"The principle of Sturgeon's Razor states that the simplest answer to any problem is 90% crap"
About this Quote
The intent is less to argue against simplicity than to shame our reflexive trust in it. "Simplest answer" is a phrase that usually signals clarity and competence; Allston reveals how often it really signals laziness, groupthink, or the comforting buzz of certainty. The 90% figure is deliberately blunt, not statistical. It's a comedic cudgel that says: your first draft of understanding is probably just a draft - and a bad one.
Context matters: Allston worked in genre fiction and shared DNA with fan communities where theories, lore explanations, and hot takes multiply fast. In those ecosystems, neat solutions thrive because they travel well: short, quotable, confidently wrong. The subtext is a craft note dressed up as philosophy. Good answers, like good stories, cost time. The cleanest explanation isn't the enemy; the cheap explanation is.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Allston, Aaron. (2026, January 17). The principle of Sturgeon's Razor states that the simplest answer to any problem is 90% crap. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-principle-of-sturgeons-razor-states-that-the-34056/
Chicago Style
Allston, Aaron. "The principle of Sturgeon's Razor states that the simplest answer to any problem is 90% crap." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-principle-of-sturgeons-razor-states-that-the-34056/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The principle of Sturgeon's Razor states that the simplest answer to any problem is 90% crap." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-principle-of-sturgeons-razor-states-that-the-34056/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.













