“How can we measure the effects if we can't even count the dead to the nearest million?”

—  Brian Hayes (scientist)

Source: Group Theory in the Bedroom (2008), Chapter 5, Statistics Of Deadly Quarrels, p. 105

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "How can we measure the effects if we can't even count the dead to the nearest million?" by Brian Hayes (scientist)?
Brian Hayes (scientist) photo
Brian Hayes (scientist) 20
American scientist, columnist and author 1900

Related quotes

“We can't take any credit for our talents. It's how we use them that counts.”

Madeleine L'Engle (1918–2007) American writer

Source: A Wrinkle in Time: With Related Readings

Sukarno photo

“We are often told "Colonialism is dead." Let us not be deceived or even soothed by that. 1 say to you, colonialism is not yet dead. How can we say it is dead, so long as vast areas of Asia and Africa are unfree.”

Sukarno (1901–1970) first President of the Republic of Indonesia

Speech at the Opening of the Bandung Conference

J. R. D. Tata photo

“At the Crossroads. The effective execution of a Plan is what counts and not mere planning on paper; it is not what we put on our plate or even what we eat that provides nourishment and growth, but what we digest.”

J. R. D. Tata (1904–1993) Indian businessman

The Central Advisory Council of Industries, New Delhi, August 13, 1965
Keynote: Excerpts from his speeches and chairman's statements to shareholders

Lawrence Lessig photo

“One thing we know about incentives is you can't incent a dead person. No matter what we do, Hawthorne will not produce any more works, [even if] we can give him all the money in the world.”

Lawrence Lessig (1961) American academic, political activist.

Debate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etMwBOexmJM&t=41m with Jack Valenti at Harvard University Law School's Berkman Center for Internet and Society (1 October 2000)

Jimmy Carter photo

“Spirit is like the wind, in that we can't see it but can see its effects, which are profound.”

Jimmy Carter (1924) American politician, 39th president of the United States (in office from 1977 to 1981)
Rick Riordan photo

“The thing about fate, Magnus: even if we can't change the big picture, our choices can alter the details. That's how we rebel against destiny, how we make our mark. What will you choose to do?”

Rick Riordan book The Sword of Summer

Source: The Sword of Summer

“A wise man once remarked that we can count how many seeds are in the apple, but not how many apples are in the seed.”

Wendy Mass Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Source: Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Albert Einstein photo

“Many of the things you can count, don't count. Many of the things you can't count, really count.”

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity
George W. Bush photo

“Precisely because we have no territorial objectives, our gains are not measured in the losses of others. They are counted in the conflicts we avert, the prosperity we share and the peace we extend.”

George W. Bush (1946) 43rd President of the United States

1990s, A Distinctly American Internationalism (November 1999)
Context: Some have tried to pose a choice between American ideals and American interests — between who we are and how we act. But the choice is false. America, by decision and destiny, promotes political freedom — and gains the most when democracy advances. America believes in free markets and free trade — and benefits most when markets are opened. America is a peaceful power — and gains the greatest dividend from democratic stability. Precisely because we have no territorial objectives, our gains are not measured in the losses of others. They are counted in the conflicts we avert, the prosperity we share and the peace we extend.

Related topics