To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
Aldous HuxleyRead
Facts are ventriloquist’s dummies. Sitting on a wise man’s knee they may be made to utter words of wisdom; elsewhere, they say nothing, or talk nonsense, or indulge in sheer diabolism.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Facts can be manipulated to convey wisdom when guided by a knowledgeable person, but without context, they may lead to misunderstandings.
This quote by Aldous Huxley emphasizes the idea that facts alone are meaningless without the insight and wisdom of a knowledgeable person to interpret them. Just like ventriloquist's dummies which can speak only when controlled, facts need interpretation; in the wrong hands, they may lead to confusion or misrepresentation.
Themes
FactsWisdomInterpretationKnowledgeUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about climate change, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of knowledgeable interpretation of scientific facts.
More from Aldous Huxley
All quotes →Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
Aldous HuxleyRead
In the course of history many more people have died for their drink and their dope than have died for their religion or their country.
Aldous HuxleyRead
On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.
Aldous HuxleyRead
No man ever dared to manifest his boredom so insolently as does a Siamese tomcat when he yawns in the face of his amorously importunate wife.
Aldous HuxleyRead
The leech's kiss, the squid's embrace, The prurient ape's defiling touch: And do you like the human race? No, not much.
Aldous HuxleyRead
Similar quotes
Many shots are spoiled at the last instant by efforts to add a few more yards.
Bobby JonesRead
You can't talk your way out of something you behaved your way into. You have to behave your way out of it.
Douglas ConantRead
He that lies with the dogs, riseth with fleas.
George HerbertRead
The awareness is not part of the darkness or the pain; it holds the pain, and knows it, so it has to be more fundamental, and closer to what is healthy and strong and golden within you.
Jon Kabat-ZinnRead
How many times must a man look up Before he can see the sky? Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have Before he can hear people cry? Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows That too many people have died? The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind, The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Bob DylanRead
It has been well said that no man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is, when tomorrow's burden is added to the burden of today, that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourselves so, my friends. If you find yourselves so loaded, at least remember this: it is your own doing, not God's. He begs you to leave the future to Him, and mind the present.
George MacdonaldRead