Stack o' razors

Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatum.* - William of Ockham

Numquam ponenda est pluralitas sine necessitate.** - Same guy

If a thing can be done adequately by means of one, it is superfluous to do it by means of several; for we observe that nature does not employ two instruments where one suffices.*** - Thomas Aquinas

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci

Brevity is the soul of wit. - William Shakespeare

It seems that perfection is reached not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. - Antoine de Saint Exupery

We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances. - Isaac Newton

The supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience. - Albert Einstein

The simplest explanation is almost always, "Somebody screwed up." - Dr Gregory House

No need so complicating one lah. - Mr Tan, my 4th Form Maths teacher


Ah, the wonderful irony of this list...

I must say, though, on purely aesthetic grounds, I think Shakespeare's the winner here. Also, my opinion of Thomas Aquinas has dropped drastically.


* Entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity.

** Pluralities ought not to be posited without necessity.

*** WARNING! WARNING! BULLSHIT DETECTED!