Quotes from Probability Theory: The Logic of Science

“A paradox is simply an error out of control; i.e. one that has trapped so many unwary minds that it has gone public, become institutionalized in our literature, and taught as truth.”
― E.T. Jaynes, quote from Probability Theory: The Logic of Science

“if fallacious reasoning always led to absurd conclusions, it would be found out at once and corrected. But once an easy, shortcut mode of reasoning has led to a few correct results, almost everybody accepts it; those who try to warn against it are not listened to.”
― E.T. Jaynes, quote from Probability Theory: The Logic of Science

“something which is absurd or logically contradictory, but which appears at first glance to be the result of sound reasoning.”
― E.T. Jaynes, quote from Probability Theory: The Logic of Science

“Not only in probability theory, but in all mathematics, it is the careless use of infinite sets, and of infinite and infinitesimal quantities, that generates most paradoxes.”
― E.T. Jaynes, quote from Probability Theory: The Logic of Science

“passage to a limit should always be the last operation, not the first.”
― E.T. Jaynes, quote from Probability Theory: The Logic of Science

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Popular quotes

“What a messed up world I’d stumbled into, where friends were betrayers and the enemy was the one who was sorry. Where friends lied and the enemy told the truth.”
― Teyla Branton, quote from The Change

“-... dime: ¿qué otra cosa podemos hacer?
— Abandonar.
— ¿Y volver a la ciudad? —inquirió Gacel en tono despectivo —. ¿O volver a vagabundear como leprosos? Nadie nos quiere en ninguna parte, pequeña. Nadie quiere saber nada de la familia Sayah, y no podemos obligar a la gente a que nos acepte. Pero sí podemos obligar al desierto a que nos acepte, aunque sea profundizando en él hasta que lleguemos a su mismísimo corazón.
— ¿Pero y si no llegamos nunca?
— Llegaremos — replicó su hermano mayor con absoluta firmeza —. Si las palmeras han conseguido llegar, nosotros también.
—¿Cómo puedes estar tan seguro?
—Porque el día que un imohag no sea capaz de hacer lo que es capaz de hacer una palmera, nuestra raza estará condenada a desaparecer de la faz de la tierra. Y aún no ha llegado ese momento.
— Pero una palmera tiene raíces y nosotros no.
— Las raíces de nuestro pueblo son más profundas y están más firmemente asentadas en esta tierra que las de la más alta de las palmeras — intervino su madre con voz pausada...”
― Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa, quote from Tuareg

“How to find a good spouse?
-the best single way is to deserve a good spouse.”
― Charles T. Munger, quote from Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger

“my dormitory had been waiting to have its septic system replaced since before the Berlin Wall fell.”
― Stuart Gibbs, quote from Spy Ski School

“I know this disbelief I feel, the disbelief on the others’ faces, is a survival mechanism. You draw a line in the sand and say you won’t cross it, you won’t believe or do a particular thing. But once you’ve grown accustomed to the unbelievable, or you’ve done what you’ve sworn you’d never do, you redraw the line a little farther back. You let the waves wash the first away like it never existed.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, quote from Mordacious

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About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.