Data, I think, is one of the most powerful mechanisms for telling stories. I take a huge pile of data and I try to get it to tell stories.
Steven LevittRead
If you own a gun and have a swimming pool in the yard, the swimming pool is almost 100 times more likely to kill a child than the gun is.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the surprising risks associated with everyday items compared to commonly feared ones.
Steven Levitt's quote emphasizes that in our perception of danger, we often overlook the real risks posed by common household items, such as swimming pools, when compared to firearms. It encourages us to reassess our understanding of safety and danger by revealing that what we commonly fear may not be as dangerous as we believe, while mundane objects can possess much greater risks.
Themes
RiskSafetyPerceptionFearChild Safety
In practice
Example use cases
In a public health discussion about child safety, this quote can illustrate the need for better awareness regarding common risks.
More from Steven Levitt
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And knowing what happens on average is a good place to start. By so doing, we insulate ourselves from the tendency to build our thinking - our daily decisions, our laws, our governance - on exceptions and anomalies rather than on reality
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Go out and collect data and, instead of having the answer, just look at the data and see if the data tells you anything. When we're allowed to do this with companies, it's almost magical.
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