--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you assess something, you are forced…" description: "\"“When you assess something, you are forced to assume that a linear scale of values can be applied to it. Otherwise no assessment is possible. Every per..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/peter-h-eg-3553_different-people_when-you-assess-something-you-are-forced_1331634.jpg" --- # When you assess something, you are forced to assume that a… ![“When you assess something, you are forced to assume that a linear scale of values can be applied to it. Otherwise no assessment is possible. Every person who says of something that it is good or bad or a bit better than yesterday is declaring that a points system exists; that you can, in a…” quote by Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/peter-h-eg-3553_different-people_when-you-assess-something-you-are-forced_1331634.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/peter-h-eg-3553_different-people_when-you-assess-something-you-are-forced_1331634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/peter-h-eg-3553_different-people_when-you-assess-something-you-are-forced_1331634.jpg) > ““When you assess something, you are forced to assume that a linear scale of values can be applied to it. Otherwise no assessment is possible. Every person who says of something that it is good or bad or a bit better than yesterday is declaring that a points system exists; that you can, in a reasonably clear and obvious fashion, set some sort of a number against an achievement. But never at any time has a code of practice been laid down for the awarding of points. No offense intended to anyone. Never at any time in the history of the world has anyone—for anything ever so slightly more complicated than the straightforward play of a ball or a 400-meter race—been able to come up with a code of practice that could be learned and followed by several different people, in such a way that they would all arrive at the same mark. Never at any time have they been able to agree on a method for determining when one drawing, one meal, one sentence, one insult, the picking of one lock, one blow, one patriotic song, one Danish essay, one playground, one frog, or one interview is good or bad or better or worse than another.”” [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Assessments rely on imposing a linear scale, yet no universal code exists to consistently rate complex phenomena. **In simple terms:** We try to rank everything, but no shared system works for all. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of scoring complex things. Themes evaluation subjectivity complexity Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - education grading - performance reviews - art criticism - personal decisions - policy making Key Concepts measurement norms agreement Questions to Reflect On - How can we fairly compare diverse experiences? - What alternatives exist to numeric ratings? A Different Perspective Scoring can oversimplify nuance and ignore context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assess/) [Assessment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assessment/) [Assessment Possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assessment-possible-4470567/) [Better Than Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-than-yesterday/) [Declaring Points](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/declaring-points-4470566/) [Different people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-people/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Points Exists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/points-exists-4470568/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“To assess the quality of thoughts of people, don't listen to their words, but watch their actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/to-assess-the-quality-of-thoughts-of-people-don-t-listen-to-their/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“You need to assess yourself on a yearly basis and see how far you have gone and what you still need to work on”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-need-to-assess-yourself-on-a-yearly-basis-and-see-how-far-you/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“The best way to assess yourself is to base the assessment on the product you produce daily”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-best-way-to-assess-yourself-is-to-base-the-assessment-on-the/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Really the hardest thing to learn it themselves, despite their abilities to assess \_ \_ o feel your assessment is a question mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/really-the-hardest-thing-to-learn-it-themselves-despite-their/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [“Evaluate and assess your life on a daily”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/evaluate-and-assess-your-life-on-a-daily/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Our championship committee pledged to review entry conditions and to assess how women golfers might compete on equal terms with men for a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dawson/our-championship-committee-pledged-to-review-entry-conditions-and-to/) [Peter Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dawson/) > [If I'm preparing for something and I've got a huge day the next day, I have to get into character the night before to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-morton/if-i-m-preparing-for-something-and-i-ve-got-a-huge-day-the-next-day-i/) [Samantha Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-morton/) > [My mum passing away wasn't funny, but that funeral and what I went through, the things that happened, looking back at it, there were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/my-mum-passing-away-wasn-t-funny-but-that-funeral-and-what-i-went/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [Did you know that the state is the proud owner of a condo complex in Conway? This budget adds a real estate manager position…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lynch/did-you-know-that-the-state-is-the-proud-owner-of-a-condo-complex-in/) [John Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lynch/) > [Augustine says that you don't understand a nation by the throw weight of its military or the strength of its research universities or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/augustine-says-that-you-don-t-understand-a-nation-by-the-throw-weight/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [School districts around the country, and the taxpayers that support them, have a moral right to the information the NFL might have concerning the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-pierce/school-districts-around-the-country-and-the-taxpayers-that-support/) [Charlie Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-pierce/) > [It's hard for me to assess what I brought because each time you pick up a camera and point it at a person, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-arnold/it-s-hard-for-me-to-assess-what-i-brought-because-each-time-you-pick/) [Eve Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-arnold/) > [“An insipid voice message or an incongruent emergence from the “other” world may disrupt our whole thinking system. If we are not able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/an-insipid-voice-message-or-an-incongruent-emergence-from-the-other/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [At the end of every season, I try to assess what I did well and what I didn't do well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-redick/at-the-end-of-every-season-i-try-to-assess-what-i-did-well-and-what-i/) [J. J. Redick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-redick/) > [Mortal experiences give us the opportunity to assess what we are doing with our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/mortal-experiences-give-us-the-opportunity-to-assess-what-we-are/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) ## More by Peter Høeg > [“Time is something you have to hold on to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/time-is-something-you-have-to-hold-on-to/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“When you are in the company of people who look down upon themselves as though they were animals, you too become like an animal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/when-you-are-in-the-company-of-people-who-look-down-upon-themselves/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“With age I have voluntarily chosen certain limitations. I don't have the energy to start over again. To learn new skills or fight my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/with-age-i-have-voluntarily-chosen-certain-limitations-i-don-t-have/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“That was the way of the rule. They had so many to keep an eye on. As long as you kept a low profile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/that-was-the-way-of-the-rule-they-had-so-many-to-keep-an-eye-on-as/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“That was what we meant by science. That both question and answer are tied up with uncertainty, and that they are painful. But that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/that-was-what-we-meant-by-science-that-both-question-and-answer-are/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [I like him. I have a weakness for losers. Invalids, foreigners, the fat boy of the class, the ones nobody ever wants to dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/i-like-him-i-have-a-weakness-for-losers-invalids-foreigners-the-fat/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“There's no simple aritmetic for life's distribution of happiness and sorrow, no such thing as a standard share.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/there-s-no-simple-aritmetic-for-life-s-distribution-of-happiness-and/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“She said she had been thinking about the way you remembered your past. What you remembered, she said, was a string of events and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/she-said-she-had-been-thinking-about-the-way-you-remembered-your-past/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“The cookies combine butter and spices in such a way that you could eat a hundred of them and only realize how sick you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/the-cookies-combine-butter-and-spices-in-such-a-way-that-you-could/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [It's these small differences in people's karma that determine if we get up or remain lying on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/it-s-these-small-differences-in-people-s-karma-that-determine-if-we/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [There's a look of mischief in his eyes. 'Smilla. Why is it that such an elegant and petite girl like you has such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/there-s-a-look-of-mischief-in-his-eyes-smilla-why-is-it-that-such-an/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [When my mother didn't come back I realized that any moment could be the last. Nothing in life should simply be a passage from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/when-my-mother-didn-t-come-back-i-realized-that-any-moment-could-be/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [She was transparent, like a watercolor. As if she were about to dissolve in sound, in tones not yet created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/she-was-transparent-like-a-watercolor-as-if-she-were-about-to/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“As far as I'm concerned, you could send all the cars in the world through a compactor and shoot them out through the stratosphere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-you-could-send-all-the-cars-in-the-world/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [I don't fall in love anymore. Just like I don't get the mumps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/i-don-t-fall-in-love-anymore-just-like-i-don-t-get-the-mumps/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) [Explore all 110 Peter Høeg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) ## More Assess quotes > [“To assess the quality of thoughts of people, don't listen to their words, but watch their actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/to-assess-the-quality-of-thoughts-of-people-don-t-listen-to-their/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [If I'm preparing for something and I've got a huge day the next day, I have to get into character the night before to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-morton/if-i-m-preparing-for-something-and-i-ve-got-a-huge-day-the-next-day-i/) [Samantha Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-morton/) > [My mum passing away wasn't funny, but that funeral and what I went through, the things that happened, looking back at it, there were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/my-mum-passing-away-wasn-t-funny-but-that-funeral-and-what-i-went/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [Did you know that the state is the proud owner of a condo complex in Conway? This budget adds a real estate manager position…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lynch/did-you-know-that-the-state-is-the-proud-owner-of-a-condo-complex-in/) [John Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lynch/) > [“An insipid voice message or an incongruent emergence from the “other” world may disrupt our whole thinking system. If we are not able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/an-insipid-voice-message-or-an-incongruent-emergence-from-the-other/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [Our championship committee pledged to review entry conditions and to assess how women golfers might compete on equal terms with men for a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dawson/our-championship-committee-pledged-to-review-entry-conditions-and-to/) [Peter Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dawson/) > [At the end of every season, I try to assess what I did well and what I didn't do well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-redick/at-the-end-of-every-season-i-try-to-assess-what-i-did-well-and-what-i/) [J. J. Redick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-redick/) > [Mortal experiences give us the opportunity to assess what we are doing with our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/mortal-experiences-give-us-the-opportunity-to-assess-what-we-are/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [It's hard for me to assess what I brought because each time you pick up a camera and point it at a person, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-arnold/it-s-hard-for-me-to-assess-what-i-brought-because-each-time-you-pick/) [Eve Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-arnold/) > [School districts around the country, and the taxpayers that support them, have a moral right to the information the NFL might have concerning the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-pierce/school-districts-around-the-country-and-the-taxpayers-that-support/) [Charlie Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-pierce/) > [Augustine says that you don't understand a nation by the throw weight of its military or the strength of its research universities or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/augustine-says-that-you-don-t-understand-a-nation-by-the-throw-weight/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [I always assess what's my fault, but I don't dwell on mistakes, I never have; it's not part of my make up. I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hart/i-always-assess-what-s-my-fault-but-i-don-t-dwell-on-mistakes-i-never/) [Joe Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hart/) > [“The way we assess time as humans determines what we become”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-way-we-assess-time-as-humans-determines-what-we-become/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Sitting at a candidate rally is similar to sitting in a ballyard. Both give you the opportunity to assess the technical metrics and reflect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-pelosi/sitting-at-a-candidate-rally-is-similar-to-sitting-in-a-ballyard-both/) [Christine Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-pelosi/) > [“Tried to assess the situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-grabenstein/tried-to-assess-the-situation/) [Chris Grabenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-grabenstein/) [Browse all 43 Assess quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assess/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When you assess something, you are forced to assume that a linear scale of values can be applied to it. Otherwise no assessment is possible. 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