QuoteProject
We rarely think people have good sense unless they agree with us.
Francois De La Rochefoucauld
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

We tend to underestimate the intelligence of others if they don't share our views.

This quote suggests that human judgment is often biased by agreement; when others echo our beliefs, we perceive them as wise or reasonable. Conversely, when someone disagrees, we may dismiss their opinions as lacking good sense, reflecting our own prejudices and the tendency to seek validation in consensus.

Themes

JudgmentAgreementBiasIntelligencePerception

In practice

Example use cases

During a team meeting when discussing differing opinions, this quote can remind us to value diverse perspectives.

More from Francois De La Rochefoucauld

The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
Old men delight in giving good advice as a consolation for the fact that they can no longer set bad examples.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
Some counterfeits reproduce so very well the truth that it would be a flaw of judgment not to be deceived by them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
Conceit causes more conversation than wit.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
The defects and faults of the mind are like wounds in the body; after all imaginable care has been taken to heal them up, still there will be a scar left behind, and they are in continual danger of breaking the skin and bursting out again.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
To understand matters rightly we should understand their details; and as that knowledge is almost infinite, our knowledge is always superficial and imperfect.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead

Similar quotes

A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready. Not thinking, yet not dreaming. Ready for whatever may come. When the opponent expands, I contract; and when he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, "I" do not hit, "it" hits all by itself.
Bruce LeeRead
Prosperity tries the souls even of the wise.
SallustRead
Take care to sell your horse before he dies. The art of life is passing losses on.
Robert FrostRead
Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes.
Dietrich BonhoefferRead
We're all just a bundle of habits shaped by our memories. And to the extent that we control our lives, we do so by gradually altering those habits, which is to say the networks of our memory. No lasting joke, or invention, or insight, or work of art was ever produced by an external memory. Not yet, at least.
Joshua FoerRead
Keep good company, read good books, love good things and cultivate soul and body as faithfully as you can
Louisa May AlcottRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Francois De La Rochefoucauld | QuoteProject