“Everything we care about lies somewhere in the middle, where pattern and randomness interlace.”

— James Gleick , book The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood

Source: The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood

Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Do you have more details about the quote "Everything we care about lies somewhere in the middle, where pattern and randomness interlace." by James Gleick?

James Gleick 15

American author, journalist, and biographer 1954

Tony Hillerman book Coyote Waits

Source: Coyote Waits

“There are two sides to every story and the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.”

Paul J. Alessi (1968) Actor / Producer

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/10696117836382928/

“He said it was her fault.
She said it wasn't at all.
But the truth lies somewhere in the middle.”

Kate Bush (1958) British recording artist; singer, songwriter, musician and record producer

Song lyrics, The Sensual World (1989)

“What we call chaos is just patterns we haven’t recognized. What we call random is just patterns we can't decipher.”

Chuck Palahniuk (1962) American novelist, essayist

“We can’t run this experiment a thousand times to see the range of different outcomes. We can only run it once. The human mind has trouble with situations like that. We see patterns where they don’t exist, we find meaning in randomness.”

Neal Stephenson book Seveneves

“YMIR” (pp. 423-424)
Seveneves (2015), Part Two

“Care about the beings you care about in gorgeous and surprising ways. Color outside the lines. Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty. This is your last chance.”

Anne Herbert (writer) (1952) American journalist

"Handy tips on how to behave at the death of the world" in Whole Earth Review (Spring 1995), p. 88 http://archive.is/20120715140307/findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1510/is_n85/ai_16816244
Context: Eschew blandness. Eschew causing others pain. We are all the target so wear bright colors and dance with those you love. Falling in love has always been a bit too much to apply to one person. Falling in love is appropriate for now, to love all these things which are about to leave. The rocks are watching, and the squirrels and the stars and the mlklk tired people in the street. If you love them, let them know, with grace and non-invasive extravagance. Care about the beings you care about in gorgeous and surprising ways. Color outside the lines. Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty. This is your last chance.

“And if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
'Cause this could be the end of everything,
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?”

Lily Allen (1985) English singer, songwriter, actress, and television presenter

This song, Somewhere Only We Know, originated with the group Keane, in 2004, although Allen did a very popular version of it, on a YouTube video in 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mer6X7nOY_o.
Misattributed

“Existence is random. Has no pattern save what we imagine after staring at it for too long. No meaning save what we choose to impose.”

Alan Moore book Watchmen

Source: Watchmen

“It could be any one of a dozen things. Experience has taught me that we much more often see connection where there is only random copresence. Pattern-seeking consciousness, you know. Great plains ape, you know.”

Adam Roberts book Jack Glass: The Story of a Murderer

Part 3, Chapter 8, “The Wrath of Diana” (p. 331).
Jack Glass (2012)

“One day it was lies, lies, lies, real old-school Saigon-style lies about how everything's fine…and then wham, we take Mazar-i-Sharif and it's a toboggan ride to Kabul.”

John Dolan (1955) American journalist

Gary Brecher at exile.ru/authors, 2002

“Everything we care about lies somewhere in the middle, where pattern and randomness interlace.”

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James Gleick 15

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