--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most of us cluster somewhere in the…" description: "\"Most of us cluster somewhere in the middle of most statistical distributions. But there are lots of bell curves, and pretty much everyone is on a tail ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/virginia-postrel-2867_beliefs_most-of-us-cluster-somewhere-in-the-midd_857226.jpg" --- # Most of us cluster somewhere in the middle of most… ![“Most of us cluster somewhere in the middle of most statistical distributions. But there are lots of bell curves, and pretty much everyone is on a tail of at least one of them. We may collect strange memorabilia or read esoteric books, hold unusual religious beliefs or wear odd-sized shoes, suffer…” quote by Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/virginia-postrel-2867_beliefs_most-of-us-cluster-somewhere-in-the-midd_857226.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/virginia-postrel-2867_beliefs_most-of-us-cluster-somewhere-in-the-midd_857226.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/virginia-postrel-2867_beliefs_most-of-us-cluster-somewhere-in-the-midd_857226.jpg) > “Most of us cluster somewhere in the middle of most statistical distributions. But there are lots of bell curves, and pretty much everyone is on a tail of at least one of them. We may collect strange memorabilia or read esoteric books, hold unusual religious beliefs or wear odd-sized shoes, suffer rare diseases or enjoy obscure movies.” [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Most people fit somewhere in statistical distributions, but many occupy outlier positions in various domains. **In simple terms:** Everyone is an outlier somewhere. Key Takeaway Recognize diverse uniqueness. Themes diversity statistics individuality Mood analytical reflective Type observational educational When to use this quote - career choices - hobbies - health conditions - media preferences Key Concepts probability theory social variation Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing outliers change your view of normalcy? - What benefits arise from embracing statistical diversity? A Different Perspective Focusing on outliers can marginalize the majority. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beliefs/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cluster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cluster/) [Esoteric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esoteric/) [Movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movies/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-beliefs/) ## Related quotes > [But the indeterminate future is somehow one in which probability and statistics are the dominant modality for making sense of the world. Bell curves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/but-the-indeterminate-future-is-somehow-one-in-which-probability-and/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [I used to wear odd socks and throw anything together I could find. I just looked a scruff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ramsdale/i-used-to-wear-odd-socks-and-throw-anything-together-i-could-find-i/) [Aaron Ramsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ramsdale/) > [Well oh gosh I'm not posh, me, I wear odd socks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-sovereign/well-oh-gosh-i-m-not-posh-me-i-wear-odd-socks/) [Lady Sovereign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-sovereign/) > [Nations have succeeded before in banning classes of weapons - chemical, biological and cluster munitions; landmines; blinding lasers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-malinowski/nations-have-succeeded-before-in-banning-classes-of-weapons-chemical/) [Tom Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-malinowski/) > [“If you use one of the multi-core Node.js modules, such as cluster, you should create a separate Couchbase connection object for each thread.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ostrovsky/if-you-use-one-of-the-multi-core-node-js-modules-such-as-cluster-you/) David Ostrovsky > [“a cluster fornication”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chef-instructor-richard-cox/a-cluster-fornication/) Chef instructor Richard Cox > [You don't want your family to be another cluster of COVID-19.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-swan/you-don-t-want-your-family-to-be-another-cluster-of-covid-19/) [Norman Swan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-swan/) > [“Don’t cluster too much plans to do within a relatively minimum time. As beginner, you must not cut your coat according to your elder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/don-t-cluster-too-much-plans-to-do-within-a-relatively-minimum-time/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [What makes San Francisco work is that high-value people like to live there and cluster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-coulter/what-makes-san-francisco-work-is-that-high-value-people-like-to-live/) James Coulter > [People in a cluster are bound to each other automatically, and can see each other automatically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-michael-straczynski/people-in-a-cluster-are-bound-to-each-other-automatically-and-can-see/) [J. Michael Straczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-michael-straczynski/) > [I think that a lot of things are hard to read if you're not in the vocabulary flow of that particular discourse. I sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-vendler/i-think-that-a-lot-of-things-are-hard-to-read-if-you-re-not-in-the/) [Helen Vendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-vendler/) > [Democrats cluster in cities, and Republicans don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/democrats-cluster-in-cities-and-republicans-don-t/) [James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/) > [Watching a whole cluster of friends, and my own mother, die over quite a short space of time convinced me that purely materialist 'explanations'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/watching-a-whole-cluster-of-friends-and-my-own-mother-die-over-quite/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [In England, if one wicket falls, you get two or three in a cluster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravindra-jadeja/in-england-if-one-wicket-falls-you-get-two-or-three-in-a-cluster/) [Ravindra Jadeja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravindra-jadeja/) > [“I contemplated how I was going to get through the rest of the day and felt the onset of a terror I thought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/i-contemplated-how-i-was-going-to-get-through-the-rest-of-the-day-and/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) ## More by Virginia Postrel > [The low point for neon came in 1982, when Holiday Inn did away with its signature 'Great Sign,' replacing the neon extravaganza with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-low-point-for-neon-came-in-1982-when-holiday-inn-did-away-with/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > ['The Matrix' is a movie that is all about glamour. I could do a whole talk on 'The Matrix' and glamour. It was criticized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-matrix-is-a-movie-that-is-all-about-glamour-i-could-do-a-whole/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Science is about exploring the unknown and cannot offer guarantees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/science-is-about-exploring-the-unknown-and-cannot-offer-guarantees/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [“Design is not style. It’s not about giving shape to the shell and not giving a damn about the guts. Good design is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/design-is-not-style-it-s-not-about-giving-shape-to-the-shell-and-not/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Persuasion has become a kind of force. The more the advertiser knows about what consumers want, and the more desires the product and packaging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/persuasion-has-become-a-kind-of-force-the-more-the-advertiser-knows/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [When credit is cheaper to use and easier to arrange, people do use more of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-credit-is-cheaper-to-use-and-easier-to-arrange-people-do-use/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Glamour is a beautiful illusion - the word 'glamour' originally meant a literal magic spell - that promises to transcend ordinary life and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/glamour-is-a-beautiful-illusion-the-word-glamour-originally-meant-a/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [A standard 'well woman' checkup can last as little as 10 minutes, hardly time for any in-depth discussions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/a-standard-well-woman-checkup-can-last-as-little-as-10-minutes-hardly/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [When I was in college, I wanted to be editor of 'Reason' when I grew up. It was an impractical ambition, especially since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-i-was-in-college-i-wanted-to-be-editor-of-reason-when-i-grew-up/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [A lot of consumers actively enjoy advertising, especially fashion print ads and clever TV commercials. The nostalgic cable channel TVLand features not only vintage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/a-lot-of-consumers-actively-enjoy-advertising-especially-fashion/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [“Functionality still matters, of course. But competition has pushed quality so high and prices so low that many manufacturers can no longer distinguish themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/functionality-still-matters-of-course-but-competition-has-pushed/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Like the skyscraper, the automobile, and the motion-picture palace, neon signs once symbolized popular hopes for a new era of technological achievement and commercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/like-the-skyscraper-the-automobile-and-the-motion-picture-palace-neon/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [When 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' premiered on the WB Network in 1996, American culture was in trouble. Americans were bowling alone, pursuing individual interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-premiered-on-the-wb-network-in-1996/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [The glamour of air travel - its aspirational meaning in the public imagination - disappeared before its luxury did, dissipating as flying gradually became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-glamour-of-air-travel-its-aspirational-meaning-in-the-public/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Behind the criticism of fashion as an artistic medium is a highly ideological prejudice: against markets, against consumers, against the dynamism of Western commercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/behind-the-criticism-of-fashion-as-an-artistic-medium-is-a-highly/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) [Explore all 147 Virginia Postrel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) ## More Beliefs quotes > [People always wonder when the world is going to end. I believe that the world will end when everyone stops loving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-fickes/people-always-wonder-when-the-world-is-going-to-end-i-believe-that/) [Nichole Fickes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole-fickes/) > [“Your life is your statement to the world representing your values, your beliefs, your dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-arenson/your-life-is-your-statement-to-the-world-representing-your-values/) David Arenson > [Our beliefs are like the unquestioned commands, telling us how things are, what's possible and what's impossible, what we can and can not do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/our-beliefs-are-like-the-unquestioned-commands-telling-us-how-things/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“Update your belief! If necessary, throw it to the bin! Don’t exaggerate your belief! Remember that your belief is not that much important; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/update-your-belief-if-necessary-throw-it-to-the-bin-don-t-exaggerate/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I do believe in love at first sight. I believe in a lot of thing. I truly believe everything happens for a reason, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-do-believe-in-love-at-first-sight-i-believe-in-a-lot-of-thing-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My parents were, had a marriage of passion, and the passion was about their religious beliefs. They were both immigrant families that - well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-jackson/my-parents-were-had-a-marriage-of-passion-and-the-passion-was-about/) [Phil Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-jackson/) > [I believe in my Mormon faith, and I endeavor to live by it. My faith is the faith of my fathers - I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-believe-in-my-mormon-faith-and-i-endeavor-to-live-by-it-my-faith-is/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [The first principle of cognitive therapy is that all your moods are created by your 'cognitions,' or thoughts. A cognition refers to the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/the-first-principle-of-cognitive-therapy-is-that-all-your-moods-are/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [“What is held real is based upon personal beliefs that drive perception.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/what-is-held-real-is-based-upon-personal-beliefs-that-drive-perception/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [I want everybody to worship the God of love instead of worshipping the God of hate and torture. But in the meantime, we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mosab-hassan-yousef/i-want-everybody-to-worship-the-god-of-love-instead-of-worshipping/) [Mosab Hassan Yousef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mosab-hassan-yousef/) > [“As you travel along the roads in life, there is a certain kind of peace that comes with knowing you're on the right path.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amaka-nkosazana/as-you-travel-along-the-roads-in-life-there-is-a-certain-kind-of/) [Amaka Nkosazana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amaka-nkosazana/) > [“My belief is the belief of no beliefs. That's my belief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-scott-mcleod/my-belief-is-the-belief-of-no-beliefs-that-s-my-belief/) [T. Scott McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-scott-mcleod/) > [Beliefs and values that have held sway for thousands of years will be questioned as never before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-p-christ/beliefs-and-values-that-have-held-sway-for-thousands-of-years-will-be/) [Carol P. Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-p-christ/) > [There is no power shortage in heaven, and God is never in a recession. But His grace is sufficient to meet every need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/there-is-no-power-shortage-in-heaven-and-god-is-never-in-a-recession/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“Your beliefs, and your beliefs alone, belong to you. You are the only one who is with you for your entire life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ruiz-jr/your-beliefs-and-your-beliefs-alone-belong-to-you-you-are-the-only/) [Miguel Ruiz Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ruiz-jr/) [Browse all 1,331 Beliefs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beliefs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most of us cluster somewhere in the middle of most statistical distributions. But there are lots of bell curves, and pretty much everyone is on a tail of at least one of them. 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