"General statements omit what we really want to know. Example: some horses run faster than others"
- Mason Cooley
About this Quote
Mason Cooley's quote is a pointer that general declarations typically do not have the information and specificity that we require to genuinely understand a situation. By using the example of horses running faster than others, Cooley is stressing that general declarations can be misleading. While it is true that some horses run faster than others, this declaration does not offer any info about the individual horses, their speed, or the conditions of the race. Without this details, it is impossible to draw any meaningful conclusions. Cooley's quote is a suggestion that general declarations can be useful, but they must not be taken as outright facts. To genuinely comprehend a situation, we should look beyond the general statements and seek out the details.
"Give these Indians little farms, survey them, let them put fences around them, let them have their own horses, cows, sheep, things that they can call their own, and it will do away with tribal Indians"