/data-analytics-consulting-perceptive-analtyics-is-a-data-analytic/)

[SebastianMax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastianmax/)

> [The information nation took their clues from all the sound bite gluttons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem/the-information-nation-took-their-clues-from-all-the-sound-bite/)

[REM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem/)

> [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/)

[Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/)

> [But actually theory is very practical. Gravity is a theory, for example. It allows you to predict that if you step off a cliff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-christensen/but-actually-theory-is-very-practical-gravity-is-a-theory-for-example/)

[Clayton Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-christensen/)

> [Statistics are like miniskirts: They give you good ideas but hide the important things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ebbe-skovdahl/statistics-are-like-miniskirts-they-give-you-good-ideas-but-hide-the/)

[Ebbe Skovdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ebbe-skovdahl/)

> [Unlike return, however, risk is no more quantifiable at the end of an investment that it was at its beginning. Risk simply cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/unlike-return-however-risk-is-no-more-quantifiable-at-the-end-of-an/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [Finding patterns is easy in any kind of data-rich environment; that's what mediocre gamblers do. The key is in determining whether the patterns represent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/finding-patterns-is-easy-in-any-kind-of-data-rich-environment-that-s/)

[Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/)

> [ \[Brazil\] went to the UN and said, "We need new standards for this." We need to take a look at what they're calling "data… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/brazil-went-to-the-un-and-said-we-need-new-standards-for-this-we-need/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [We're living in a technological world. You cannot tell me we can't do a better job getting that information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-re-living-in-a-technological-world-you-cannot-tell-me-we-can-t-do/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [Web users ultimately want to get at data quickly and easily. They don't care as much about attractive sites and pretty design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/web-users-ultimately-want-to-get-at-data-quickly-and-easily-they-don/)

[Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/)

> [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/)

[Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/)

> [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/)

[Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/)

> [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/)

[Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/)

> [“The amount of stored information grows four times faster than the world economy, while the processing power of computers grows nine times faster. Little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-mayer-sch-nberger/the-amount-of-stored-information-grows-four-times-faster-than-the/)

[Viktor Mayer-Schönberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-mayer-sch-nberger/)

[Browse all 3,134 Data quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The more data we have, the more likely we are to drown in it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/the-more-data-we-have-the-more-likely-we-are-to-drown-in-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Data"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/the-more-data-we-have-the-more-likely-we-are-to-drown-in-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_data_the-more-data-we-have-the-more-likely-we_446542.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_data_the-more-data-we-have-the-more-likely-we_446542.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_data_the-more-data-we-have-the-more-likely-we_446542.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The more data we have, the more likely we are to drown in it.” — Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
                "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": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The more data we have, the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/the-more-data-we-have-the-more-likely-we-are-to-drown-in-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/the-more-data-we-have-the-more-likely-we-are-to-drown-in-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```