34 Quotes by Charles Wheelan

Longitudinal data sets are the research equivalent of a Ferrari. Not surprisingly, we can't always have the Ferrari. The research equivalent of a Toyota is a cross-sectional data set.

Data are to statistics what a good offensive is to a star quarterback.

Statistics cannot be any smarter than the people who use them. And in some cases, they can make smart people do dumb things.

Statistical malfeasance has very little to do with bad math. Judgement an integrity turn out to be surprisingly important. A detailed knowledge of statistics does not deter wrongdoing any more than a detailed knowledge of the law averts criminal behavior.

Descriptive statistics can be like online dating profiles: technically accurate and yet pretty darn misleading.

The beauty of the normal distribution - its Michael Jordan power, finesse, and elegance - comes from the fact that we know by definition exactly what proportion of the observations in a normal distribution lie within one standard deviation of the mean (68.2 percent), within two standard deviations of the mean (95.4 percent), within three standard deviations of the mean (99.7 percent), and so on.

How much does it cost to treat leprosy? One $3 dose of antibiotic will cure a mild case; a $20 regimen of three antibiotics will cure a more severe case. The World Health Organization even provides the drugs free,but India‘s health care infrastructure is not good enough to identify the afflicted and get them themedicine they need.So, more than 100,000 people in India are horribly disfigured by a disease that costs $3 to cure.That is what it means to have a per capita GDP of $2,900.

Why did the entrepreneur cross the road? Because he could make more money on the other side.

It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s hard to tell the truth without them.