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Anecdotal Quotes

Weighing stories against real evidence

These Anecdotal quotes question how much personal Accounts and informal surveys should shape what we assume to be true, from claims about marriage happiness to political predictions.

My prediction for the 2016 race was based on a variety of observational and anecdotal evidence. I listened to Democrats, Republicans and independents across the U.S. I talked to people who consider themselves apolitical.

Quotes by Sharyl Attkisson

There is a cliche that probably has some anecdotal evidence on the side that comedians are very depressed people, but that's because no one is ever going to seem as funny in a normal conversation as compared to when they're...

Quotes by Robert Klein

I've done an informal, anecdotal survey about marriage, and I've found no evidence that it brings happiness.

Quotes by Mary McCormack

Google is one of the most incredible breakthroughs that we have today. Yes, it can scare a lot of patients, thinking we're all dying because we look up something on Google. But there's also a lot of anecdotal information from...

Quotes by Jenny McCarthy

About Quotes

This whole notion that all African-Americans are not going to vote for Obama is not necessarily true. I believe a third would vote for me, based on my own anecdotal feedback. Not vote for me because I'm black but because...

Quotes by Herman Cain

I, made in England, felt excluded, miffed, resistant to the idea of even visiting India, a position of increasing absurdity as, one by one, backpacking friends returned from the place with the standard anecdotal combo of nirvanic epiphany and toilet...

Quotes by Glen Duncan

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the marriage-related quote say about anecdotal evidence?
One speaker mentions doing a casual, unscientific survey about marriage and says it turned up no evidence that marriage actually brings happiness, framing the whole exercise as informal rather than rigorous.
How is anecdotal evidence used to discuss a political prediction?
One quote says a 2016 race prediction was based on a mix of observational and anecdotal evidence, gathered by talking to Democrats, Republicans and independents across the country rather than formal polling.
Does one quote connect anecdotal evidence to searching symptoms online?
Yes, it says search engines can scare patients into thinking they're seriously ill just from a quick lookup, while also noting there's plenty of loosely anecdotal information mixed in with the useful About real medical facts.
What claim about comedians does the last quote make?
It repeats a cliche with some anecdotal support that comedians tend to be very depressed people, explaining this partly by how hard it is for them to seem funny outside a comedic, staged conversation.
Do these quotes trust or distrust anecdotal evidence overall?
They lean skeptical, repeatedly noting when evidence is anecdotal rather than proven, even while still using personal Accounts to make their points.

Even light-hearted worries, like search engines making patients think they're dying, get filed here as evidence we shouldn't fully Believe without more than one story.