All models are wrong, some are useful — Cloud Streaks
It’s crucial for us to understand as many mental models as possible. As the adage goes, a little knowledge can be dangerous and creates more problems than total ignorance. No single model is universally applicable – we find exceptions for nearly everything. Even hardcore physics has not been totally solved.
Farnam Street • All Models Are Wrong
Everything we think we know about the world is a model. Every word and every language is a model. All maps and statistics, books and databases, equations and computer programs are models. So are the ways I picture the world in my head—my mental models. None of these is or ever will be the real world. Our models usually have a strong congruence with
... See moreDonella H. Meadows • Thinking in Systems: International Bestseller
A model is a simplification which fosters understanding.
Farnam Street • All Models Are Wrong
Better models mean better thinking. The degree to which our models accurately explain reality is the degree to which they improve our thinking.
Rhiannon Beaubien • The Great Mental Models Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts
Not every model applies to all situations. Part of building a latticework of mental models is about educating yourself regarding which situations are best addressed by which models. This takes some work and is not without error.
Shane Parrish • The Great Mental Models Volume 2: Physics, Chemistry and Biology
Remember that all models are wrong; the practical question is how wrong do they have to be to not be useful.