Florence Nightingale - Collected Quotes

"Diagrams are of great utility for illustrating certain questions of vital statistics by conveying ideas on the subject through the eye, which cannot be so readily grasped when contained in figures." (Florence Nightingale, "Mortality of the British Army", 1857)

"Whenever I am infuriated, I revenge myself with a new Diagram." (Florence Nightingale, [letter to Sidney Herbert] 1857)

"But law is no explanation of anything; law is simply a generalization, a category of facts. Law is neither a cause, nor a reason, nor a power, nor a coercive force. It is nothing but a general formula, a statistical table." (Florence Nightingale, "Suggestions for Thought", 1860)

"Newton's law is nothing but the statistics of gravitation, it has no power whatever. Let us get rid of the idea of power from law altogether. Call law tabulation of facts, expression of facts, or what you will; anything rather than suppose that it either explains or compels."(Florence Nightingale, "Suggestions for Thought", 1860)

"Again I must repeat my objections to intermingling causation with statistics. It might be to a certain extent admissible if you had no sanitary head. But you have one, & his report should be quite separate. The statistician has nothing to do with causation: he is almost certain in the present state of knowledge to err." (Florence Nightingale, [letter] 1861)

"All do statistics, some on paper, some by memory. Those who fail take care to give no statistics. Among those who succeed or think they have succeeded are some of small or accidental experience." (Florence Nightingale) 

"All sciences of observation depend upon statistical methods; without these [they] are blind empiricism. Make your facts comparable before deducing causes." (Florence Nightingale) 

"Only by consulting the past can the statesman judge for the future, recognize the elements necessary to realize plans, appreciate what needs reform." (Florence Nightingale

"Statistics are necessary to appreciate the effects of law." (Florence Nightingale) 

"To understand God's thoughts we must study statistics, for these are the measure of His purpose." (Florence Nightingale)  [attributed]