Some people now enjoy starting their statements with a direct reference to a (more credible) source of information.

It seems that everyone’s suspicious until proven otherwise.

For that, along with exposing the broader context of the topic, people just go straight to disclosing the official source of what they are about to say.

“According to a recent research from ACME University…”

“The great German philosopher would say…”

Or even,

“The official source of what I’m about to tell you is…”

WTF is going on? (source: me, 2025)

Don’t do this, unless you want to know “How to make enemies and have bad luck” (source: not Carnegie)

Seriously, don’t do this.

Hold the source disclosure until its needed. Pretend you had the great idea, the formidable reasoning and the incredibly wide world view until the last minute before you are questioned.

“How do you know this?”

Yes, that’s the hook. Wait for it. Now you have not only their ears but their brains as well. They’re all fine tuned to what you’re about to say.

— “Oh, I’m glad you’ve asked. I’ve got that from a recorded interview with Kahneman back in 1993. It’s on YouTube if you search for it.”

This is elegance. This is aligned with the “request-response” “Q&A” spirit of our time. (a bold claim I didn’t expose the source on purpose)

Now you know this. Don’t do it!