--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Prediction just means you saw where the…" description: "\"Prediction just means you saw where the world might be going: ho-hum. Influence, though - ah. Influence, direct and acknowledged, means you actually st..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/robin-sloan-1513_influence_prediction-just-means-you-saw-where-the_1870987.png" --- # Prediction just means you saw where the world might be… ![“Prediction just means you saw where the world might be going: ho-hum. Influence, though - ah. Influence, direct and acknowledged, means you actually steered the world, even if only a tiny bit.” quote by Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/robin-sloan-1513_influence_prediction-just-means-you-saw-where-the_1870987.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/robin-sloan-1513_influence_prediction-just-means-you-saw-where-the_1870987.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/robin-sloan-1513_influence_prediction-just-means-you-saw-where-the_1870987.png) > “Prediction just means you saw where the world might be going: ho-hum. Influence, though - ah. Influence, direct and acknowledged, means you actually steered the world, even if only a tiny bit.” [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prediction identifies likely trends; influence actively shapes outcomes, even in small ways. **In simple terms:** Prediction sees future; influence changes it. Key Takeaway Recognize where you can act to shape outcomes. Themes prediction influence agency impact Mood thoughtful motivational Type inspirational analytical When to use this quote - marketing strategy - policy making - personal goal setting - entrepreneurship Key Concepts social dynamics decision theory leadership Questions to Reflect On - What small actions can you take to influence your environment? - When does prediction become self‑fulfilling? A Different Perspective Influence may be limited by larger forces beyond control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Influence Ah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence-ah-2580980/) [Influence Direct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence-direct-2580979/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Prediction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prediction/) [Prediction Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prediction-just-1958456/) [Saw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saw/) [Where](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/where/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [They believed that prediction was just a function of keeping track of things. If you knew enough, you could predict anything. That's been cherished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/they-believed-that-prediction-was-just-a-function-of-keeping-track-of/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [Prediction is not just one of the things your brain does. It is the primary function of the neo-cortex, and the foundation of intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hawkins/prediction-is-not-just-one-of-the-things-your-brain-does-it-is-the/) [Jeff Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hawkins/) > [I saw the short stories people were doing on Kindle and really liked the idea of seeing something I'd written on that screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-saw-the-short-stories-people-were-doing-on-kindle-and-really-liked/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“Conspiracy theory, like causality, works fantastically well as an explanatory model but only if you use it backwards. The fact that we cannot predict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-carroll/conspiracy-theory-like-causality-works-fantastically-well-as-an/) [Peter J. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-carroll/) > [It is hard to predict the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-williamson/it-is-hard-to-predict-the-future/) [Kane Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-williamson/) > [“During many ages, the prediction, as it is usual, contributed to its own accomplishment. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/during-many-ages-the-prediction-as-it-is-usual-contributed-to-its-own/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. It was the third of Arthur C. Clarke’s three laws of prediction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-chercover/any-sufficiently-advanced-technology-is-indistinguishable-from-magic/) [Sean Chercover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-chercover/) > [It is not predictions but plans that make the future. If you want predictions, it is because you do not have the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/it-is-not-predictions-but-plans-that-make-the-future-if-you-want/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) > [But I don't think I have any particular talent for prediction, because when you have three or four elements in hand, you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-tabucchi/but-i-don-t-think-i-have-any-particular-talent-for-prediction-because/) [Antonio Tabucchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-tabucchi/) > [It's impossible for us to forecast what's going to happen ten years from now and make a decision today to say what we're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rangel/it-s-impossible-for-us-to-forecast-what-s-going-to-happen-ten-years/) [Charles Rangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rangel/) > [“Our world is increasingly complex, often chaotic, and always fast-flowing. This makes forecasting something between tremendously difficult and actually impossible, with a strong shift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcafee/our-world-is-increasingly-complex-often-chaotic-and-always-fast/) [Andrew McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcafee/) > [“And how did you know about that?” Seven looked at his watch. Chase held up a hand. “Let me guess, in two minutes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-wilder/and-how-did-you-know-about-that-seven-looked-at-his-watch-chase-held/) [Adrienne Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-wilder/) > [“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/) > [I'm going to make a prediction - it could go either way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-atkinson/i-m-going-to-make-a-prediction-it-could-go-either-way/) [Ron Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-atkinson/) > [The one prediction that never comes true is, 'You'll thank me for telling you this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/the-one-prediction-that-never-comes-true-is-you-ll-thank-me-for/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) ## More by Robin Sloan > [“But it will make mistakes," she says. "Hadoop will probably get us from a hundred thousand buildings down to, like, five thousand." "So we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/but-it-will-make-mistakes-she-says-hadoop-will-probably-get-us-from-a/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [You can go as far back as fifth grade, and you will find me tinkering with media and computers, making things that are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/you-can-go-as-far-back-as-fifth-grade-and-you-will-find-me-tinkering/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [He has the strangest expression on his face- the emotional equivalent of 404 PAGE NOT FOUND.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/he-has-the-strangest-expression-on-his-face-the-emotional-equivalent/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“Baking, by contrast, was solving the same problem over and over again, because every time, the solution was consumed. I mean, really: chewed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/baking-by-contrast-was-solving-the-same-problem-over-and-over-again/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“I tell him, and I write it down as I go. It makes me feel better, as if the weirdness is flowing out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-tell-him-and-i-write-it-down-as-i-go-it-makes-me-feel-better-as-if/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [There's just no escaping it: The half-life of media on the Internet is super short. Tweets flow and fade; pages that look great today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/there-s-just-no-escaping-it-the-half-life-of-media-on-the-internet-is/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [Imagination runs out. But it makes sense, right? We probably just imagine things based on what we already know, and we run out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/imagination-runs-out-but-it-makes-sense-right-we-probably-just/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“My limbic system has grown accustomed to a certain (very low) level of human (female) contact. With her standing right next to me, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/my-limbic-system-has-grown-accustomed-to-a-certain-very-low-level-of/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“The shelves were packed close together, and it felt like I was standing at the border of a forest--not a friendly Californian forest, either,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/the-shelves-were-packed-close-together-and-it-felt-like-i-was/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“How was New York?' Ashley asks politely. I'm not sure how to respond. Something like: Well, the mustachioed master of the secret library is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/how-was-new-york-ashley-asks-politely-i-m-not-sure-how-to-respond/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [We range widely, we readers of fiction, but I think we all need a home. Mine is science fiction. It's my home shelf, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/we-range-widely-we-readers-of-fiction-but-i-think-we-all-need-a-home/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“Neel cuts in: "Where'd you grow up?" "Palo Alto," she says. From there to Stanford to Google: for a girl obsessed with the outer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/neel-cuts-in-where-d-you-grow-up-palo-alto-she-says-from-there-to/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [Doing research for 'Penumbra,' I read quite a bit about the early history of printing, and the more I did, the more it sounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/doing-research-for-penumbra-i-read-quite-a-bit-about-the-early/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“History hinges on such small things. A difference of thirty degrees, and this story would end here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/history-hinges-on-such-small-things-a-difference-of-thirty-degrees/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“It is very quiet. I set my chin into my palm and count my friends and wonder what else is hiding in plain sight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/it-is-very-quiet-i-set-my-chin-into-my-palm-and-count-my-friends-and/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) [Explore all 227 Robin Sloan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) ## More Influence quotes > [My coach, Robert Allen, helped me a lot. He had more influence on my growth as a player than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamarcus-aldridge/my-coach-robert-allen-helped-me-a-lot-he-had-more-influence-on-my/) [LaMarcus Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamarcus-aldridge/) > [Life is not about how much you have but how much you have affect others life positively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-not-about-how-much-you-have-but-how-much-you-have-affect/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [DECIDE, v.i. To succumb to the preponderance of one set of influences over another set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/decide-v-i-to-succumb-to-the-preponderance-of-one-set-of-influences/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [Words can only have an effect on you if you choose to listen to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/words-can-only-have-an-effect-on-you-if-you-choose-to-listen-to-them/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [Treason implies responsibility for something, control over something, influence upon something, knowledge of something. Treason in our time is a proof of genius. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/treason-implies-responsibility-for-something-control-over-something/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [... a fellow can't predict what he will pick up in the form of influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-fellow-can-t-predict-what-he-will-pick-up-in-the-form-of-influence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [We believe a scientist because he can substantiate his remarks, not because he is eloquent and forcible in his enunciation. In fact, we distrust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-a-richards/we-believe-a-scientist-because-he-can-substantiate-his-remarks-not/) [I. A. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-a-richards/) > [It seemed to me that the human beings I met reacted pretty much the same to the same stimuli. Different idioms,yes. Circumstances and conditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/it-seemed-to-me-that-the-human-beings-i-met-reacted-pretty-much-the/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [Every man is a missionary, now and forever, for good or for evil, whether he intends or designs it or not. He may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/every-man-is-a-missionary-now-and-forever-for-good-or-for-evil/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [My influences are jazz, blues, European classical music; they are rock music and pop music. So many kinds of music. World music from different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rokia-traore/my-influences-are-jazz-blues-european-classical-music-they-are-rock/) [Rokia Traore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rokia-traore/) > [Influences come from everywhere. 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