--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes you can have too much…" description: "\"Sometimes you can have too much information. You keep gathering information and never bother to find out what the real answer is.\" — Shannon Walker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/shannon-walker-11423_data_sometimes-you-can-have-too-much-informat_2628100.jpg" --- # Sometimes you can have too much information. You keep… ![“Sometimes you can have too much information. You keep gathering information and never bother to find out what the real answer is.” quote by Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/shannon-walker-11423_data_sometimes-you-can-have-too-much-informat_2628100.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/shannon-walker-11423_data_sometimes-you-can-have-too-much-informat_2628100.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/shannon-walker-11423_data_sometimes-you-can-have-too-much-informat_2628100.jpg) > “Sometimes you can have too much information. You keep gathering information and never bother to find out what the real answer is.” [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Information overload can paralyze decision‑making, leading to endless data collection without reaching conclusions. **In simple terms:** Too much data can stop you from finding answers. Key Takeaway Limit data gathering, focus on key questions. Themes information overload decision making focus Mood overwhelmed reflective Type advisory cautionary When to use this quote - research projects - personal decisions - business strategy - news consumption - academic study Key Concepts cognitive bias analysis paralysis Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide when you have enough information? - What criteria help you filter irrelevant data? A Different Perspective Excessive data can cause analysis paralysis and missed opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bother Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bother-real-2166419/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Find](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/find/) [Gathering information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gathering-information-70419/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Information Bother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-bother-2166417/) [Information Gathering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-gathering-2166418/) [Keep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keep/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Too much information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much-information/) ## Related quotes > [Knowledge created a new culture of business derived from the information gathering and analysis capabilities of first the mainframe and then the PC.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-sinofsky/knowledge-created-a-new-culture-of-business-derived-from-the/) [Steven Sinofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-sinofsky/) > [It's ironic that this amazing invention of the Internet has made information gathering easier available than ever, but that this platform also helps spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-i-am/it-s-ironic-that-this-amazing-invention-of-the-internet-has-made/) [will.i.am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-i-am/) > [Young people live in a society in which every institution becomes an "inspection regime" - recording, watching, gathering information and storing data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/young-people-live-in-a-society-in-which-every-institution-becomes-an/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [Don't let a single comic moment pass you by; then help the audience get the laughs. Give them permission to laugh by holding for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carver/don-t-let-a-single-comic-moment-pass-you-by-then-help-the-audience/) [James Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carver/) > [What do we tell our children? Haste makes waste. Look before you leap. Stop and think. Don't judge a book by its cover. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/what-do-we-tell-our-children-haste-makes-waste-look-before-you-leap/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [At Baupost, we constantly ask: 'What should we work on today?' We keep calling and talking. We keep gathering information. You never have perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/at-baupost-we-constantly-ask-what-should-we-work-on-today-we-keep/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [It's only gossip if you repeat it. Until then, it's gathering information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-lackey/it-s-only-gossip-if-you-repeat-it-until-then-it-s-gathering/) [Mercedes Lackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-lackey/) > [ It's a fascinating time, I think. I do believe that with all the qualifications I've said - \[such as\] the uncertain accuracy of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-evans/it-s-a-fascinating-time-i-think-i-do-believe-that-with-all-the/) [Harold Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-evans/) > [I have a true aversion to teaching. The perennial business of a professor of mathematics is only to teach the ABC of his science;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-friedrich-gauss/i-have-a-true-aversion-to-teaching-the-perennial-business-of-a/) [Carl Friedrich Gauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-friedrich-gauss/) > [The normal way of gathering information is through sound: when you hear information that you want to gather, you look in its direction, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/the-normal-way-of-gathering-information-is-through-sound-when-you/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [Sometimes, to stimulate your imagination you have to be careful you don't have too much information. You can Google something, and it's in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dries-van-noten/sometimes-to-stimulate-your-imagination-you-have-to-be-careful-you/) [Dries van Noten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dries-van-noten/) > [TMI? Too Much Information. It”s just easier to say 'TMI'. I used to say 'don't go there', but that's lame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/tmi-too-much-information-it-s-just-easier-to-say-tmi-i-used-to-say/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [I think a lot of films do themselves a disfavor by putting in way too much information, and everyone knows what's gonna happen next,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-olsen/i-think-a-lot-of-films-do-themselves-a-disfavor-by-putting-in-way-too/) [Elizabeth Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-olsen/) > [“Too much information creates the same result as too little:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/too-much-information-creates-the-same-result-as-too-little/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) > [There's no mystery any more. So my instinct is to show very little, because there's much too much information about everyone, everywhere right now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/feist/there-s-no-mystery-any-more-so-my-instinct-is-to-show-very-little/) [Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/feist/) ## More by Shannon Walker > [The Soyuz is probably only slightly smaller than the Dragon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/the-soyuz-is-probably-only-slightly-smaller-than-the-dragon/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [I wanted to become an astronaut because I believe that the exploration of space by humans is extremely important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/i-wanted-to-become-an-astronaut-because-i-believe-that-the/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [Most of my family and friends are very familiar with the human space flight program and with the excitement of becoming an astronaut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/most-of-my-family-and-friends-are-very-familiar-with-the-human-space/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [I don't really have a lot of anxieties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/i-don-t-really-have-a-lot-of-anxieties/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [Houston's a very big town. It's changed a lot over my lifetime, it's quite a bit bigger now than it was when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/houston-s-a-very-big-town-it-s-changed-a-lot-over-my-lifetime-it-s/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [I think one of the ways that we can fight against climate change is keep showing what we're doing to the planet, and we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/i-think-one-of-the-ways-that-we-can-fight-against-climate-change-is/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [One thing I really like about flying is that it is an activity that my mother and I can do together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/one-thing-i-really-like-about-flying-is-that-it-is-an-activity-that/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [When I was in high school we had the first shuttle launch, and it reinvigorated my enthusiasm for the space program. I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/when-i-was-in-high-school-we-had-the-first-shuttle-launch-and-it/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [I'm one who likes to eat regularly, so not being able to eat for eight hours makes me a little cranky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/i-m-one-who-likes-to-eat-regularly-so-not-being-able-to-eat-for-eight/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [I was having a hard time getting interest from future employers because of my physics background. It seemed all anyone wanted was engineers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/i-was-having-a-hard-time-getting-interest-from-future-employers/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [When your flying in a jet aircraft, everything goes much faster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/when-your-flying-in-a-jet-aircraft-everything-goes-much-faster/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [I can talk about casting a ballot from space since I did it last time I was on the space station. They basically send…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/i-can-talk-about-casting-a-ballot-from-space-since-i-did-it-last-time/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [During and after college, I did a lot of biking and bike touring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/during-and-after-college-i-did-a-lot-of-biking-and-bike-touring/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [I studied physics as an undergraduate, and after I graduated from Rice University, I was actually hired at the Johnson Space Center as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/i-studied-physics-as-an-undergraduate-and-after-i-graduated-from-rice/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [To be able to watch our colleagues, our friends come home safely is always an emotional event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/to-be-able-to-watch-our-colleagues-our-friends-come-home-safely-is/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) [Explore all 60 Shannon Walker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) ## 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": "Sometimes you can have too much information. 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