--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The practice of guessing so obviously…" description: "\"“The practice of guessing so obviously fails in detective work that it’s almost shocking that we guess when we have important problems to solve.”\" — Na..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/nat-greene-9189_detective-work_the-practice-of-guessing-so-obviously-fa_2810753.jpg" --- # The practice of guessing so obviously fails in detective… ![“The practice of guessing so obviously fails in detective work that it’s almost shocking that we guess when we have important problems to solve.” quote by Nat Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/nat-greene-9189_detective-work_the-practice-of-guessing-so-obviously-fa_2810753.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/nat-greene-9189_detective-work_the-practice-of-guessing-so-obviously-fa_2810753.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/nat-greene-9189_detective-work_the-practice-of-guessing-so-obviously-fa_2810753.jpg) > ““The practice of guessing so obviously fails in detective work that it’s almost shocking that we guess when we have important problems to solve.”” [Nat Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-greene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Guessing is unreliable in detective work, yet people still guess when faced with serious problems, highlighting a cognitive flaw. **In simple terms:** Guessing fails in investigations but persists in solving problems. Key Takeaway Recognize and mitigate reliance on guesswork. Themes reasoning investigation cognition error decision making Mood cautious educational analytical Type instructional reflective When to use this quote - detective training - educational workshops - case studies Key Concepts cognitive bias problem solving critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - Why do we guess despite evidence? - How can we improve analytical rigor? A Different Perspective Overreliance on intuition can mislead. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Detective work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective-work/) ## Related quotes > [“If you believe that complex solutions are better than simple ones, or if you believe it’s better to take a simple guessing shortcut, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/if-you-believe-that-complex-solutions-are-better-than-simple-ones-or/) [Nat Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-greene/) > [“Great problem-solvers resist the temptation to guess at every stage of the process. Guessing is a tough habit to break, so get started!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/great-problem-solvers-resist-the-temptation-to-guess-at-every-stage/) [Nat Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-greene/) > [“most methods disguise the guessing stage in some fancy language, such as “determine possible root causes.” This is making a list of guesses, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/most-methods-disguise-the-guessing-stage-in-some-fancy-language-such/) [Nat Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-greene/) > [“In my own experience I have found that most problem-solving methods promote guessing at some point in the process, but that it is snuck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/in-my-own-experience-i-have-found-that-most-problem-solving-methods/) [Nat Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-greene/) > [I hate that people are trying to detective work into my past, it bothers me... But it's, whatever, I haven't got anything to hide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-hate-that-people-are-trying-to-detective-work-into-my-past-it/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [“Detective work is ninety-nine percent boring and one percent the kind of excitement no one should ever experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/detective-work-is-ninety-nine-percent-boring-and-one-percent-the-kind/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [Anything is easy to the man who sees… The open eye of the open mind--that has more to do with real detective work than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-hopkins-adams/anything-is-easy-to-the-man-who-sees-the-open-eye-of-the-open-mind/) [Samuel Hopkins Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-hopkins-adams/) > [“If you do not know your purpose, you have detective work to do. 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He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-came-across-a-man-in-belgium-once-a-very-famous-detective-and-he/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [I wanted to be a police detective. In my work, particularly in documentaries, I am obsessed with finding things out, seeking ever-new facts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marsh/i-wanted-to-be-a-police-detective-in-my-work-particularly-in/) [James Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marsh/) ## More by Nat Greene > [“If you believe that success is inevitable, you’re less likely to work your tail off in order to achieve it. 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You want to do the detective work on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ponsoldt/you-just-work-really-hard-and-scrutinize-what-is-it-called-in/) [James Ponsoldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ponsoldt/) > [Like acting, undercover detective work requires a lot of performance. There's just more pressure because it's life-or-death situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-david-washington/like-acting-undercover-detective-work-requires-a-lot-of-performance/) [John David Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-david-washington/) > [Your novels show only the tiniest fraction of detective work, the brilliant crime, the tantalizing clues, the dramatic chase, the final battle atop a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-petrucha/your-novels-show-only-the-tiniest-fraction-of-detective-work-the/) [Stefan Petrucha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-petrucha/) > [“If you do not know your purpose, you have detective work to do. The clues will be in your life to date, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-harvey/if-you-do-not-know-your-purpose-you-have-detective-work-to-do-the/) [Bill Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-harvey/) > [Anything is easy to the man who sees… The open eye of the open mind--that has more to do with real detective work than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-hopkins-adams/anything-is-easy-to-the-man-who-sees-the-open-eye-of-the-open-mind/) [Samuel Hopkins Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-hopkins-adams/) > [“Detective work is ninety-nine percent boring and one percent the kind of excitement no one should ever experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/detective-work-is-ninety-nine-percent-boring-and-one-percent-the-kind/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [I hate that people are trying to detective work into my past, it bothers me... But it's, whatever, I haven't got anything to hide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-hate-that-people-are-trying-to-detective-work-into-my-past-it/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [As a biographer, I try to uncover the adventures and personalities behind each character I research. Once my character and I have reached an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-fritz/as-a-biographer-i-try-to-uncover-the-adventures-and-personalities/) [Jean Fritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-fritz/) > [“I'd been trained in the art of psychotherapy, the excavation of the past as a means of untangling the present and rendering it livable.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kellerman/i-d-been-trained-in-the-art-of-psychotherapy-the-excavation-of-the/) [Jonathan Kellerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kellerman/) > [They say that genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains," he remarked with a smile. "It's a very bad definition, but it does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/they-say-that-genius-is-an-infinite-capacity-for-taking-pains-he/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Writing a novel was like I had some Play-Doh to work with and could just keep working with it - doing a million drafts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/writing-a-novel-was-like-i-had-some-play-doh-to-work-with-and-could/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) [Browse all 19 Detective work quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective-work/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The practice of guessing so obviously fails in detective work that it’s almost shocking that we guess when we have important problems to solve.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nat Greene" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/the-practice-of-guessing-so-obviously-fails-in-detective-work-that-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Detective work" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/the-practice-of-guessing-so-obviously-fails-in-detective-work-that-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/nat-greene-9189_detective-work_the-practice-of-guessing-so-obviously-fa_2810753.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/nat-greene-9189_detective-work_the-practice-of-guessing-so-obviously-fa_2810753.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/nat-greene-9189_detective-work_the-practice-of-guessing-so-obviously-fa_2810753.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The practice of guessing so obviously fails in detective work that it’s almost shocking that we guess when…” — Nat Greene", "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": "Nat Greene", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-greene/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The practice of guessing so obviously...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/the-practice-of-guessing-so-obviously-fails-in-detective-work-that-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/the-practice-of-guessing-so-obviously-fails-in-detective-work-that-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 } } ] } ```