“The actual quote attributed to Russell is, "Everything is vague to a degree you do not realise till you have tried to make it precise."”

“We speak of people "taking refuge" in vagueness — the more precise you are, in general the more likely you are to be wrong, whereas you stand a good chance of not being wrong if you make it vague enough.”

J. L. Austin (1911–1960) English philosopher

“You don't want to be rude but you have to be careful - there are a lot of strange people out there.


(Goldman attributes this quote to Cliff Robertson.)”

William Goldman (1931–2018) American novelist, screenwriter and playwright

“Matt Morgan: [To Russell] How have you developed pectoral muscles when you barely do anything for yourself?”

Russell Brand (1975) British comedian, actor, and author

“You have to have an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea.”

Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer

“You do realise, doctor, that you have killed her?”

John Bodkin Adams (1899–1983) general practitionar, fraudster and suspected serial killer

“I do not pretend to start with precise questions. I do not think you can start with anything precise. You have to achieve such precision as you can, as you go along.”

Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) logician, one of the first analytic philosophers and political activist

“It is not possible to find a landscape, which if painted precisely as it is, will not make an impressive picture. No one knows, till he has tried, what strange beauty and subtle composition is prepared to his hand by Nature.”

John Ruskin book Modern Painters

“I tried to find out what had happened to you. I Googled you in quotes- got no results.”

Pete Yorn (1974) American musician

“When do these three days expire?"
"That's what pisses me off. I don't know. He was annoyingly vague."
"The nerve. Threatening you and not being precise about it.”

Karen Marie Moning (1964) author