One’s interesting, two’s a coincidence, three’s a pattern.

Accurate root causes derive from a systematic analysis of a process. They are not stories we heard about why something turned out in a certain manner. It doesn’t matter how many people heard the same fable, or how many more agree with it.

We shouldn’t throw away our anecdotes about our processes. These stories tell us where our investigation begins, not where it ends.

The best stories are rooted in some truth or fact. Storytelling is an art form, an act of the author. Look past the moral of the story, and into the circumstance of the storyteller.

The best comedians, dramatists, and satirists open your eyes by forcing you to look at them. If the storyteller’s focus is pushing the spotlight onto someone else, it’s usually a misdirection.