“For many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.”
Vilfredo Pareto
This quote, or similarly worded versions, is often attributed to Pareto. However, the attribution is almost certainly incorrect. Pareto’s original work, published in his Cours d'économie politique (1896-97), was focused on the distribution of wealth and land ownership across several countries. He never framed his findings as a general principle applying to all causes and effects. That generalization was made decades later by Joseph Juran, an American management theorist, who in the 1940s applied Pareto’s empirical pattern to quality control and other domains, coining the term “Pareto principle” in his honour. Since Pareto himself never conceived of his observation in such broad terms, it is safe to assume he never said or wrote anything resembling this quote.
This quote is commonly attributed to Vilfredo Pareto, but I have not been able to locate a primary source. Use with caution in academic or professional contexts.
”History is a graveyard of aristocracies.”
— Vilfredo Pareto Primary source“The history of man is the history of the continuous replacement of certain elites: as one ascends, another declines.”
— Vilfredo Pareto Primary source“The new elite which seeks to supersede the old one, or merely to share its power and honors, does not admit to such an intention frankly and openly.”
— Vilfredo Pareto Primary source“Assume that the new elite were clearly and simply to proclaim its intentions which are to supplant the old elite; no one would come to its assistance, it would be defeated before having fought a battle. On the contrary, it appears to be asking nothing for itself, well knowing that without asking anything in advance it will obtain what it wants as a consequence of its victory.”
— Vilfredo Pareto Primary sourceMore quotes by Vilfredo Pareto →
“I may not be as strong as I think. But I know many tricks and I have resolution.”
— Ernest Hemingway Primary source“He that can have patience can have what he will.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book.”
— Henry David Thoreau Primary source“How many seemingly impossible things have been accomplished by resolute men because they had to do, or die.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte Disputed