Business Quote by W. Edwards Deming
“He that would run his company on visible figures alone will in time have neither company nor figures.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Out of the Crisis by W. Edwards Deming, 1982
Relying solely on quantitative metrics blinds leaders to qualitative realities, risking loss of both business and its meaning.
In simple terms: Numbers alone can destroy a company.
Key Takeaway
Balance data with insight.
Themes
leadership
metrics
risk
balance
Mood
cautious
analytical
Type
advisory
strategic
When to use this quote
- strategic planning
- performance reviews
- budget meetings
Key Concepts
systems thinking
measurement bias
organizational health
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you integrate qualitative insight into decision making?
- What non‑numeric signs indicate health?
A Different Perspective
Metrics ignore context and human factors.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)