"Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed, and available to the right people in a format for decision making, it is a burden, not a benefit"
About this Quote
Pollard, a clergyman, sounds less like he is praising knowledge than warning against a new kind of moral hazard: the sanctified clutter of facts. The line pivots on a quietly devastating contrast - information as "learning" versus information as "burden" - and it lands because it treats raw data the way a pastor might treat unexamined scripture. Text alone does not redeem; interpretation, structure, and discernment do.
The intent is practical, almost administrative, but the subtext is ethical. "Organized, processed, and available to the right people" is a theory of stewardship: knowledge must be tended, filtered, and delivered with purpose. Pollard is not defending ignorance; he is indicting the fantasy that accumulation equals wisdom. In a religious register, that is a critique of vanity. Hoarding information can become a performance of seriousness, a way to feel prepared while postponing judgment.
Context matters. In the 19th century, industrialization and modern bureaucracy were turning record-keeping, statistics, and printed material into everyday power. Churches, schools, charities, and governments were all becoming information machines, and the new flood of reports and ledgers didn’t automatically produce better choices. Pollard’s phrasing anticipates the modern problem of "data-driven" paralysis: when facts are plentiful but decision-making is scarce.
The line works because it is not romantic about knowledge. It is procedural and hierarchical - "right people", "format for decision making" - and that mild bluntness exposes a truth we still dodge: information becomes valuable only when it is shaped to serve responsibility, not just stored to soothe anxiety.
The intent is practical, almost administrative, but the subtext is ethical. "Organized, processed, and available to the right people" is a theory of stewardship: knowledge must be tended, filtered, and delivered with purpose. Pollard is not defending ignorance; he is indicting the fantasy that accumulation equals wisdom. In a religious register, that is a critique of vanity. Hoarding information can become a performance of seriousness, a way to feel prepared while postponing judgment.
Context matters. In the 19th century, industrialization and modern bureaucracy were turning record-keeping, statistics, and printed material into everyday power. Churches, schools, charities, and governments were all becoming information machines, and the new flood of reports and ledgers didn’t automatically produce better choices. Pollard’s phrasing anticipates the modern problem of "data-driven" paralysis: when facts are plentiful but decision-making is scarce.
The line works because it is not romantic about knowledge. It is procedural and hierarchical - "right people", "format for decision making" - and that mild bluntness exposes a truth we still dodge: information becomes valuable only when it is shaped to serve responsibility, not just stored to soothe anxiety.
Quote Details
| Topic | Decision-Making |
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