--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A poison can hardly be called safe if for…" description: "\"A poison can hardly be called safe if for some reason specific to me it's ineffective against, say, my body. But the power of story on the human mind i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/zia-haider-rahman-16075_human-mind_a-poison-can-hardly-be-called-safe-if-fo_1344494.jpg" --- # A poison can hardly be called safe if for some reason… ![“A poison can hardly be called safe if for some reason specific to me it's ineffective against, say, my body. But the power of story on the human mind is such that anecdote is often more persuasive than numbers. That's why news stories often concretize the impact of a change in government policy by…” quote by Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/zia-haider-rahman-16075_human-mind_a-poison-can-hardly-be-called-safe-if-fo_1344494.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/zia-haider-rahman-16075_human-mind_a-poison-can-hardly-be-called-safe-if-fo_1344494.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/zia-haider-rahman-16075_human-mind_a-poison-can-hardly-be-called-safe-if-fo_1344494.jpg) > “A poison can hardly be called safe if for some reason specific to me it's ineffective against, say, my body. But the power of story on the human mind is such that anecdote is often more persuasive than numbers. That's why news stories often concretize the impact of a change in government policy by following the story of one person.” [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anecdotes outweigh statistics in persuasion, especially when personal stories make abstract policies tangible. **In simple terms:** Stories persuade better than numbers. Key Takeaway Balance data with human stories. Themes communication policy storytelling psychology Mood analytical critical Type journalistic persuasive When to use this quote - political speeches - news articles - health campaigns - educational material Key Concepts narrative bias emotional appeal Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure stories complement data? - When does a story become propaganda? A Different Perspective Overreliance on anecdotes can mislead. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anecdote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdote/) [Anecdote Persuasive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdote-persuasive-4552188/) [Human mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-mind/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Persuasive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuasive/) [Poison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison/) [Poison Hardly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison-hardly-4552189/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Safe Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-reason-4552190/) ## Related quotes > [Art to me is an anecdote of the spirit,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/art-to-me-is-an-anecdote-of-the-spirit/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) > [“After all, this was the place where I’d had my first meaningful conversation with a female, it was the site of a football’s first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weston-locher/after-all-this-was-the-place-where-i-d-had-my-first-meaningful/) [Weston Locher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weston-locher/) > [The plural of anecdote is not data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bekoff/the-plural-of-anecdote-is-not-data/) [Marc Bekoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bekoff/) > [“I was fired ignominiously from the Junior School Choir for being so off tune that the choir mistress declared she couldn't even bear to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-was-fired-ignominiously-from-the-junior-school-choir-for-being-so/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“In the middle section of the book Mirabelle breaks into not one, but two houses near Belgravia Books. I had fun scoping these out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/in-the-middle-section-of-the-book-mirabelle-breaks-into-not-one-but/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Sometimes ... the short short appears to rest on nothing more than a fragile anecdote which the writer has managed to drape with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/sometimes-the-short-short-appears-to-rest-on-nothing-more-than-a/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [“She wondered if she was in the midst of an anecdote that, for reasons of proximity, she was not yet able to perceive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/she-wondered-if-she-was-in-the-midst-of-an-anecdote-that-for-reasons/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [“The usual short story cannot have a complex plot, but it often has a simple one resembling a chain with two or three links.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/the-usual-short-story-cannot-have-a-complex-plot-but-it-often-has-a/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [An anecdote is related of Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper (1621-1683), who, in speaking of religion, said, "People differ in their discourse and profession about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-burnet/an-anecdote-is-related-of-sir-anthony-ashley-cooper-1621-1683-who-in/) [Gilbert Burnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-burnet/) > [Somewhere, there, is an analogy, in a small way, if you have the patience for it. But I guess it isn't a very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/somewhere-there-is-an-analogy-in-a-small-way-if-you-have-the-patience/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Meanwhile with the help of an anecdote I fell in love. Words caravaggio. They have a power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/meanwhile-with-the-help-of-an-anecdote-i-fell-in-love-words/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [ “\[The cats\] scamper in front of my legs, causing me to fall and face plant into whatever furniture is closest. They especially like to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weston-locher/the-cats-scamper-in-front-of-my-legs-causing-me-to-fall-and-face/) [Weston Locher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weston-locher/) > [Sometimes I get the start of a story from a memory, an anecdote, but that gets lost and is usually unrecognizable in the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/sometimes-i-get-the-start-of-a-story-from-a-memory-an-anecdote-but/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [Art isn't anecdote. It's the consciousness we bring to bear in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/art-isn-t-anecdote-it-s-the-consciousness-we-bring-to-bear-in-our/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [I have one anecdote about the FBI breaking into an embassy in Washington, and under Hoover, they had this sort of ruse whereby they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/i-have-one-anecdote-about-the-fbi-breaking-into-an-embassy-in/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) ## More by Zia Haider Rahman > [“My point is that you could think of the people you meet in your life as questions, there to help you figure out who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/my-point-is-that-you-could-think-of-the-people-you-meet-in-your-life/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [I had an indefatigable curiosity about everything. But why should my fate have depended upon that? Why does the curiosity of a child born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/i-had-an-indefatigable-curiosity-about-everything-but-why-should-my/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [“As I reached the highest step, I turned. Spread along the platform was a mass of bobbing black hair like a long wave of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/as-i-reached-the-highest-step-i-turned-spread-along-the-platform-was/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [News has a way of distancing us from events, even as it informs us about them. News articles almost always present both the event…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/news-has-a-way-of-distancing-us-from-events-even-as-it-informs-us/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [My parents were entirely unpredictable and what they said very unreliable, which meant I became very attuned to the range of other signals human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/my-parents-were-entirely-unpredictable-and-what-they-said-very/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [Until I reached my late teens, there was not enough money for luxuries - a holiday, a car, or a computer. I learned how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/until-i-reached-my-late-teens-there-was-not-enough-money-for-luxuries/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [Experience belongs to the actor, but the story belongs to the teller. We write so we will never forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/experience-belongs-to-the-actor-but-the-story-belongs-to-the-teller/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [My own disposition is to trust the reader. Of course, there's a line between trusting the reader and expecting her to read your mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/my-own-disposition-is-to-trust-the-reader-of-course-there-s-a-line/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [The difference does not lie in the things that news does that novels do not do, but in the things that novels do that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/the-difference-does-not-lie-in-the-things-that-news-does-that-novels/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [The mathematics is the odd one, odd because I'm not sure how to measure its effect. It is so fundamental to my outlook on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/the-mathematics-is-the-odd-one-odd-because-i-m-not-sure-how-to/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [Novels need readers of a certain kind, people who are patient and enjoy immersing themselves in another perspective for uninterrupted stretches of time. Reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/novels-need-readers-of-a-certain-kind-people-who-are-patient-and/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [The mathematical tilt remains basic to my epistemological perspective, my howling plea in the still of night for epistemic humility. Mathematics gave me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/the-mathematical-tilt-remains-basic-to-my-epistemological-perspective/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [I don't want you to think that I'm being willfully obtuse, but I've never really grasped how point of view could be regarded as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/i-don-t-want-you-to-think-that-i-m-being-willfully-obtuse-but-i-ve/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [The twentieth century saw a professionalization of fiction writing, particularly in its second half and particularly in the Anglo-Saxon world - not so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/the-twentieth-century-saw-a-professionalization-of-fiction-writing/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [Of course, an English aristocrat might have some contact with the staff downstairs and could adequately say a thing or two about inter-class dramas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/of-course-an-english-aristocrat-might-have-some-contact-with-the/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) [Explore all 41 Zia Haider Rahman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) ## More Anecdote quotes > [Art to me is an anecdote of the spirit,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/art-to-me-is-an-anecdote-of-the-spirit/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) > [Art isn't anecdote. It's the consciousness we bring to bear in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/art-isn-t-anecdote-it-s-the-consciousness-we-bring-to-bear-in-our/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Sometimes I get the start of a story from a memory, an anecdote, but that gets lost and is usually unrecognizable in the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/sometimes-i-get-the-start-of-a-story-from-a-memory-an-anecdote-but/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [ “\[The cats\] scamper in front of my legs, causing me to fall and face plant into whatever furniture is closest. They especially like to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weston-locher/the-cats-scamper-in-front-of-my-legs-causing-me-to-fall-and-face/) [Weston Locher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weston-locher/) > [Meanwhile with the help of an anecdote I fell in love. Words caravaggio. They have a power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/meanwhile-with-the-help-of-an-anecdote-i-fell-in-love-words/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [Somewhere, there, is an analogy, in a small way, if you have the patience for it. But I guess it isn't a very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/somewhere-there-is-an-analogy-in-a-small-way-if-you-have-the-patience/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [An anecdote is related of Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper (1621-1683), who, in speaking of religion, said, "People differ in their discourse and profession about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-burnet/an-anecdote-is-related-of-sir-anthony-ashley-cooper-1621-1683-who-in/) [Gilbert Burnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-burnet/) > [“The usual short story cannot have a complex plot, but it often has a simple one resembling a chain with two or three links.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/the-usual-short-story-cannot-have-a-complex-plot-but-it-often-has-a/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [“She wondered if she was in the midst of an anecdote that, for reasons of proximity, she was not yet able to perceive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/she-wondered-if-she-was-in-the-midst-of-an-anecdote-that-for-reasons/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [Sometimes ... the short short appears to rest on nothing more than a fragile anecdote which the writer has managed to drape with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/sometimes-the-short-short-appears-to-rest-on-nothing-more-than-a/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [“In the middle section of the book Mirabelle breaks into not one, but two houses near Belgravia Books. I had fun scoping these out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/in-the-middle-section-of-the-book-mirabelle-breaks-into-not-one-but/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“I was fired ignominiously from the Junior School Choir for being so off tune that the choir mistress declared she couldn't even bear to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-was-fired-ignominiously-from-the-junior-school-choir-for-being-so/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [The plural of anecdote is not data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bekoff/the-plural-of-anecdote-is-not-data/) [Marc Bekoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bekoff/) > [“After all, this was the place where I’d had my first meaningful conversation with a female, it was the site of a football’s first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weston-locher/after-all-this-was-the-place-where-i-d-had-my-first-meaningful/) [Weston Locher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weston-locher/) > [I have one anecdote about the FBI breaking into an embassy in Washington, and under Hoover, they had this sort of ruse whereby they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/i-have-one-anecdote-about-the-fbi-breaking-into-an-embassy-in/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) [Browse all 54 Anecdote quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdote/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A poison can hardly be called safe if for some reason specific to me it's ineffective against, say, my body. 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