People Use Statistics as a Drunk Uses a Lamppost — For Support Rather Than Illumination

Andrew Lang? A. E. Housman? David Ogilvy? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Too many people use statistics selectively to provide evidence for only one side of a multi-sided contentious topic. The following saying humorously illustrates this propensity: Some individuals use statistics as a drunk man uses lamp-posts — for support rather than for illumination. Do …