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There are lies, damned lies and statistics.
Mark Twain
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote emphasizes the manipulation of information and how statistics can be skewed to mislead people.

Mark Twain's quote highlights the dangerous potential of statistics to deceive. While numbers and statistics are often seen as objective truths, they can be selectively presented or interpreted in such a way that distorts reality. Twain suggests that not only can lies exist, but the misleading nature of statistics can be even more pervasive, ultimately influencing opinions and decisions based on false premises.

Themes

LiesStatisticsDeceptionTruthMisleading

In practice

Example use cases

In a debate about data manipulation, one might quote Twain to illustrate their point.

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Quote by Mark Twain | QuoteProject