Out of Context: On Statistics (Definitions)

"[...] statistics is the science that, through calculation, leads to an understanding of the characteristics of human societies, and its purpose is the study of masses through the enumeration of the units that compose them." (Armand Julin, "Summary for a Course of Statistics, General and Applied, 1910)

"Science of Statistics is the useful servant but only of great value to those who understand its proper use." (Willford I King, "The Elements of Statistical Method", 1912)

"Statistics are like clay of which you can make a God or a Devil as you please." (Willford I King, "The Elements of Statistical Method", 1912)

"The science of Statistics is the method of judging collective, natural or social phenomenon from the results obtained from the analysis or enumeration or collection of estimates." (Willford I King, "The Elements of Statistical Method", 1912)

"By Statistics we mean aggregate of facts affected to a marked extent by multiplicity of factors [...] and placed in relation to each other." (Horace Secrist, "An Introduction to Statistical Methods", 1917)

"Statistics is a scientific discipline concerned with collection, analysis, and interpretation of data obtained from observation or experiment.” (Egon Pearson, 1936)

"Statistics is the branch of scientific method which deals with the data obtained by counting or measuring the properties of populations of natural phenomena." (Sir Maurice G Kendall, “Advanced Theory of Statistics”, Vol. 1, 1943)

"Statistics is a method of investigation that is used when other methods are of no avail; it is often a last resort and a forlorn hope." (Michael J Moroney, "Facts from Figures", 1951)

“Statistics is the name for that science and art which deals with uncertain inferences - which uses numbers to find out something about nature and experience.” (Warren Weaver, 1952)

“Statistics is the fundamental and most important part of inductive logic. It is both an art and a science, and it deals with the collection, the tabulation, the analysis and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative measurements. It is concerned with the classifying and determining of actual attributes as well as the making of estimates and the testing of various hypotheses by which probable, or expected, values are obtained. It is one of the means of carrying on scientific research in order to ascertain the laws of behavior of things - be they animate or inanimate. Statistics is the technique of the Scientific Method.” (Bruce D Greenschieldsw & Frank M Weida, “Statistics with Applications to Highway Traffic Analyses”, 1952)

"Statistics may be regarded as a body of methods for making wise decisions in the face of uncertainty." (W Allen Wallis & Harry V Roberts, "The Nature of Statistics", 1965)

"Statistics is a method of decision making in the face of uncertainty on the basis of numerical data and calculated risks." (Ya-lun Chou, "Statistical Analysis", 1969)

"Statistics is the refuge of the uninformed." (Audrey Haber & Richard P Runyon, "General Statistics", 1973)

"Statistics is, or should be, about scientific investigation and how to do it better, but many statisticians believe it is a branch of mathematics." (George E P Box, Commentary, Technometrics 32, 1990)

“Statistics is a general intellectual method that applies wherever data, variation, and chance appear.” (David S Moore, “Statistics among the Liberal Arts”, Journal of the American Statistical Association, 1998)

“Statistics is the branch of mathematics that uses observations and measurements called data to analyze, summarize, make inferences, and draw conclusions based on the data gathered.” (Allan G Bluman, “Probability Demystified”, 2005)

“Put simply, statistics is a range of procedures for gathering, organizing, analyzing and presenting quantitative data. […] Essentially […], statistics is a scientific approach to analyzing numerical data in order to enable us to maximize our interpretation, understanding and use. […] Put formally, for your project, statistics is the systematic collection and analysis of numerical data, in order to investigate or discover relationships among phenomena so as to explain, predict and control their occurrence.” (Reva B Brown & Mark Saunders, “Dealing with Statistics: What You Need to Know”, 2008)

“Statistics is the art of learning from data. It is concerned with the collection of data, their subsequent description, and their analysis, which often leads to the drawing of conclusions.” (Sheldon M Ross, “Introductory Statistics” 3rd Ed., 2009)

“Statistics is the science of collecting, organizing, analyzing, and interpreting data in order to make decisions.” (Ron Larson & Betsy Farber, “Elementary Statistics: Picturing the World” 5th Ed., 2011)

"Statistics is the discipline of using data samples to support claims about populations." (Allen B Downey, “Think Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers”, 2011)

"[…] statistics is a method of pursuing truth." (Arthhur Aron et al, "Statistics for Phsychology" 6th Ed., 2012)

"[… ] statistics is about understanding the role that variability plays in drawing conclusions based on data. […] Statistics is not about numbers; it is about data - numbers in context. It is the context that makes a problem meaningful and something worth considering." (Roxy Peck et al, "Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis" 4th Ed., 2012)

“Statistics is the scientific discipline that provides methods to help us make sense of data.” (Roxy Peck & Jay L Devore, “Statistics: The Exploration and Analysis of Data” 7th Ed, 2012)

“Statistics is the art and science of designing studies and analyzing the data that those studies produce. Its ultimate goal is translating data into knowledge and understanding of the world around us. In short, statistics is the art and science of learning from data.” (Alan Agresti & Christine Franklin, “Statistics: The Art and Science of Learning from Data” 3rd Ed., 2013)

“Statistics is a science that helps us make decisions and draw conclusions in the presence of variability.” (Douglas C Montgomery & George C Runger, “Applied Statistics and Probability for Engineers” 6th Ed., 2014)

“Statistics is the science of collecting, organizing, and interpreting numerical facts, which we call data. […] Statistics is the science of learning from data.” (Moore McCabe & Alwan Craig, “The Practice of Statistics for Business and Economics” 4th Ed., 2016)

“Statistics is the science of collecting, organizing, summarizing, and analyzing information to draw conclusions or answer questions. In addition, statistics is about providing a measure of confidence in any conclusions.” (Michael Sullivan, “Statistics: Informed Decisions Using Data”, 5th Ed., 2017)

"Statistics is the science of the measurement of social organism, regarded as a whole in all its manifestations." (Arthur L Bowley)