Poul Anderson Quotes

The only stupidities that are not easily solved are those created by very intelligent men.

Two paradoxes are better than one; they may even suggest a solution.

Solving big problems is easier than solving little problems.

There is no single right answer or path forward, but there is one right way to frame the problem.

Early on, in discussions of financial oversight, people would say, 'Well, this is a very complicated problem, therefore it requires a complicated solution.' And at that step, I would say, 'Well, wait a minute. Just because it's a complicated problem doesn't mean the best course of action immediately is one that's complicated.'

Simple solutions seldom are. It takes a very unusual mind to undertake analysis of the obvious.

It’s not very profitable to sit and think nowadays. So many problems, and they seem all to have such twists to them – nothing is straightforward.

There are no simple solutions to today’s problems.

I think sometimes a part requires more than one approach or thought.

Solutions are not the answer.

Good questions outrank easy answers.

I'd be wary of simple solutions to complex problems.

I think that one of the things that I can do is I seem to have the ability to zoom in super tight for very small details, but then jump back for sort of that big picture perspective. And I think that ultimately, that's one of my strengths, because you have - every detail matters.

It is characteristic of all deep human problems that they are not to be approached without some humor and some bewilderment.

The point of philosophy is to start with something so simple as not to seem worth stating, and to end with something so paradoxical that no one will believe it.

Sometimes big problems are best solved with lots of small and creative solutions.

Every problem can be solved as long as they use common sense and apply the right research and techniques.

Contradiction was something I really like when it is embraced in that kind of philosophy.

I'm a perfectionist. And that's served me very well in my career. It allows me to handle these large, complex problems without letting things fall through the cracks... That is the mentality you have to have to attack these complex problems of chip design, for example, when you're overwhelmed with complexity.

No matter how complicated a problem is, it usually can be reduced to a simple, comprehensible form which is often the best solution.

If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.

Intellectuals are good at seeing the big picture. But they are not so good at process.

Science has not solved problems, only shifted the points of problems.

The advice I tell students is to think about the big problems. I mean, work on anything you can work on where you can make progress. But always keep in mind the big problems.

I have had my results for a long time: but I do not yet know how I am to arrive at them.