I've run across some quotes today that tie in with a recent thread of thinking on the idea of "being scientific" and using evidence as the basis of decisions and testing your hypotheses.
A problem without data is complaining; data without action is waste.
via Jamie Flinchbaugh's IndustryyWeek piece, Don't Waste Your Metrics. He doesn't think it is a specific quote, and I couldn't find a match. But that led me to a couple more.
Never theorize before you have data. Invariably, you end up twisting facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.
- Sherlock HolmesWhen you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
- Max Planck
Always check your assumptions, test your ideas, and … THINK.