--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By the laws of statistics we could…" description: "\"By the laws of statistics we could probably approximate just how unlikely it is that it would happen. But people forget especially those who ought to k..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/robert-a-heinlein-209_chance_by-the-laws-of-statistics-we-could-proba_561782.jpg" --- # By the laws of statistics we could probably approximate… ![“By the laws of statistics we could probably approximate just how unlikely it is that it would happen. But people forget especially those who ought to know better, such as yourself that while the laws of statistics tell you how unlikely a particular coincidence is, they state just as firmly that…” quote by Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/robert-a-heinlein-209_chance_by-the-laws-of-statistics-we-could-proba_561782.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/robert-a-heinlein-209_chance_by-the-laws-of-statistics-we-could-proba_561782.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/robert-a-heinlein-209_chance_by-the-laws-of-statistics-we-could-proba_561782.jpg) > “By the laws of statistics we could probably approximate just how unlikely it is that it would happen. But people forget especially those who ought to know better, such as yourself that while the laws of statistics tell you how unlikely a particular coincidence is, they state just as firmly that coincidences do happen.” [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Statistics show rare events are improbable, yet coincidences still occur, especially when people ignore the odds. **In simple terms:** Rare events happen despite low odds. Key Takeaway Expect the unexpected. Themes probability coincidence human bias Mood cautious reflective Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - risk assessment - investigations - personal decisions - policy making Key Concepts statistics law of large numbers cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance statistical insight with intuition? - When should you trust a coincidence? A Different Perspective Statistical models can’t predict specific outcomes, only likelihoods. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Coincidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coincidence/) [Coincidences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coincidences/) [Coincidences Happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coincidences-happen-716029/) [Firmly Coincidences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firmly-coincidences-4656376/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Statistics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statistics/) [Unlikely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unlikely/) [Unlikely Happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unlikely-happen-358766/) ## Related quotes > [In real life, coincidences happen all the time. In novels, they are leapt upon with fury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/in-real-life-coincidences-happen-all-the-time-in-novels-they-are/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“Coincidences happen for a reason, that's for sure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deyth-banger/coincidences-happen-for-a-reason-that-s-for-sure/) [Deyth Banger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deyth-banger/) > [But I said that you could still want something that is very unlikely to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/but-i-said-that-you-could-still-want-something-that-is-very-unlikely/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“This is quite unlikely to happen to Linux,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/this-is-quite-unlikely-to-happen-to-linux/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [I'm a single guy now and can do what I like. As my agent said, so long as it's not a live man or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-m-a-single-guy-now-and-can-do-what-i-like-as-my-agent-said-so-long/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [“Coincidences happen, but I’ve come to believe they are actually quite rare. Something is at work, okay?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/coincidences-happen-but-i-ve-come-to-believe-they-are-actually-quite-2/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Coincidences always happen if you keep your mind open, while storyboards remain the instruments of cowards who do not trust in their own imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/coincidences-always-happen-if-you-keep-your-mind-open-while/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I don't think there is any kind of magic about what I do. All of the connections are there, somewhere in the subconscious or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lepage/i-don-t-think-there-is-any-kind-of-magic-about-what-i-do-all-of-the/) [Robert Lepage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lepage/) > [Coincidences happen, but I've come to believe they are actually quite rare. Something is at work, okay? Somewhere in the universe (or behind it),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/coincidences-happen-but-i-ve-come-to-believe-they-are-actually-quite/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Have you ever noticed that when you pray, coincidences happen? And when you don't, they don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/have-you-ever-noticed-that-when-you-pray-coincidences-happen-and-when/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [Given the infinite number of coincidences that could happen, very few ever actually do. The universe exists in a coincidence-hating state of anti-fluke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/given-the-infinite-number-of-coincidences-that-could-happen-very-few/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Coincidences' happen when God is invited into the situation. We have learned to call them 'God-incidences”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-and-mary-brown/coincidences-happen-when-god-is-invited-into-the-situation-we-have/) [Wallace and Mary Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-and-mary-brown/) > [We have to live with it, sometimes these coincidences do happen. They are obviously huge losses but we will just have to get on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-fletcher/we-have-to-live-with-it-sometimes-these-coincidences-do-happen-they/) [Duncan Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-fletcher/) > [When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don't, they don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-temple/when-i-pray-coincidences-happen-and-when-i-don-t-they-don-t/) [William Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-temple/) > [“You don't have to believe in coincidences because they happen every day. The trick is to be able to discern when something is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-jones/you-don-t-have-to-believe-in-coincidences-because-they-happen-every/) [Glenn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-jones/) ## More by Robert A. 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