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The best sentence I read today
Trying stuff is cheaper than deciding whether to try it.
That's in the context of the internet, here is the link and full argument.
Here's the runner-up best sentence(s) for today.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on December 17, 2007 at 03:28 PM in Education | Permalink
Comments
Re, the runner-up sentence, have some sympathy for the political candidate in a fishbowl. Remember the grief John Kerry took because they served some fairly blase Thai food on their campaign bus in 2004 (unfortunately, can't find the link)? Mike Huckabee can't pick an expensive restaurant without it becoming a news-story; he's picking a chain restaurant that will have nutritional information and a 400-calorie meal. We can mourn how sad that is; and perhaps a Huckabee that doesn't care about public perception would make the same ignorant choice; but it doesn't necessarily mean he's a hayseed.
Posted by: Ted at Dec 17, 2007 5:03:10 PM
Corollary:
"If you need to think much about a decision then it probably doesn't matter which way you decided. Both options would have worked out in their own way. Just toss a coin"
I suspect that we take so much time to decide because we feel better if we think we were in control.
Posted by: Ross at Dec 17, 2007 6:51:14 PM
Ross,
So people should toss a coin to decide whether (and who) to marry?
Many decisions have to be thought through, especially if more than mere money is at stake or if your worst-case liability is very high. Not to procrastinate by endlessly rehashing old arguments in favor or against, but just to make sure you haven't missed any gotchas or subtle issues.
Posted by: Anonymous at Dec 17, 2007 7:15:21 PM
You have a point. Looking for hidden pitfalls might be a time consuming but fruitful exercise. Needless, in many day-to-day decisions I've found people spend too much time.
Posted by: Ross at Dec 17, 2007 8:21:41 PM
It does depend on the circumstances. To borrow a turn of phrase, Othello and Hamlet would have been happier men, put in each others' circumstances.
Posted by: Cyrus at Dec 17, 2007 9:32:00 PM
Is it not something like :
"It's easier for us to practise high performance than to know the reason behind it."
from Richard Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull. :)
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