Statistics is the branch of mathematics that deals with the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data. The goal is to learn and make informed decisions. Statistics is not probability. Probability is the branch of mathematics that deals with the chance of uncertain events. Statistics might say that over the past 100 years, the range of major league baseball batting averages has narrowed while the average has increased. Probability might say that a particular candidate has a 45% chance of being elected. These are different things: one is a summary that asks the question "why?" whereas the other is someone's estimate of a future event. (Incidentally, this is known as a subjective probability, not to be confused with objective or frequentist probability, which is derived from freqencies.)
One interesting view, espoused by Professor Robert P. Abelson of Yale, is that "the purpose of statistics is organize a useful argument from quantitative evidence, using a form of principled rhetoric." A statistician, like an essayist, must consider what is the point of the argument, what methods are best used to support the argument, and what possible criticism the argument might meet.