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20 Inspiring Quotes About Critical Thinking

The ability to think critically is an essential skill in today’s world. It allows us to analyze information, solve problems, and make informed decisions. Critical thinking helps us navigate through the complexities of life, challenges our biases, and encourages us to explore different perspectives. In a world inundated with information, critical thinking is more important than ever.

Here are 20 inspiring quotes that highlight the importance and power of critical thinking:

1. “Critical thinking is not an option. It’s a necessity.” – Robert Lutz

2. “The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates

3. “A problem well-defined is a problem half-solved.” – John Dewey

4. “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.” – Stephen Hawking

5. “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” – Albert Einstein

6. “Critical thinking is seeing things in an open-minded way, without jumping to conclusions.” – Steve Jobs

7. “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle

8. “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.” – Richard P. Feynman

9. “The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” – W.B. Yeats

10. “Critical thinking is the key to success in every sphere of life.” – Gaur Gopal Das

11. “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” – Albert Einstein

12. “The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.” – Christopher Hitchens

13. “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

14. “Critical thinking is an essential tool for understanding life.” – William H. Sewell

15. “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

16. “True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world.” – Socrates

17. “Thinking is difficult, that’s why most people judge.” – Carl Jung

18. “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be ignited.” – Plutarch

19. “Critical thinking leads to innovative ideas and solutions.” – Daniel J. Boorstin

20. “The most important thing is to never stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein

These quotes remind us of the importance of critical thinking in our personal growth, decision-making, and understanding of the world. They inspire us to question, analyze, and challenge the status quo. So, let’s embrace critical thinking and unlock our potential for a better future.

The Power of Thought

Our thoughts have immense power. They shape our beliefs, influence our decisions, and ultimately determine our actions. Critical thinking, the ability to think clearly and rationally, is the key to unlocking this power.

Through critical thinking, we can question assumptions, analyze evidence, and evaluate arguments. It allows us to consider different perspectives and challenge our own biases. With critical thinking, we can navigate through complex problems and make well-informed decisions.

When we harness the power of thought, we open ourselves up to new ideas and possibilities. We become more creative, finding innovative solutions to problems. Critical thinking enables us to break free from old patterns and discover new paths.

Moreover, critical thinking empowers us to become independent thinkers. We no longer rely on others to guide our thoughts and opinions. Instead, we develop our own intellectual autonomy and become active participants in shaping our own lives.

But the power of thought doesn’t end there. Our thoughts have the ability to inspire and motivate others. When we think critically and express our ideas clearly, we can influence others to think more deeply and critically as well.

So let us embrace the power of thought. Let us question, analyze, and evaluate. Let us challenge ourselves to think critically and make decisions based on reason and evidence. By doing so, we can unlock our full potential and create a better world for ourselves and others.

Developing Strong Analytical Skills

Developing strong analytical skills is essential for success in both personal and professional life. Analytical thinking allows individuals to approach problems and situations with a logical and systematic mindset, enabling them to make informed decisions and find effective solutions.

Here are some tips to help you develop and strengthen your analytical skills:

Developing strong analytical skills takes time and effort, but the benefits are well worth it. By honing your ability to think critically and analyze information, you will be better equipped to navigate complex issues, solve problems, and make sound decisions in all aspects of your life.

Embracing Different Perspectives

One of the key aspects of critical thinking is the ability to embrace different perspectives. It is important to recognize that there are multiple ways to see and understand the world, and each perspective offers unique insights and considerations.

When we embrace different perspectives, we broaden our understanding and challenge our own assumptions and biases. It requires us to step outside of our comfort zones and open ourselves up to new ideas and experiences.

Embracing different perspectives allows us to gain a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of complex issues. By considering alternative viewpoints, we can identify blind spots in our thinking and uncover new possibilities.

It is important to approach different perspectives with an open mind and a willingness to listen and learn from others. This requires us to cultivate empathy and respect for diverse viewpoints.

By embracing different perspectives, we can become more effective critical thinkers and problem solvers. We can make more informed decisions and contribute to a more inclusive and collaborative society.

Challenging Assumptions

One of the key aspects of critical thinking is challenging assumptions. Assumptions are beliefs or ideas that are taken for granted, often without any evidence or reasoning. They can shape our perceptions and beliefs, and influence the way we interpret information and make decisions.

By challenging assumptions, we are questioning the validity and accuracy of our beliefs. This opens up the possibility for new perspectives and alternative viewpoints. It allows us to examine different angles and consider new information that might contradict our assumptions.

Challenging assumptions requires intellectual courage, as it involves questioning our own beliefs and being open to the possibility that we may be wrong. It is a process that requires critical thinking skills, such as logical reasoning, analysis, and evaluation.

By challenging assumptions, we can uncover biases and prejudices that may be hindering our ability to think critically and objectively. It allows us to approach problems and situations with a more open mind, and consider a wider range of possibilities.

As Albert Einstein said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” By questioning assumptions, we are tapping into our natural curiosity and seeking a deeper understanding of the world around us.

So, the next time you come across an assumption – whether it’s your own or someone else’s – take a moment to question it. Ask yourself why you believe it to be true, and whether there is any evidence or reasoning to support it. By challenging assumptions, you will be on the path to becoming a more critical thinker.

The Importance of Evidence

When it comes to critical thinking, evidence plays a crucial role. Without evidence, our thoughts and beliefs are merely based on assumptions and guesswork.

Strong and reliable evidence helps us make informed decisions and draw logical conclusions. It provides a foundation for our arguments and opinions, making them more credible and convincing.

Without evidence, we are susceptible to biases and fallacies. We may rely on personal anecdotes or hearsay, which can lead us astray. Evidence helps us separate fact from fiction and allows us to critically analyze information.

Critical thinkers understand the significance of evidence in evaluating the validity and reliability of claims. They seek out multiple sources, cross-reference information, and consider different perspectives. They are not swayed by emotional appeals or baseless assertions.

By relying on evidence, critical thinkers can uncover hidden assumptions and challenge prevailing beliefs. They are not afraid to question authority or popular opinion, as long as there is evidence to support their counterarguments.

Moreover, evidence encourages intellectual honesty and integrity. It keeps us accountable for our beliefs and prevents us from making unfounded claims. Critical thinkers respect the scientific method and demand empirical evidence before accepting a statement as truth.

In a world filled with misinformation and fake news, the ability to evaluate evidence is more important than ever. Critical thinking skills empower us to sift through the noise, identify reliable sources, and make informed decisions.

Ultimately, the importance of evidence cannot be overstated. It allows us to trust in reason, reject fallacies, and arrive at well-reasoned conclusions.

Questioning Everything

One of the key aspects of critical thinking is the ability to question everything. This means not accepting information at face value, but rather seeking to understand it on a deeper level. By asking thoughtful questions, we can uncover hidden assumptions, biases, and flaws in reasoning.

Questioning everything can lead to new insights and perspectives. It allows us to challenge the status quo and consider alternative possibilities. The ability to question everything is not only important for personal growth and learning, but also for making informed decisions and solving complex problems.

Questioning everything requires an open mind and a willingness to explore different perspectives. It involves asking why, how, and what if. It means being curious and not being afraid to challenge conventional wisdom.

In a world where information is readily available, it is crucial to question everything. This is especially true in the age of fake news and misinformation. By questioning everything, we can become more discerning consumers of information and avoid falling into the trap of believing everything we read or hear.

Seeking Clarity and Accuracy

When it comes to critical thinking, seeking clarity and accuracy are essential. It’s important to have a clear understanding of the information and ideas being presented, and to ensure that they are accurate and reliable.

Clarity is about ensuring that the information is expressed in a way that is easy to understand and comprehend. It involves asking questions, defining terms, and avoiding ambiguity. Seeking clarity helps to eliminate confusion and misunderstandings.

Accuracy, on the other hand, is about making sure that the information is correct and true. It requires examining evidence, evaluating sources, and verifying facts. Seeking accuracy helps to filter out misinformation and false claims.

By constantly seeking clarity and accuracy, we can develop a more informed and rational mindset. We are able to make better decisions, solve problems more effectively, and avoid being misled by faulty reasoning or biased information.

Albert Einstein once said, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” Seeking clarity and accuracy is a fundamental aspect of intelligently processing information. It allows us to adapt and grow, and to constantly refine our understanding of the world.

So, the next time you come across a new idea or information, remember to seek clarity and accuracy. Ask questions, challenge assumptions, and evaluate evidence. By doing so, you will be exercising your critical thinking skills and fostering a more knowledgeable and discerning mindset.

Taking Action based on Reasoning

Taking action based on reasoning is an essential skill in critical thinking. It involves using logical thinking and evidence to make decisions and solve problems. When you take action based on reasoning, you are making choices that are supported by sound arguments and facts. This helps you avoid making hasty decisions or falling prey to biases and assumptions.

Reasoning is the process of using logic and evidence to reach conclusions or make judgments. It involves identifying relevant information, evaluating its credibility, and drawing logical connections between different pieces of evidence. Reasoning allows us to think critically and make informed decisions based on facts rather than emotions or personal beliefs.

Taking action based on reasoning means that we are not simply acting on instincts or intuition. Instead, we are carefully considering the available evidence and applying logical thinking to determine the best course of action. This requires us to evaluate the pros and cons of different options, consider potential consequences, and weigh the potential risks and benefits.

Reasoning-based action is important because it helps us make more rational decisions and solve problems more effectively. By relying on evidence and logical thinking, we can minimize the influence of biases and subjective judgments. This allows us to approach challenges with a clear and objective mindset, which increases our chances of success.

Reasoning-based action also enables us to be more accountable for our decisions. When we can articulate the reasons behind our choices, we are better equipped to defend them and explain them to others. This promotes transparency and helps build trust and credibility.

In conclusion, taking action based on reasoning is a fundamental aspect of critical thinking. It allows us to make informed decisions and solve problems effectively. By using logical thinking and evidence, we can avoid making impulsive decisions and minimize the impact of biases. Reasoning-based action promotes accountability and transparency, leading to better outcomes in various aspects of life.

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25 Powerful Critical Thinking Quotes

Legendary physicist Richard Feynman famously warned that when it comes to thinking, not fooling yourself should be at the top of your mind. His reason was simple: “You are the easiest person to fool”. Critical thinking is often hailed as the antidote to our tendency to self-deception. But it’s hard to pinpoint what people mean when they use the term. I’ve previously described it as the art of thinking and thinking about thinking to make judgements while improving the quality of the thought process itself. To illustrate the elusive concept further I’ve put together 25 quotes on critical thinking and added some personal reflections.

1. What Is Thinking?

Thinking — or reasoning — involves objectively connecting present beliefs with evidence in order to believe something else. David T. Moore, Critical Thinking and Intelligence Analysis

If your thinking doesn’t get you into a different state of mind, even if it only means your existing convictions become more high-resolution, you were probably just ruminating; that is turning over the same thoughts without making progress.

2. Writing Is Thinking

If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them. George Orwell

Skilful writing is indistinguishable from critical thinking as it forces you to clarify and reorganise your thoughts. But it also means that lazy writing leads to sloppy thinking, a bad habit George Orwell tried to address with his six writing rules .

3. Death of Ideas

The purpose of thinking is to let the ideas die instead of us dying. Alfred North Whitehead

Thinking is akin to running simulations in our heads to test assumptions and predict outcomes. This allows us to pick the best courses of action. It’s superior to trying out hypotheses in the real world due to something called self-preservation.

4. Belief Confidence

The confidence people have in their beliefs is not a measure of the quality of evidence but of the coherence of the story that the mind has managed to construct. Daniel Kahneman

We don’t naturally process ideas in terms of reasons, logic and arguments. We think in stories . So if you want to question the validity of your beliefs, start by questioning the story you’ve constructed around them.

5. Sagan’s Dragon

What’s the difference between an invisible, incorporeal, floating dragon who spits heatless fire and no dragon at all? If there’s no way to disprove my contention, no conceivable experiment that would count against it, what does it mean to say that my dragon exists? Your inability to invalidate my hypothesis is not at all the same thing as proving it true. Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World

Falsifiability is a cornerstone of critical thinking. If you encounter a statement or an idea that cannot be scrutinised let alone proven false, scepticism is in order. Thankfully, Sagan left us his Baloney Detection Kit , a set of cognitive tools for detecting falsehoods.

6. Dangerous Knowledge

Assumptions have been described as the most dangerous form of knowledge. Why? Because an assumption carries with it unconsidered information, knowledge that is not subject to thought or critique. However, assumptions are a fact of life; we all have them and we all rely on them. […] The best that we can do is identify them and make them explicit. Charles Vandepeer, Applied Thinking for Intelligence Analysis

Another way to improve your critical thinking skills is to identify and question the underlying assumptions of a cherished belief you hold. For example by using Structured Analytic Techniques .

7. Passionate Opinions

The opinions that are held with passion are always those for which no good ground exists; indeed the passion is the measure of the holder’s lack of rational conviction. Opinions in politics and religion are almost always held passionately. Bertrand Russell

The default state of our mind is to think about things intuitively and emotionally . While this helps us to solve complex problems quickly using heuristics , it requires a deliberate effort to consider an issue rationally and logically. But the effort is worth it.

8. Building Blocks

When it comes to the ideas and opinions you hold, see them as toys or building blocks that you are playing with. Some you will keep, others you will knock down, but your spirit remains flexible and playful. Robert Greene, The Daily Laws

For bad ideas to die, we have to see them less as precious possessions and more as means to the end of getting us closer to the truth.

9. The Utility of Scepticism

Science is more than a body of knowledge. It’s a way of thinking. A way of skepticely interrogating the universe with a fine understanding of human fallability. If we are not able to ask skeptical questions, to interrogate those who tell us that something is true, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we’re up for grabs for the next charlatan — political or religious — who comes ambling along. Carl Sagan

A healthy scepticism is a civil necessity. But it’s worth remembering that the number one charlatan to look out for is still yourself.

10. Beware of Your Biases

People can be extremely intelligent, have taken a critical thinking course and know logic inside and out. Yet they may just become clever debaters, not critical thinkers, because they are unwilling to look at their own biases. Carol Wade

Critical thinking without questioning and refining your assumptions, beliefs and ways of making judgements is not critical thinking. An integral part is becoming aware of your biases such as motivated reasoning .

11. Pseudo-Critical Thinking

Critical thinking, as has been noted, focuses on both the process and the results of reasoning. However, the term is also used in reference to reasoning that is not reflective. The application of formal logic is sometimes (incorrectly) equated to critical thinking. So too are problem solving and structured methods of analysis. Developers of school curricula and other exponents of “sound thinking” often lay claim to the mantel of critical thinking but are really leveraging their coverage of logic or problem solving to capitalize on an uncritical understanding of what critical thinking is. Problem solving, for example, focuses on answers and not on the process by which an answer is obtained. Additionally, logic or problem solving, being goal oriented, offer little means by which a person can improve the process of her thinking. David T. Moore, Critical Thinking and Intelligence Analysis

Genuine critical thinking offers dual benefits. First, it allows you to make sound judgements and second, you improve your thinking in such a way that it’ll be easier for you to make sound judgements next time around.

12. The Intelligence Trap

Unintelligent people are more easily misled by other people, intelligent people are more easily misled by themselves. Gurwinder Bhogal

The sharp-minded can rationalise their way to any bogus conclusions, crediting it to their critical thinking. The simple-minded adopt their views unquestioned while slamming others for their supposed lack of critical thinking.

13. Fruitless Philosophising

It is lacking in critical thinking to think that studying philosophy will improve your critical thinking. Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Bed of Procrustes

Merely curating a list of critical thinking quotes is unlikely to improve someone’s critical thinking skills. Like any skill, they have to be practised with a certain amount of skin in the game; that is a personal stake or risk exposure in the outcomes of their decisions or actions.

14. Overthinking

Most of us think compulsively all the time. That is to say we talk to ourselves. And I remember when I was a boy we had a common saying: ‘Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness.’ Now obviously, if I talk all the time I don’t hear what anyone else has to say. And so in exactly the same way, if I think all the time, that is to say I talk to myself all the time, I don’t have anything to think about except thoughts. And therefore I’m living entirely in the world of symbols and I’m never in relationship with reality. Alan Watts

Overthinking poses a cognitive hazard that can make you lose touch with reality. British philosopher Alan Watts knew that at some point, you have to put your stake into the ground and act.

15. Tragic Wisdom

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. Bertrand Russell

For all its benefits, an obsession with critical thinking can paralyse and make you second-guess every decision or action.

16. Intellectual Humility

Intellectual humility is the recognition that our reasoning is so flawed, so prone to bias, that we can rarely be certain that we are right. Greg Lukianoff & Jonathan Haidt, The Coddling of the American Mind

We may not be able to overcome our biases but we should at least be aware of them.

17. Thinking for Yourself

You think for yourself first by learning a lot of the thoughts of other people. Other thoughts and ideas don’t pollute originality and independence, they create the preconditions for it. The person who claims to think for himself, yet scorns learning from other sources, invariably is under the hidden influence of a source he doesn’t recognize. The only way to truly think independently is to have enough knowledge to spot the hidden assumptions that underwrite your current views. Scott H. Young

In order to think critically you need something to think about. And this something tends to be thoughts, ideas or beliefs brought forward by other people, some of which you may even disagree with.

18. Intellectual Instruments

Everything we know has its origins in questions. Questions, we might say, are the principal intellectual instruments available to human beings. Neil Postman

Good questions are the driving force of critical thinking, whether you ask them of others or pose them to yourself. The great thing about them is that they’re available to anyone.

19. The Critical Thinking Trap

People want you to think critically until you actually do it. Chris Meyer

On the one hand, critical thinking is encouraged as a valuable skill because it leads to better understanding and decision-making. But when people apply critical thinking to commonly held beliefs or societal norms, it can challenge established perspectives. Truth is a virtue and the search for it demands non-conformist thinking. The fact that it can be at odds with the pressure of conformity is a feature, not a bug.

20. Freethinking

Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for critical thinking. Leo Tolstoy

Freethinkers are often considered troublemakers challenging and disrupting the status quo. But it requires an open-mindedness that first and foremost causes trouble to their own values and opinions.

21. Downsides of an Open Mind

The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. Terry Pratchett

Having an open mind is generally considered a virtuous trait. But it also means you’re vulnerable to the influence of others who may attempt to indoctrinate your mind with their own agendas.

22. Indoctrination

Do not indoctrinate your children. Teach them how to think for themselves, how to evaluate evidence, and how to disagree with you. Richard Dawkins

Despite being the antidote to indoctrination, critical thinking is useless without the knowledge and skills on how to disagree .

23. Cognitive Risk Taking

Take the risk of thinking for yourself, much more happiness, truth, beauty and wisdom will come to you that way. Christopher Hitchens

Engaging in fearless critical thinking may be uncomfortable in the short term but is the better long-term strategy. However, that’s easier said than done if you haven’t set up your life to make a living as a gifted, chain-smoking and hard-drinking disagreeable contrarian. (We miss you Hitch).

24. Gramophone Mind

To exchange one orthodoxy for another is not necessarily an advance. The enemy is the gramophone mind, whether or not one agrees with the record that is being played at the moment. George Orwell

A willingness to listen to other perspectives and change our opinions are the hallmarks of open-mindedness. But it’s not to be confused with passively accepting and repeating a different set of ideas without independent thought.

25. Changing Your Mind

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. Bernard Shaw

Those who are resistant to changing their views or beliefs will find it challenging to adapt to new circumstances.

BONUS: The Power of Your Mind

You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

There are few things over which you have control in this world. Your mind is one of them. So developing your critical thinking skills to influence your thoughts and actions is one of the best things you can do.

Closing Thoughts

Critical thinking is an elusive concept that is often diluted to mean “having opinions with which I agree”. In truth, it is self-reflective and deliberate thinking and thinking about thinking with the primary goal of not fooling yourself. For a deeper dive into the art of navigating the world of ideas to figure out what to believe, check out my post with 5 Books on Critical Thinking to Help You Develop a Reflective Mind and subscribe to the 3 Ideas in 2 Minutes newsletter .

Chris Meyer

I'm a writer, teacher & analyst with a background in languages, martial arts & failing at things. I collect and connect ideas while attempting humour. Here are 50 unbelievable facts about me .

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The Power of Critical Thinking: 56 Critical Thinking Quotes

Critical thinking is an invaluable skill that empowers individuals to assess information, challenge assumptions, and make reasoned judgments. It is a cognitive process that goes beyond memorization and regurgitation of facts, encouraging individuals to explore different perspectives, evaluate evidence, and arrive at independent conclusions.

In today’s fast-paced and information-rich world, the ability to think critically is essential for making informed decisions, solving complex problems, and navigating the complexities of modern society. This article explores the significance of critical thinking, its benefits, and practical strategies to cultivate this skill in our lives.

Read: What Critical Thinking Skills We Require To Win At Our Careers: 5 Major Ones

The Importance of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking serves as a compass for the mind, enabling individuals to discern between fact and fiction, identify biases, and evaluate the credibility of sources. In an era characterized by the proliferation of misinformation and the manipulation of public opinion, critical thinking provides a powerful tool to navigate through the noise and arrive at well-informed conclusions.

Moreover, critical thinking equips individuals with the ability to analyze complex problems systematically. It fosters creativity, enabling the exploration of innovative solutions by challenging conventional wisdom and exploring alternative perspectives. It also encourages open-mindedness and intellectual humility, as critical thinkers recognize the limits of their knowledge and remain receptive to new information and ideas.

Related: 10 Best Critical Thinking Movies With Interesting Endings

Benefits of Critical Thinking

Developing critical thinking skills has numerous advantages that extend beyond individual decision-making. In educational settings, critical thinking fosters a deep understanding of subjects, encourages active engagement, and prepares students for lifelong learning. It equips them with the ability to ask probing questions, engage in meaningful discussions, and evaluate information critically, rather than accepting it at face value.

In professional contexts, critical thinking is highly valued by employers. It enables employees to analyze complex situations, consider multiple variables, and make informed decisions. Critical thinkers are also more adept at problem-solving, as they approach challenges with a systematic and analytical mindset, breaking down problems into manageable components.

Furthermore, critical thinking plays a vital role in democratic societies. Citizens who think critically are more likely to question authority, hold leaders accountable, and actively participate in public discourse. They are better equipped to analyze political arguments, distinguish between valid reasoning and fallacies, and make informed choices during elections.

Recommended: Interview Questions For Critical Thinking No One Tells About

Critical Thinking Quotes

• “Critical thinking is the ability to think for yourself and independently evaluate information, rather than simply accepting what you hear or read.” – Diane Halpern
• “Critical thinking is a survival tool, not just for our species but for our planet.” – Carl Sagan
• “Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better.” – Richard W. Paul
• “The first rule of critical thinking is to ask questions. Be willing to wonder.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is seeing things as they are, not as you want them to be.” – Unknown
• “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
• “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.” – Daniel J. Boorstin
• “The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” – Albert Einstein
• “Critical thinking is the ability to think independently and evaluate information objectively and accurately. It is an essential skill in a world filled with quick opinions, sound bites, and misinformation.” – Edwidge Danticat
• “I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” – Robert Frost
• “A problem well-stated is a problem half-solved.” – Charles Kettering
• “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust
• “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence.” – Albert Einstein
• “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” – Plutarch
• “Wisdom is not the product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” – Albert Einstein
• “Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas.” – Peter A. Facione
• “The value of critical thinking is not only in the answers it produces, but also in the questions it uncovers.” – Unknown
• “To think critically is to embrace uncertainty and ambiguity, and to be comfortable with asking challenging questions.” – Unknown
• “A critical thinker is someone who thinks with reason and objectivity, not influenced solely by emotions or personal biases.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating information to reach informed conclusions.” – Unknown
• “The greatest skill a critical thinker can possess is the ability to change their mind in the face of new evidence and reasoning.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is not about being right; it’s about being open to new perspectives and adjusting our beliefs accordingly.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is a process of continuous learning and improvement, honing our intellectual abilities to make sound judgments.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is like a mental muscle that needs to be exercised regularly to stay strong and agile.” – Unknown
• “The path of critical thinking is paved with curiosity, skepticism, and a commitment to truth-seeking.” – Unknown
• “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” – Plutarch
• “Critical thinking is the ability to think independently, solve problems creatively, and make rational decisions based on evidence and logic.” – Unknown
• “The mark of a well-educated mind is the ability to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
• “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
• “The essence of critical thinking is suspended judgment; the essence of this suspense is inquiry to determine whether or not the judgment is well-founded.” – John Dewey
• “Critical thinking is not just thinking, but thinking which entails self-improvement.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the ability to think independently, analyze information objectively, and make rational decisions.” – Unknown
• “The first rule of critical thinking is to question everything.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is a skill that enables you to analyze and evaluate information objectively and make reasoned judgments.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the key to unlocking the doors of understanding and knowledge.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is a self-directed, self-monitored, and self-disciplined thinking that strives to be fair, clear, and accurate.” – Linda Elder
• “Critical thinking is the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion.” – Unknown
• “The role of critical thinking is to break down problems into their component parts, analyze them, and develop creative solutions.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is like a compass that guides us through the maze of information and helps us make informed choices.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the art of being able to evaluate and analyze information objectively, rather than accepting it at face value.” – Unknown
• “The hallmark of a critical thinker is intellectual humility – the willingness to accept that one’s beliefs may be incorrect.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the ability to ask the right questions and challenge the status quo.” – Unknown
• “The essence of critical thinking is to suspend judgment, seek multiple perspectives, and examine the evidence before arriving at a conclusion.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is not a single skill, but a set of skills that work together to help us navigate the complexities of the world.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is not about being negative; it’s about being discerning and questioning what we are told.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the ability to think independently and make reasoned judgments based on evidence and logical reasoning.” – Unknown
• “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.” – Stephen Hawking
• “Critical thinking is the bridge between knowledge and wisdom.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the intellectual discipline of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information.” – Unknown
• “The mind is like a parachute; it works best when it’s open.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the foundation of rationality and the cornerstone of progress.” – Unknown
• “In a world of information overload, critical thinking is the key to sifting through the noise and finding the signal.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is not just about finding flaws in others’ arguments; it’s about critically examining our own beliefs and biases.” – Unknown
• “The purpose of critical thinking is to empower individuals to think for themselves, question authority, and arrive at their own informed conclusions.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the art of asking the right questions, challenging assumptions, and seeking evidence to support or refute claims.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is not a destination; it’s a lifelong journey of intellectual growth and development.” – Unknown

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Famous Quotes Related to Critical Thinking

"Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts." - William Bruce Cameron (often falsely attributed to Albert Einstein)

"What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence." - Samuel Johnson

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." - Aristotle

"The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." - Derek Bok

"It is today we must create the world of the future." - Eleanor Roosevelt

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." - Albert Einstein

"The objective of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives." - Robert Maynard Hutchins

"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't." - Anatole France

"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson "Education would be much more effective if its purpose was to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they do not know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it." - William Haley, British Editor

"Do not confine your children to your own learning for they were born in another time." - Hebrew Proverb

"Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve." - Roger Lewin

"The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." - Henri Bergson, French Philosopher and Educator "If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right." - MARY KAY ASH, American businesswoman

"The man who can make hard things easy is the educator." - RALPH WALDO EMERSON, American writer and philosopher

"Children are apt to live up to what you believe of them." - LADY BIRD JOHNSON, Former First Lady of the United States

"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." - HENRI BERGSON, French Philosopher and Educator

"The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life." - PLATO, Greek Philosopher

"With a smile we should instruct our youth..." - JEAN BAPTISTE MOLIERE, French Playwright

"Children are not vessels to be filled but lamps to be lit." - SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA, Indian Spiritual Leader

"Genius without an education is like silver in the mine." - BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, American Diplomat, Scientist, and Writer

"Education must not simply teach work—it must teach life." - W.E.B. DU BOIS, American Civil Rights Leader and Writer

"Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts." - NIKKI GIOVANNI, American poet

"Teaching is the greatest act of optimism." - COLLEEN WILCOX, American school administrator

"Those of us who are in this world to educate—to care for—young children have a special calling: a calling that has very little to do with the collection of expensive possessions but has a lot to do with worth inside of heads and hearts." - FRED M. ROGERS, Host of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood

"Each student is a unique person and a powerful learner capable of great achievements. I truly marvel at my students' capacity for learning, accomplishment, and growth." - MICHELLE FORMAN, American National Teacher of the Year 2001

"The one real goal of education is to leave a person asking questions." - MAX BEERHOHM, British Critic, Essayist, and Caricaturist "Too often we... enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - JOHN F. KENNEDY

"Out of the questions of students come most of the creative ideas and discoveries." - Ellen Langer

"Invest a few moments in thinking. It will pay good interest." - Author Unknown

"He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever." - CHINESE PROVERB

"No problem can be solved by the same consciousness that created it. We need to see the world anew." - ALBERT EINSTEIN

"The important thing is not to stop questioning." - Albert Einstein

"Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgment, the manner in which information is collected and used." - Carl Sagan

"There is nothing more uncommon than common sense." - FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

"Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve." - ROGER LEWIN, Ph.D., British anthropologist and science writer

"Time given to thought is the greatest time saver of all." - Norman Cousins

"No way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof." - Henry David Thoreau

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." - John Cotton Dana

"Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too" - Voltaire

"Reason obeys itself: ignorance submits to what is dictated to it." - Thomas Paine

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything one learned in school." - Albert Einstein

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40 Of The Best Quotes About Critical Thinking

• December 6, 2021

Time To Teach

• Education Related

We believe in thanking our sources! This post was sourced from the following blog/website: https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/quotes-critical-thinking/

The following is a new blog post related to education and teaching and relevant to our website visitors. The blog post is not based on the opinions or values of our company but is related to education and teaching, so we wanted to share it with YOU! If you ever have any questions please let us know. Now… on to the post!

These quotes about critical thinking can be used to generate reflection, writing & discussion about critical thinking’s value in a society.

The post 40 Of The Best Quotes About Critical Thinking appeared first on TeachThought .

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Inspiring Critical Thinking Quotes to Stimulate Intellectual Curiosity

Annie Walls

Critical thinking is an essential skill that allows individuals to analyze information, evaluate arguments, and make informed decisions. It is a process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach well-founded conclusions. In this article, we will explore the importance of critical thinking, share inspiring quotes to stimulate intellectual curiosity, and discuss how to apply critical thinking in everyday life.

Key Takeaways

• Developing analytical skills is crucial for enhancing critical thinking.
• Enhancing problem-solving abilities is a key outcome of critical thinking.
• Promoting effective decision making is a result of applying critical thinking.
• Encouraging curiosity is essential for fostering critical thinking.
• Challenging assumptions is a fundamental aspect of critical thinking.

The Importance of Critical Thinking

Developing analytical skills.

Developing analytical skills is crucial for success in today's complex and data-driven world. Analytical skills refer to the ability to collect, analyze, and interpret information to make informed decisions and solve problems. These skills involve critical thinking, logical reasoning, and attention to detail. Analytical skills are highly valued in various industries, including finance, consulting, and technology. They enable individuals to identify patterns, uncover insights, and make data-driven recommendations. By honing analytical skills, individuals can enhance their problem-solving abilities and contribute to the success of their organizations.

Enhancing Problem-Solving Abilities

Enhancing problem-solving abilities is a crucial aspect of critical thinking. It involves the ability to analyze complex situations, identify potential solutions, and make informed decisions. Problem-solving requires a combination of logical reasoning, creativity, and open-mindedness. By developing this skill, individuals can effectively navigate challenges and find innovative solutions.

One effective way to enhance problem-solving abilities is by using a structured approach . This involves breaking down the problem into smaller components, analyzing each component individually, and then integrating the findings to develop a comprehensive solution. Additionally, collaboration with others can provide different perspectives and insights, leading to more effective problem-solving.

To further improve problem-solving abilities, it is important to embrace failure as a learning opportunity. By viewing failures as stepping stones to success, individuals can develop resilience and perseverance. This mindset allows for experimentation, exploration, and the willingness to take risks in order to find optimal solutions.

In summary, enhancing problem-solving abilities is a key aspect of critical thinking. By using a structured approach, collaborating with others, and embracing failure, individuals can develop the skills necessary to effectively solve complex problems and make informed decisions.

Promoting Effective Decision Making

Promoting effective decision making is crucial in both personal and professional settings. Making informed choices based on careful analysis and critical thinking can lead to better outcomes and minimize the risk of making hasty or irrational decisions.

One effective way to promote effective decision making is by using a decision matrix. A decision matrix is a structured tool that helps evaluate different options based on multiple criteria. By assigning weights to each criterion and scoring each option, individuals or teams can objectively compare and prioritize choices.

Another strategy for promoting effective decision making is to seek diverse perspectives. By actively seeking out different viewpoints and considering alternative opinions, individuals can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the situation and make more well-rounded decisions.

Remember, effective decision making is not just about making the right choice, but also about the process of decision making itself. Taking the time to gather relevant information, analyze the pros and cons, and consider the potential consequences can greatly enhance the quality of decisions made.

Quotes to Inspire Critical Thinking

Encouraging curiosity.

Encouraging curiosity is essential for developing critical thinking skills. By fostering a sense of wonder and inquisitiveness, individuals are more likely to explore new ideas and perspectives. Curiosity fuels the desire to seek knowledge and understand the world around us. It pushes us to ask questions and challenge assumptions, leading to deeper insights and innovative solutions.

To cultivate curiosity, it can be helpful to:

• Engage in active learning : Actively participate in discussions, ask thought-provoking questions, and seek out new information.
• Embrace uncertainty : Embracing uncertainty allows for open-mindedness and the willingness to explore different possibilities.
• Encourage exploration : Encourage individuals to explore diverse topics, engage in new experiences, and pursue their interests.

As Albert Einstein once said, 'The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.' By embracing curiosity, we can unlock our full potential for critical thinking and intellectual growth.

Challenging Assumptions

Challenging assumptions is a crucial aspect of critical thinking. It involves questioning the underlying beliefs and ideas that we often take for granted. By challenging assumptions, we open ourselves up to new perspectives and possibilities. It allows us to break free from the constraints of conventional thinking and explore innovative solutions. Questioning our assumptions can lead to breakthrough insights and help us overcome biases that may hinder our ability to think critically.

Embracing Different Perspectives

Embracing different perspectives is a crucial aspect of critical thinking. It allows us to broaden our understanding and challenge our own assumptions. By considering alternative viewpoints, we can gain new insights and develop a more well-rounded perspective. This openness to different perspectives fosters creativity and innovation, as it encourages us to think beyond our own limited experiences and beliefs.

Questioning Authority

Questioning authority is a fundamental aspect of critical thinking. It involves challenging the status quo and not accepting information or decisions blindly. By questioning authority, individuals can uncover hidden biases, explore alternative perspectives, and promote a culture of intellectual curiosity. It is important to approach authority with a healthy skepticism and seek evidence-based justifications for their claims. Questioning authority encourages independent thinking and helps prevent the spread of misinformation.

Applying Critical Thinking in Everyday Life

Evaluating information sources.

When evaluating information sources, it is important to consider the credibility and reliability of the information. Accuracy is key, as misleading or false information can lead to incorrect conclusions. Additionally, verifiability is crucial, as information that can be independently confirmed is more trustworthy. It is also important to consider the objectivity of the source, as biased information may present a skewed perspective. Finally, currency is important, as outdated information may no longer be relevant or accurate.

To assist in evaluating information sources, a table can be used to present structured, quantitative data. This allows for easy comparison and analysis. Alternatively, a bulleted list can be used for less structured content, such as qualitative points or a series of related items.

Remember to critically analyze the information presented and question its validity. Trustworthy sources are essential for making informed decisions and avoiding misinformation.

Making Informed Choices

When it comes to making informed choices, it is crucial to gather reliable and accurate information. Research plays a vital role in this process as it allows us to explore different perspectives and evaluate the credibility of sources. Additionally, critical thinking skills enable us to analyze the information we have gathered and make logical and well-informed decisions. It is important to consider multiple factors and weigh the pros and cons before making a choice. By applying critical thinking, we can avoid hasty decisions and ensure that our choices align with our goals and values.

Solving Complex Problems

When faced with complex problems, critical thinking becomes even more crucial. It requires the ability to analyze information from multiple sources, evaluate different perspectives, and consider various solutions. Creativity is also an important aspect of solving complex problems, as it allows for innovative thinking and the exploration of unconventional ideas. Additionally, collaboration plays a significant role in problem-solving, as it enables individuals to leverage the diverse skills and knowledge of a team. By applying critical thinking skills and utilizing creativity and collaboration, individuals can effectively tackle complex problems and find optimal solutions.

Avoiding Cognitive Biases

When it comes to critical thinking, it is important to be aware of and avoid cognitive biases. Cognitive biases are inherent tendencies to think in certain ways that can lead to errors in judgment and decision-making. By understanding and recognizing these biases, we can make more objective and rational choices.

One way to avoid cognitive biases is to evaluate information from multiple sources. This helps to minimize the impact of confirmation bias, which is the tendency to seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs. By seeking diverse perspectives and considering different viewpoints, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of a topic.

Another strategy is to be mindful of our own biases and assumptions. It is natural for our experiences and beliefs to shape our thinking, but it is important to challenge these assumptions and consider alternative explanations. By being open-minded and willing to question our own beliefs, we can overcome biases and make more informed decisions.

In addition, it is helpful to be aware of common cognitive biases, such as the availability heuristic and the anchoring effect. These biases can influence our judgment and lead to faulty reasoning. By understanding these biases, we can be more vigilant in our thinking and avoid making decisions based on flawed logic.

Remember, critical thinking requires us to be aware of our own biases and to actively seek out diverse perspectives. By doing so, we can overcome cognitive biases and make more informed and rational choices.

Applying Critical Thinking in Everyday Life is an essential skill that can greatly enhance decision-making and problem-solving abilities. Whether it's analyzing information, evaluating arguments, or challenging assumptions, critical thinking allows individuals to approach situations with a rational and logical mindset. By applying critical thinking in everyday life, individuals can make more informed choices, avoid biases, and navigate complex situations with clarity and confidence. To learn more about the power of critical thinking and how it can transform your life, visit our website.

In conclusion, critical thinking is an essential skill that allows individuals to analyze information, evaluate arguments, and make informed decisions. The quotes presented in this article serve as a reminder of the importance of intellectual curiosity and the power of questioning. By embracing critical thinking, we can expand our knowledge, challenge assumptions, and contribute to a more informed and innovative society. So, let's embrace the spirit of curiosity and continue to question, explore, and think critically.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is critical thinking.

Critical thinking is the ability to analyze and evaluate information objectively, using logic and reasoning to make informed decisions and solve problems.

Why is critical thinking important?

Critical thinking is important because it helps individuals develop analytical skills, enhance problem-solving abilities, and promote effective decision making.

How can critical thinking be developed?

Critical thinking can be developed through practice and exposure to diverse perspectives. Engaging in activities that require analysis, evaluation, and problem-solving can also help enhance critical thinking skills.

What are some strategies for applying critical thinking in everyday life?

Some strategies for applying critical thinking in everyday life include evaluating information sources, making informed choices, solving complex problems, and avoiding cognitive biases.

How does critical thinking encourage curiosity?

Critical thinking encourages curiosity by promoting questioning, exploration, and a desire to seek knowledge and understanding. It challenges individuals to question assumptions and explore different perspectives.

What is the role of critical thinking in decision making?

Critical thinking plays a crucial role in decision making by helping individuals evaluate options, consider potential consequences, and make informed choices based on logical reasoning and evidence.

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Top 10 Quotes On Critical Thinking

23 Jan Top 10 Quotes On Critical Thinking

Quotes on critical thinking.

In a world of growing uncertainty, one thing is certain the need for critical thinkers who can size up situations, realize the upsides, advantages where others may not, through prompt decision making.

Here are 10 quotes on the value and power of critical thinking. Think Critically!

• “Believing is easier than thinking. Hence so many more believers than thinkers.” – Bruce Calvert
• “Irons rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.” – Leonardo da Vinci
• “Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” – Alan Alda
• “The trouble with most people is that they think with their hopes or fears or wishes rather than with their minds.” – Will Durant
• “Ours is the age which is proud of machines that think and suspicious of men who try to.” – Howard Mumford Jones
• “[Thinking is] what a great many people think they are doing when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.” – William James
• “People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.” – Soren Kierkegaard
• “Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better.” – Richard W. Paul
• “Freedom of speech is unnecessary if the people to whom it is granted do not think for themselves.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana
• “Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate options, weigh aberrations and make unforced decisions.” – John Baldoni

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Forgot password, resend verification email, critical thinking sayings and quotes.

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old critical thinking quotes, critical thinking sayings, and critical thinking proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

If there was one life skill everyone on the planet needed, it was the ability to think with critical objectivity Josh Lanyon

The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks. Christopher Hitchens

The purpose of critical thinking is rethinking: that is, reviewing, evaluating, and revising thought. Jon Stratton

Critical thinking relies on content, because you can't navigate masses of information if you have nothing to navigate to. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

We seem to have trouble with critical thinking. And our political system doesn't help. Barack Obama

Most people do not have a problem with you thinking for yourself, as long as your conclusions are the same as or at least compatible with their beliefs. Mokokoma Mokhonoana

The insecure leader will interpret critical thinking as critiscism. Andy Stanley

Critical Thinking has the potential to be a deeply creative process. Pearl Zhu

You have a brain and mind of your own. Use it, and reach your own decisions. Napoleon Hill

Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason so few engage in it. Henry Ford

We put too much of a premium on presenting and not enough on substance and critical thinking. Susan Cain

No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking. Voltaire

Negative thinking creates clouds at critical decision times. John C. Maxwell

Ignorance is always ready to admire itself. Procure yourself critical friends. Nicolas Boileau

For students, the evolution-creation discussion can be a useful exercise, for it can help develop their critical thinking skills. Ken Ham

All of the common core standards stuff about critical reading and critical thinking and so on can only be positive. James W. Loewen

Do not indoctrinate your children. Teach them how to think for themselves, how to evaluate evidence, and how to disagree with you. Richard Dawkins

Believe what you like, but don't believe everything you read without questioning it. Pauline Baynes

It's sort of a mental attitude about critical thinking and curiosity. It's about mindset of looking at the world in a playful and curious and creative way. Adam Savage

You need to answer questions on where, when and what to do Sunday Adelaja

Simply disabling specific critical thinking skills is all that is necessary for the god virus to take control of a person. Darrel Ray

The most fundamental attack on freedom is the attack on critical thinking skills. Travis Nichols

To some people critical thinking means you mustn't be critical of them only others Rassool Jibraeel Snyman

There is nothing more Islamic than critical thinking. Tariq Ramadan

Instead of complaining, discover ways, tactics and tricks on how to reach out to people Sunday Adelaja

Losing your job releases you to think effectively and make rational decisions Sunday Adelaja

The ability to reflect is associated with critical thinking and reasoning ability. And the capacity to be alone is one of the highest levels of development. It's important to know how to self-soothe and be confident of other people's love even when they're not there in front of you. Laurie Helgoe

Nothing is more conductive to peace of mind than not having any opinions at all. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Critical thinking is to a liberal education as faith is to religion. ... the converse was true also - faith is to a liberal education as critical thinking is to religion, irrelevant and even damaging. Jane Smiley

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle

Critical thinking is what leads to the next breakthroughs in any area. Roberta Michnick Golinkoff

It is especially important to encourage unorthodox thinking when the situation is critical Boris Yeltsin

Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve. Roger Lewin

Learn to use your brain power. Critical thinking is the key to creative problem solving in business. Richard Branson

What I'm looking for in my interaction is critical thinking on the part of the person pitching to me. Brad Feld

Discourse and critical thinking are essential tools when it comes to securing progress in a democratic society. But in the end, unity and engaged participation are what make it happen. Aberjhani

To learn that it's easier to be told by others what to think and believe than it is to think for yourself. Neil deGrasse Tyson

In unanimity there may well be either cowardice or uncritical thinking. Donald Rumsfeld

Keeping an open mind is a virtue, but not so open that your brains fall out. Bertrand Russell

Thinking isn't to agree or disagree-that's voting. Robert Frost

Where all men think alike, no man thinks very much. Walter Lippmann

There is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the labor of thinking. Thomas A. Edison

Life has taught me to think, but thinking has not taught me to live. Alexander Herzen

A man thinks as well through his legs and arms as his brain. Thoreau

Our is an age which is proud of machines that think, and suspicious of the men who try to. Howard Mumford Jones

There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking. Alfred Korzybski

Thinking is more interesting than knowing, but less interesting than looking. Goethe

Life always gives you plenty to think about, but seldom enough to think with. Evan Esar

The more we think of some people, the less we think of them. Evan Esar

For every man who is always telling you what he thinks, there is another who is always telling you what others think. Evan Esar

Many a man who thinks he is thinking, is merely digesting yesterday's newspaper. Evan Esar

Your way of thinking starts with individual thoughts, whether good, bad or ugly. John A. Andrews

I refused to let small thinking chart my course in life. John A. Andrews

If we think with a mindset of giving, we entertain abundance, and if we think with an attitude of withholding, we invite lack. As the source gives to the stream so ought the stream to impart to the ocean. John A. Andrews

Critical thinking involves first discovering the who, what, when, and how of things. Bell Hooks

Critical thinkers are clear as to the purpose at hand and the question at issue. Bell Hooks

Critical thinking is an interactive process, one that demands participation on the part of teacher and students alike. Bell Hooks

Keeping an open mind is an essential requirement of critical thinking. Bell Hooks

Critical thinking requires us to use our imagination, seeing things from perspectives other than our own and envisioning the likely consequences of our position. Bell Hooks

We all use thinking skills everyday to help us learn, make decisions, and solve problems. Ellie Weiler

Critical thinking skills are the foundation for all other types of learning. Ellie Weiler

Unlike current events, thinking skills never change. Ellie Weiler

Once thinking skills are mastered, students are able to tackle new challenges with the ability to think them through and discover solutions. Ellie Weiler

Critical thinking is essential as a tool of inquiry. Aveyard

Critical thinking is a liberating force in education and a powerful resource in one's personal and civic life. Aveyard

While not synonymous with good thinking, critical thinking is a pervasive and self-rectifying human phenomenon. Aveyard

Critical thinkers are able to look for flaws in argument and resist claims that have no support. Aveyard

Critical thinkers are more likely to engage in productive and positive activity due to their continual questioning of their knowledge, assumptions and perspectives. Aveyard

12 Inspiring Critical Thinking Quotes For Students

A birdie flies sans inhibitions, and so must you. But first, you must know where you wish to fly. One’s moods and behaviors are both influenced by one’s thinking. Whether you’re shaping a student’s moments or a lifetime, thinking is a powerful tool. The actual fun is that you can learn to think better throughout the course of your lifetime since it is a skill.

We can learn from the age-old knowledge and the contemporary sages to improve our thinking abilities. And one of the finest ways to achieve that is using “ quotes ”. There are a lot of wise words and proverbs that get us thinking, whether they be positive thinking quotes or critical thinking quotes. Perhaps one of the most powerful thoughts on thinking is this… “Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become who you are.”

Critical thinking for students – Who’s job is it?

Research reveals several essential findings. Despite widespread agreement that critical thinking is important, most individuals feel that schools do not do enough to help students develop their critical thinking skills.

Nearly 95% of people agree that critical thinking abilities are vital in today’s world, and favor more critical thinking across nearly every demographic characteristic. Nevertheless, many individuals are concerned that our schools do not teach sophisticated ways of thinking, and nearly 80% of respondents believe that young people lack the capacity for critical thought. Only 29% of respondents claim to have categorically studied critical thinking at school.

It’s unclear when, when, and even how critical thinking instruction should take place. A little over half of the parents surveyed believe that it is their responsibility to instill critical thinking in their children. Another 41% think that educators should be in charge of imparting critical thinking skills to young people. Another 22% think that kids should be in charge of their own behavior.

Critical thinking at school

A teacher’s influence on a student extends beyond just imparting a top-notch education.

You serve as a leader, mentor, coach, advisor, and promoter of growth. Since students spend so much time in your classroom, it is up to you and your co-workers in education to create an environment where students can be themselves and accomplish their best work.

Posters with inspirational quotes are a great approach to make your classroom immediately seem more upbeat. Famous writers, innovators, and other personalities have left us with a wealth of inspiring quotations on learning and achievement. After choosing your favorite motivational sayings, you can utilize them to make your own low-cost classroom posters.

What words weigh

The proverb “actions speak louder than words” is certainly familiar to you, but it’s not always the case. Each of us has the ability to sway someone with our words.

Numerous research has revealed the advantages and disadvantages associated with particular terms. Dr. Susan Smalley, a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioural sciences at UCLA, stated that “individuals [who] read words of ‘loving kindness’ showed an increase in self-compassion, improved mood, and reduced anxiety.”

If we think back to times we’ve heard inspirational words, we remember how good and motivated we felt after. To get in the habit of choosing our words wisely and with positive intent, we can put reminders around us.

Below is a rundown of some thought-provoking critical thinking quotes that are fit and fun to read for students and mentors alike:

Critical thinking quotes for students

1. “the important thing is not to stop questioning. curiosity has its own reason for existing.” — albert einstein.

Few men in history have had the critical thinking skills of Albert Einstein. One of the characteristics of extremely competent critical thinkers is their inherent curiosity. With that curiosity comes the practice of questioning to explore, discover, and reveal. This is why through using essential and herding questions in our teaching, we drive learners’ curiosity by engaging them in exploring a topic through questions that begin big and get increasingly specific as more discoveries are made. This piece of wisdom is a pearl for dyslexic and non-dyslexic students alike.

2. “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” – Oscar Wilde

No, narcissism doesn’t say that. According to the saying, you must reawaken your love for yourself so that it last forever. To teach students anything , it is essential you teach them to love themselves first. Once you can do that, no one will be able to undermine your confidence and knock you down. Your own best critic would be you. The days of seeking emotional support from others and relying on them to maintain one’s mental health would be gone.

3. “You have a brain and mind of your own. Use it, and reach your own decisions.” — Napoleon Hill

The ability to think independently is one of the critical thinking’s most important characteristics. Without giving anything much thought, believing or agreeing is simple. However, when we make the decision to think for ourselves, we exercise a human right and a duty we have as citizens of the world. Independent thought is labor-intensive, but the benefits are incalculable. One benefit is that it provides various viewpoints and perspectives, which can be instructive. Another benefit of independent thought is that it inspires us to stand up for what we believe in and have confidence in our capacity to make the best decisions for ourselves.

4. “If you are going through hell, keep going.” — Sir Winston Churchill

This pearl of knowledge has lasting ramifications for the lives of all learners, young and old, within and outside of the classroom. Nothing can be endured indefinitely. Everything changes at some point in time. Life is a roller coaster ride that goes through ups and downs in cycles. When difficult times hit you, as a young student, it’s normal to feel discouraged, but you need to realize that they won’t last forever and that you need to keep at it until you’re there.

Hold hands, unite, and proceed through it. And you are never alone in the larger scheme of things.

5. “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” —Aristotle

According to cognition scientists, the average person has between 60,000 and 80,000 ideas per day, or a few thousand thoughts every hour. Thus, thinking critically entails evaluating ideas that have significance and tossing out or dismissing ideas that don’t. Let’s say that when you leave the house, you leave the iron on. You recall that you left it on as you’re driving out the driveway, so you go back inside to turn it off. Or does your day proceed as usual? Here is what might follow:

“That was so foolish, I could have set the house on fire.”

“What if, after preparing breakfast, I forget to turn the burner off? Children will burn their hands off!

“When my spouse or wife learns about it, what will they think?”

“Am I aging faster?”

We refer to this as “sharing our tale.” The stories we tell ourselves, however, are not the facts. The fact is you left the iron on, remembered because you’re smart, turned it off, and diverted a disaster. Additionally, now that you’ve learned from this experience, you’ll be more conscientious next time, and your family may also pick up on your good habits. That’s the path of the critical thinker.

6. “Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.” — Charles Bukowski

Life is designed to be an experimentation ground. To think critically, you must first understand that one cannot think with boundaries around them. Consider also that curiosity is like exercise for the brain, combatting boredom and stagnation by making the brain more active and energized. The student cannot and should not think amid their safe, familiar bubbles and be pushed to explore. It is only in that experimentation you realize what you are worthy of. One would then become ecstatic, ecstatic by coming to a step closer to the meaning of life. It is that ecstasy that would madden you, help you grow and it will be totally worth it.

7. “Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.” — Francis Bacon

One must be genuinely able to read anything without immediately taking it to heart because there are so many opinions and points of view in the world that are freely communicated through both online and offline means. Thus, developing analytical reading skills in our students is important. Encouraging children to think critically while they read is one thing we can do for them in this vein. The purpose for this is simple; not only does it cultivate independent critical thinking skills, but it helps students enjoy reading more. Rather than passively consuming the words they read, they are questioning and observing, looking for hidden meanings, recognizing patterns and relations to experiences they’ve had, and more.

8. “My father used to say ‘Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.”— Desmond Tutu

This can occur when a person who wasn’t nearly as informed as they thought is suddenly confronted with evidence that contradicts their strongly held beliefs. This may be concerning because our opinions are significant to us and help to define who we are. As a result, this person may respond hastily and out of fear; their natural tendency is to shout louder to drown out the offensive opponent. That is not how critical thinkers operate. Instead, they come prepared to open discussions with a solid bedrock of knowledge and experience to rest on about the discussion topic. They’ll listen openly to the views of others and consider anything that another’s perspective may have to teach them, and share in any and all discussions as constructively as possible.

9. “Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.” —Augustine of Hippe

In the past, or in the future, righteousness has never depended on its adherents. Even if just a small portion of a population supports it, what is right must remain right. Not everyone has the strength to follow the correct route since it is less appealing than the other one. And more people will always be drawn to what is attractive and simple. For students and for them to adhere to critical thinking, it is essential they first abide by and think about what’s right.

10. “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” — Albert Einstein

It is an unavoidable fact that not everyone has potential that is similar to another person. A student’s ability is facilitated by their environment, society, and upbringing, which helps them see their value. Every student is capable of thinking, but also has his own special abilities that must be nourished, nurtured, and garnered.

11.“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” — Jimmy Johnson

Students rather are distinguished from the commonplace and be viewed as extraordinary. They must therefore ask themselves, “Have we really made that extra effort that would make us the latter?” today. When someone gives up the impulse to always take the easy route and instead makes the necessary extra effort, they become special.

12. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost

There is no way to succeed in life and climb above the rat race by adhering to it. You must possess the courage to travel the less traveled route. It is important to inculcate in the students that someday, they could be a pioneer in a field that they wouldn’t become aware of until years later. Fear keeps you from stepping into an unfamiliar environment. Once you let go of it there would be nothing holding you back.

Both you and your students deserve to hear all the uplifting and motivating things that are said.

With a bouquet of flowers, make sure to send these thoughtful quotes to a friend or family member who might or might not be a student as a way to express care and the importance of critical thinking.

An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having  just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of  Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’, 

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7 Powerful Critical Thinking Quotes – Deconstructed

• Self-improvement

Online, you often find yourself surrounded by extracts, maxims, carefully manufactured word combinations. Or if we can place them inside a single category: quotes. Quotes that make you feel hopeful about the future and comfortable with your past. And while reading those your mind gets pumped. When you close the browser. Open the door to life. You start making the same mistakes you ordinarily do.

The fad of sharing quotes never gets old.

I don’t know which one is more popular.

Sharing quotes of famous people like Albert Einstein or sharing cat memes. Probably something in between – an Einstein quote made like a cat meme.

What makes quotes a preferred online asset – for both consumption and creation – can be portrayed in two points:

• Quotes provide packed wisdom and a delusional state of awe.
• The person sharing quotes believes that he’s getting closer to smartness by the mare recitation of wisdom words.

Both of these, are heavily over-represented.

When you read a quote. While it might feel like you are collecting coins that pump your IQ. It’s just a temporary feeling of satisfaction.

You feel motivated – or smarter, or better, or all included. But this mixture of sensations completely vanishes when your finger scrolls down the page.

All of this, might make you wonder…

Why then create a whole post that talks about quotes – critical thinking quotes, as the title suggests?

Why Spend Time Pondering Critical Thinking Quotes?

The main value of words on a page is misunderstood.

We think that the actual words are the main nugget. That’s not the case.

Real gold is always under a layer of thick wrapping.

As we have to remove the packaging to get and use an item we’ve purchased. In a similar fashion, we need to unpack great quotes.

What I mean by unpacking is not just reading a strangely good word combination and then moving along. Rather, stopping to think about what the person said, why he said it, and what we can derive from these words that can make our lives less miserable.

That’s the essence of critical thinking .

You don’t just glance at something and think you understand it. No. You gently grab it. Hold it. And examine it from all sides. Look at it from the microscope of your consciousness to comprehend it. To find the real value hidden inside.

Quotes. Well-crafted words can acquire your attention.

But to leave a lasting impact on your mind. They need to be deconstructed.

That’s what we are going to do below.

I’m taking the best quotes from some of the great thinkers on critical thinking and inspecting them.

While I’m positive that you’ll be familiar with some of the citations below. I’m also sure that we’ll uncover more insights than you’ll ordinarily get when consuming words on a page.

Here we go…

7 Powerful Critical Thinking Quotes:

1. “the value of a college education is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think.” albert einstein.

What’s considered important in school is unusable in real life. You are trained and optimized around remembering facts about the past that make little positive difference about your future. We are rarely taught how to think properly. How to think better .

Surely having a broad understanding of our history is beneficial. Sadly, teachers embed a belief that we should know dates of past events with surgical precious.

And not only in schools. Modern media is also trying to convince us that we should master isolated facts. That richness is in knowing random inputs about all sorts of things.

That’s a phenomenon observed in the book Amusing Ourselves To Death . Ever since the telegraph was invented, we believe that we should learn about things that have a little positive impact on our lives.

For instance, solving a crossword puzzle might seem like a worthy exercise. But how answering 50+ completely random questions will help you in life?

The value in learning. Reading books. Watching videos even online. It’s not so much about remembering the facts. But about tailoring, adjusting how you think.

When you think better. You’ll perform better.

Thinking is the particle that pushes you in the right direction. Not holding all sorts of random facts.

2. “When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons.” Anaïs Nin

From an early age, we are steered towards certain beliefs and value systems. Some good. Some bad. Some awfully wicked.

Some of these are intentionally promoted by our teachers and parents – i.e., religion, good manners, etc. Some simply occur by the act of living and by our biological needs – desire for money, power, appreciation.

There is no harm in automatically adopting a behavior such as helping an old lady cross the street. But for most of the other things we hold in our heads, we should know why we have them.

For instance, these days it seems natural to be online. To have a social media profile and to participate in the never-ending race of awesomeness. Who got a new car? Who got a new job? Who went on vacation?

Involvement in the social media race seems so unquestionable.

But have you recently asked yourself, “Why are you really using social media?” Is it because you want to connect with others? Because it makes you feel motivated and inspired? Or because you feel the need to be inside because others are there, too? Because you want to showcase how much cooler you are than the rest of the walking undead?

I bet is the last part.

Too often, we watch and get things because others watch them and own them. But as Anaïs Nin above said. This blind obeying makes us mere automatons. We don’t hold the steering wheel of our lives. We are simply responding to the reaction of others. Which means that we are passengers on a bus that is headed towards somewhere. Somewhere we don’t know.

3. “If chess has any relationship to film-making. It would be in the way it helps you develop patience and discipline in choosing between alternatives at a time when an impulsive decision seems very attractive.” Stanley Kubrick

The only way an impulsive decision can be the best decision is when you’ve mastered a field . When you’re well-versed in a topic and extremely confident in your skills. In these situations, your intuition and tacit knowledge provide involuntarily a good answer. Plainly, you think fast.

This type of response – quick and precise – however. It’s usually only available to you in areas where you have extensive experience.

For the rest of the cases, the quote above stands.

Any activity that allows you to slow down and think before you act. That gives you room to consider the alternatives. Is an activity worth holding.

As you can’t win a chess game if you don’t pause and consider the contra moves of your opponent. You can’t win in life if you don’t pause and consider how what you do today can turn around and slap you back in the future.

4. “You do not win by struggling to the top of a caste system. You win by refusing to be trapped within one at all.” Naomi Wolf

As the authors of the book The Social Animal explain, we are social animals.

Our foundational particles push us towards relationships. We feel better when we are around other people.

But this comes with certain costs. When people are around other people. A natural hierarchy is formed. There is an alpha male/woman and people who want to take his/her place.

And even if you do reach the top position in your social circle. Which is also the case for any other tall structure formed by men – e.g., the corporate ladder. The battle is never over. You now have to defend your place.

A solution few are willing to accept is gently removing yourself from the modern rat race .

Take social media for example.

If you use it. You use it for validation. Every time you throw something in the endless abyss of filtered pictures, you are doing it to tell others that you are progressing in some way. But others are not sitting idle. They are, too, advancing. So the only way you can keep your position is to keep throwing status updates about how you are improving – even if you are not really improving.

This creates quite a stressful daily life. You no longer just live. Life becomes a sophisticated arena. There are no fist fights, however. The battle is for prestige – who is richer, better, smarter. Therefore, your day-to-day life becomes trying to figure out how to show to others that your life is good – even when life is bad.

The only way you can win this game is if you totally remove yourself from the equation.

You no longer share how life is treating you. Nor remain interested in how others apparently become richer and prettier. You just focus on the act of living.

5. “People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.” Søren Kierkegaard

Our desire to self-express is motivated by our need to feel valued. What we say is optimized not based on thinking. But optimized towards receiving – these days – likes and comments.

All of this means that we say a lot of things, but we don’t say anything important.

We just dump out more noise in the already noisy world. Hoping, praying, that others will notice us.

For the critical thinker, silence is more than the absence of noise. It’s opening the window and taking a breath of fresh air. A refreshing change from the polluted atmosphere.

Speaking because you can doesn’t mean that you necessarily should. Thinking, however, shouldn’t follow this logic. You should always think. Which will oftentimes lead to not speaking.

6. “Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” Marie Curie

We fear the unknown for a simple reason. The brain is constantly trying to predict what will happen next. What the other person will do, so we can prepare the body and the mind for our reaction.

When we face an unfamiliar situation. The brain simply freezes. It doesn’t know what to do. That’s why we tend to avoid things we don’t quite understand.

Paradoxically, the only way we can advance. The only way we can get outside our comfort zone is to put ourselves in positions we are not fully prepared for – e.g., a new job, facing a new challenge, a new field altogether.

So, when you find yourself struggling to find a good solution to a problem. Or you a presented with a hard-to-digest concept. This is a sign. It means that you don’t yet know the full story. You don’t completely understand the situation. What you need to do is to go and find it.

When you understand the problem. Learn more about difficult concepts. You will clear away the fog. You will be prepared. You’ll have the courage to move forward.

7. “I don’t care that they stole my idea. I care that they don’t have any of their own.” Nikola Tesla

Lack of critical thinking will lead to either stealing ideas or trying to discourage others to pursue their ideas.

Ideas. Fresh perspectives that suggest a certain course of action. These are needed for better decision-making and moving further ahead.

But how to have them?

Here’s where one more quote by Nikola Tesla enters on how to produce good ideas:

“Be alone, that is the secret of invention; be alone, that is when ideas are born.” Nikola Tesla

Some of the ideas that will emerge in your brain will be useless. That’s for sure. But that’s part of the process of generating great ideas and great thinking.

Each of us has an idea-generation style. A way to find solutions to problems. Some instantaneously generate reasonable ideas regardless of the location. Others are capable of doing this exercise only when alone.

Make things easier for yourself by figuring out how you think best. Do you have to be alone? Surrounded by others? Or a combination of both – a time around others and then taking some time away to process the information.

Some Closing Thoughts

Quotes shared online seem like a desperate attempt to capture the attention of other people.

Simply because you can quote someone doesn’t mean anything particular.

You found useful words said by someone else. Good. Now what?

To be sufficiently skillful at this critical thinking judo requires questioning and observation.

This also applies when we examine the words of great people. The people who said the things above.

One smart person saying something is as useful as finding a wrench on the street. If you don’t know how to use it. It will be of no use to you.

I hope that you found handy the deconstruction of some of the best quotes on critical thinking. But what I also hope is that the whole post provided you with a new way to approach words on a page.

Not just agreeing with what was said – regardless of who said it. But to try something new. Something different.

Take an idea. Hold it in your hand and look at it from all sides.

Then, after examining it. Ask yourself: “What’s true about this and what is not?”

Add to your critical thinking knowledge by reading the following:

• 9 Provoking Critical Thinking Questions to Ignite Deep Reflective Discourse
• 5 Critical Thinking Strategies To Sharpen Your Thinking
• Critical Thinking Process (Or Acting Wisely Even If You’re Not Very Bright)
• 7 Popular Self-Discipline Quotes Explained

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Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years? A Guide To A Brighter Future

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Sources of Insight

Become the Greatest Version of Yourself

Great Thinking Quotes

“No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.”— Voltaire

Your thoughts can shape your feelings can shape your actions.

Thinking is powerful stuff whether you’re shaping your moment or shaping your lifetime.

The real beauty is that thinking is a skill, and you can develop throughout your lifetime.

To build our thinking skills, we can draw from the wisdom of the ages and modern sages.  And quotes are one of the best ways to do that.

Whether it’s positive thinking quotes, or critical thinking quotes, there are so many words of wisdom and sayings that make us think.

How Your Thoughts Shape Your Destiny

Perhaps one of the most powerful thoughts on thinking is this …

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. 

Watch your words, for they become actions. 

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” – Unknown

Now, let’s turn wisdom into action and fill your quiver with arrows of action, and fill your mental toolbox with a garden of insight in the form of pithy prose, one-liner reminders, and quotable quotes.

To make the most of these thinking quotes, see if you can find three thinking quotes that you can use in some way or at least make you think.

There are no right answers here, only growth and greatness.

Here’s to your excellence.

Top 10 Quotes on Thinking

• “A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.” — William James
• “Clear thinking requires courage rather than intelligence.” — Thomas Szasz
• “ Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” — Winnie the Pooh
• “Few minds wear out; more rust out.” — Christian N. Bovee
• “ It is well for people who think, to change their minds occasionally in order to keep them clean.” — Luther Burbank
• “Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.” — Benjamin Lee Whorf
• “Misery is almost always the result of thinking.” — Joseph Joubert
• “Most of the mistakes in thinking are inadequacies of perception rather than mistakes of logic.” — Edward de Bono
• “Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it.” —  Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “What we think, we become.” — Buddha

While that’s a useful bunch to have under your belt, and you may have heard of many of these before, now take a waltz through the garden below and be sure to stop and smell the thinking quotes that bloom brightest for you.

Best Quotes on Thinking

Here is a collection of thinking quotes from A – Z for your browsing pleasure …

“A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking.”

— Jerry Seinfeld

“ A good listener is usually thinking about something else.”

— Kin Hubbard

“A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.”

— William James

“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.”

— Thomas Paine

“A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes.”

— Mahatma Gandhi

“A man who as a physical being is always turned toward the outside, thinking that his happiness lies outside him, finally turns inward and discovers that the source is within him.”

— Soren Kierkegaard

“A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.”

— Oscar Wilde

“An idea is always a generalization, and generalization is a property of thinking. To generalize means to think.”

— Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

“A real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken a new action. If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided.”

— Tony Robbins

“A sect or party is an elegant incognito devised to save a man from the vexation of thinking.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

“And these little things may not seem like much but after a while they take you off on a direction where you may be a long way off from what other people have been thinking about.”

— Roger Penrose

“And we’re seeing a higher level of consciousness and many more opportunities for people to challenge their present ways of thinking and move into a grander and larger experience of who they really are.”

— Neale Donald Walsch

“Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.”

— Albert Einstein

“ As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behavior. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to become. Take action on your behavior. Too many people want to feel, then take action. This never works.”

— John Maxwell

“At a certain age some people’s minds close up; they live on their intellectual fat.”

–William Lyon Phelps

“Begin challenging your own assumptions.  Your assumptions are your windows on the world.  Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won’t come in.”

— Alan Alda

“Belief is when someone else does the thinking.”

— Buckminster Fuller

“Believing is easier than thinking.  Hence so many more believers than thinkers.”

— Bruce Calvert

“Better to be without logic than without feeling.”

— Charlotte Bronte

“Building art is a synthesis of life in materialized form. We should try to bring in under the same hat not a splintered way of thinking, but all in harmony together.”

— Alvar Aalto

“Clear thinking requires courage rather than intelligence.”

— Thomas Szasz

“Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?”

— Winnie the Pooh

“Don’t be seduced into thinking that that which does not make a profit is without value.”

— Arthur Miller

“Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.”

— Ray Bradbury

“Doubt is not a pleasant state of mind, but certainty is absurd.”

— Voltaire

“Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it.”

— Niels Bohr

“Faith is an oasis in the heart which will never be reached by the caravan of thinking.”

— Khalil Gibran

“Fame usually comes to those who are thinking about something else.”

— Oliver Wendell Holmes

“Few minds wear out; more rust out.”

— Christian N. Bovee

“Few people think more than two or three times a year; I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.”

— George Bernard Shaw

“Get into a line that you will find to be a deep personal interest, something you really enjoy spending twelve to fifteen hours a day working at, and the rest of the time thinking about.”

— Earl Nightingale

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”

— Rick Warren

“I am neither bitter nor cynical but I do wish there was less immaturity in political thinking.”

— Franklin D. Roosevelt

“I am not what I think. I am thinking what I think.”

— Eric Butterworth

“I began to realize that thinking itself is nothing but the process of asking and answering questions.”

“I cannot cure myself of that most woeful of youth’s follies – thinking that those who care about us will care for the things that mean much to us.”

— David Herbert Lawrence

“I don’t pretend we have all the answers. But the questions are certainly worth thinking about.”

— Arthur C. Clarke

“I don’t think the human mind can comprehend the past and the future. They are both just illusions that can manipulate you into thinking theres some kind of change.”

— Bob Dylan

“I grew up thinking that whatever I wanted to do, I could do.”

— Victoria Principal

“I have a different way of thinking. I think synergistically. I’m not linear in thinking, I’m not very logical.”

— Imelda Marcos

“I have things in my head that are not like what anyone has taught me – shapes and ideas so near to me – so natural to my way of being and thinking that it hasn’t occurred to me to put them down.”

— Georgia O’Keeffe

“I knew I was a winner back in the late sixties. I knew I was destined for great things. People will say that kind of thinking is totally immodest. I agree. Modesty is not a word that applies to me in any way – I hope it never will.”

— Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I like thinking big. If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big.”

— Donald Trump

“ I like to think of thoughts as living blossoms borne by the human tree.”

— James Douglas

“I like what the future holds. I don’t like thinking about the past.”

— John Cale

“I must write it all out, at any cost. Writing is thinking. It is more than living, for it is being conscious of living.”

— Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“I once tried thinking for an entire day, but I found it less valuable than one moment of study.”

— Xun Zi

“I really wish I was less of a thinking man and more of a fool not afraid of rejection.”

— Billy Joel

“I succeeded by saying what everyone else is thinking.”

— Joan Rivers

“I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right.”

—  Albert Einstein

“I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense.”

— Harold Kushner

“ I was thinking that we all learn by experience, but some of us have to go to summer school.”

— Peter De Vries

“I’m against fashionable thinking.”

— Herman Kahn

“I’ve never responded well to entrenched negative thinking.”

— David Bowie

“If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.”

— George S. Patton

“If I look confused it is because I am thinking.”

— Samuel Goldwyn

“If the track is tough and the hill is rough, thinking you can just ain’t enough!”

— Shel Silverstein

“If you keep thinking about what you want to do or what you hope will happen, you don’t do it, and it won’t happen.”

— Desiderius Erasmus

“If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.”

—  C.S. Lewis

“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”

— Bruce Lee

“In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.”

— Lao Tzu

“It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.”

— James Thurber

“It is by not always thinking of yourself, if you can manage it, that you might somehow be happy. Until you make room in your life for someone as important to you as yourself, you will always be searching and lost.”

— Richard Bach

“It is neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so.”

— William Shakespeare

“It is no good getting furious if you get stuck. What I do is keep thinking about the problem but work on something else. Sometimes it is years before I see the way forward. In the case of information loss and black holes, it was 29 years.”

— Stephen Hawking

“It is well for people who think, to change their minds occasionally in order to keep them clean.”

— Luther Burbank

“It’s not the events that shape my life that determine how I feel and act, but, rather, it’s the way I interpret and evaluate my life experiences.”

“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”

“Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.”

— Benjamin Lee Whorf

“Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.”

— Winston Churchill

“Let your performance do the thinking.”

“Life consists in what a man is thinking of all day.”

“Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering – because you can’t take it in all at once.”

— Audrey Hepburn

“Logic teaches rules for presentation, not thinking.”

— Mason Cooley

“ Logic: The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding.”

— Ambrose Bierce

“ Man can alter his life by altering his thinking.”

“Man falls from the pursuit of the ideal of plan living and high thinking the moment he wants to multiply his daily wants. Man’s happiness really lies in contentment.”

— Mohandas Gandhi

“Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature, but he is a thinking reed.”

— Blaise Pascal

“Masterpieces are not single and solitary births; they are the outcome of many years of thinking in common, of thinking by the body of the people, so that the experience of the mass is behind the single voice.”

— Virginia Woolf

“Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity.”

“Men always do leave off really thinking, when the last bit of wild animal dies in them.”

“Men can live without air a few minutes, without water for about two weeks, without food for about two months – and without a new thought for years on end.”

— Kent Ruth

“Mental fight means thinking against the current, not with it. It is our business to puncture gas bags and discover the seeds of truth.”

“Misery is almost always the result of thinking.”

— Joseph Joubert

“Most of one’s life is one prolonged effort to prevent oneself thinking.”

— Aldous Huxley

“Most of the mistakes in thinking are inadequacies of perception rather than mistakes of logic.”

— Edward de Bono

“Most people are prisoners, thinking only about the future or living in the past. They are not in the present, and the present is where everything begins.”

— Carlos Santana

“Most people are unable to write because they are unable to think, and they are unable to think because they congenitally lack the equipment to do so, just as they congenitally lack the equipment to fly over the moon.”

—  Henry Louis Mencken

“My definition of an intellectual is someone who can listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger.”

— Billy Connolly

“My hand is the extension of the thinking process – the creative process.”

— Tadao Ando

“My thought is me: that is why I cannot stop thinking. I exist because I think I cannot keep from thinking.”

— Jean-Paul Sartre

“No amount of energy will take the place of thought.  A strenuous life with its eyes shut is a kind of wild insanity.”

— Henry Van Dyke

“No matter where you go or what you do, you live your entire life within the confines of your head.” — Terry Josephson

“No problem can be solved until it is reduced to some simple form. The changing of a vague difficulty into a specific, concrete form is a very essential element in thinking.”

— J. P. Morgan

“No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.”

“Nothing comes merely by thinking about it.”

— John Wanamaker

“Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having any opinion at all.”

— G.C. Lichtenberg

“Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain.”

— Carl G. Jung

“One ought to look a good deal at oneself before thinking of condemning others.”

“Opinion is that exercise of the human will which helps us to make a decision without information.”

— John Erskine

“Our job is not to make up anybody’s mind, but to open minds and to make the agony of the decision-making so intense you can escape only by thinking.”

— Anonymous

“Our minds are lazier than our bodies.”

— François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld

“Our thinking and our behaviour are always in anticipation of a response. It is therefore fear-based.”

— Deepak Chopra

“ Ours is the age which is proud of machines that think and suspicious of men who try to.”

— Howard Mumford Jones

“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.”

“People mistakenly assume that their thinking is done by their head; it is actually done by the heart which first dictates the conclusion, then commands the head to provide the reasoning that will defend it.”

—  Anthony de Mello

“People who say they don’t care what people think are usually desperate to have people think they don’t care what people think.”

— George Carlin

“Physiological response to thinking and to pain is the same; and man is not given to hurting himself.”

— Martin H. Fischer

“Positive anything is better than negative nothing.”

— Elbert Hubbard

“Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” — Zig Ziglar

“Pressure is a word that is misused in our vocabulary. When you start thinking of pressure, it’s because you’ve started to think of failure.”

— Tommy Lasorda

“Pride is pleasure arising from a man’s thinking too highly of himself.”

— Baruch Spinoza

“Principles and rules are intended to provide a thinking man with a frame of reference.”

— Karl Von Clausewitz

“Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.”

— John Locke

“Reading is equivalent to thinking with someone else’s head instead of with one’s own.”

— Arthur Schopenhauer

“Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting.”

— Edmund Burke

“Romance is thinking about your significant other, when you are supposed to be thinking about something else.”

— Nicholas Sparks

“ Sad people dislike the happy, and the happy the sad; the quick thinking the sedate, and the careless the busy and industrious.”

“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.”

— Carl Sagan

“Self-worth comes from one thing – thinking that you are worthy.”

— Wayne Dyer

“Sixty minutes of thinking of any kind is bound to lead to confusion and unhappiness.”

“Some people get lost in thought because it’s such unfamiliar territory.”

— G. Behn

“Some people do not become thinkers simply because their memories are too good.”

— Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

“Some years ago, I wrote a book called the Emperor’s New Mind and that book was describing a point of view I had about consciousness and why it was not something that comes about from complicated calculations.”

“Sometimes I think and other times I am.”

— Paul Valéry

“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”

— Bill Gates

“Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.”

— Napoleon Bonaparte

“Talking with a friend is nothing else but thinking aloud.”

— Joseph Addison

“The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium.”

— Norbet Platt

“ The average man never really thinks from end to end of his life.  The mental activity of such people is only a mouthing of clichés.”

— H.L. Mencken

“The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.”

— David Ogilvy

“The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil.”

— Thomas A. Edison

“ The best way of forgetting how you think you feel is to concentrate on what you know you know.”

— Mary Stewart

“The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.”

— John Kenneth Galbraith

“The forceps of our minds are clumsy things and crush the truth a little in the course of taking hold of it.”

— H.G. Wells

“The ‘how’ thinker gets problems solved effectively because he wastes no time with futile ‘ifs’.”

—  Norman Vincent Peale

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”

— Alice Walker

“The most successful politician is he who says what the people are thinking most often in the loudest voice.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

“The most thought-provoking thing in our thought-provoking time is that we are still not thinking.”

— Martin Heidegger

“ The only place where your dream becomes impossible is in your own thinking.”

— Robert H. Schuller

“ The reason why so few people are agreeable in conversation is that each is thinking more about what he intends to say than others are saying.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“The secret of living a life of excellence is merely a matter of thinking thoughts of excellence. Really, it’s a matter of programming our minds with the kind of information that will set us free.”

— Charles R. Swindoll

“The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking.”

— A. A. Milne

“The thoughts that come often unsought, and, as it were, drop into the mind, are commonly the most valuable of any we have.”

“The trouble with most people is that they think with their hopes or fears or wishes rather than with their minds.”

— Will Durant

“ The use of travelling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.”

— Samuel Johnson

“The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.”

“The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.”

“The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”

“There are different rules for reading, for thinking, and for talking. Writing blends all three of them.”

“ There are some days I practice positive thinking, and other days I’m not positive I am thinking.”

— John M. Eades

“There are two distinct classes of what are called thoughts: those that we produce in ourselves by reflection and the act of thinking and those that bolt into the mind of their own accord.”

“There are very many people who read simply to prevent themselves from thinking.”

— Georg C. Lichtenberg

“There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first; when you learn to live for others, they will live for you.”

— Paramahansa Yogananda

“There is an art of reading, as well as an art of thinking, and an art of writing.”

— Clarence Day

“ There is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the labor of thinking.”

“Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.” – Voltaire

“Thinking about the universe has now been handed over to specialists. The rest of us merely read about it.”

— Mason Cooley

“Thinking begins only when we have come to know that reason, glorified for centuries, is the stiff-necked adversary of thought.”

“Thinking in its lower grades is comparable to paper money, and in its higher forms it is a kind of poetry.”

— Havelock Ellis

“Thinking is like loving and dying.  Each of us must do it for himself.”

— Josiah Royce

“Thinking is more interesting than knowing, but less interesting than looking.”

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“ Thinking is one thing no one has ever been able to tax.”

— Charles Kettering

“Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.”

— Henry Ford

“Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.”

“Thinking isn’t agreeing or disagreeing. That’s voting.”

— Robert Frost

“Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.”

— W. Clement Stone

“ Thinking: the talking of the soul with itself.”

“Those who know how to think need no teachers.”

“Thought is action in rehearsal.” — Anonymous“Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it.”

—  Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Thoughts lead on to purpose, purpose leads on to actions, actions form habits, habits decide character, and character fixes our destiny.”

— Tryon Edwards

“Thoughts, like fleas, jump from man to man.  But they don’t bite everybody.”

— Stanislaw Lec

“To be a real philosopher all that is necessary is to hate some one else’s type of thinking.”

“To do anything truly worth doing, I must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in with gusto and scramble through as well as I can.”

— Og Mandino

“ To get others to come into our ways of thinking, we must go over to theirs; and it is necessary to follow, in order to lead.”

— William Hazlitt

“Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

— John F. Kennedy

“Try not thinking of peeling an orange. Try not imagining the juice running down your fingers, the soft inner part of the peel. The smell. Try and you can’t. The brain doesn’t process negatives.”

— Doug Coupland

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”

— Marcus Aurelius

“We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.”

—  Buddha

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

“We get into the habit of living before acquiring the habit of thinking. In that race which daily hastens us towards death, the body maintains its irreparable lead.”

— Albert Camus

“We teach people that they upset themselves. We can’t change the past, so we change how people are thinking, feeling and behaving today.”

— Albert Ellis

“What then do you call your soul? What idea have you of it? You cannot of yourselves, without revelation, admit the existence within you of anything but a power unknown to you of feeling and thinking.”

“When I get ready to talk to people, I spend two thirds of the time thinking what they want to hear and one third thinking about what I want to say.”

— Abraham Lincoln

“ When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon.”

“ When people talk of the freedom of writing, speaking or thinking I cannot choose but laugh. No such thing ever existed. No such thing now exists; but I hope it will exist. But it must be hundreds of years after you and I shall write and speak no more.”

— John Adams

“When the mind is thinking it is talking to itself.”

“ When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness.”

— Joseph Campbell

“When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions.”

— Carter G. Woodson

“ Why should we think upon things that are lovely? Because thinking determines life. It is a common habit to blame life upon the environment. Environment modifies life but does not govern life. The soul is stronger than its surroundings.”

“Writing and learning and thinking are the same process.”

— William Zinsser

“Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.”

— Isaac Asimov

“You and I are not what we eat; we are what we think.”

— Walter Anderson

“You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world.”

—  Tom Brokaw

“You cannot simply put something new into a place. You have to absorb what you see around you, what exists on the land, and then use that knowledge along with contemporary thinking to interpret what you see.”

“You must continue to gain expertise, but avoid thinking like an expert.”

— Denis Waitley

“You sort of start thinking anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.”

— J. K. Rowling

“Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.”

— Alan Watts

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20 Of The Best Quotes About Knowledge

“Our knowledge of the world instructs us first of all that the world is greater than our knowledge of it.” –Wendell Berry

by TeachThought Staff

What is the definition of ‘knowledge’?

Oxford Dictionary defines knowledge as ‘facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.’

See also The Assimilation vs Accommodation Of Knowledge

Wikipedia offers up a bit more detail and includes the concept of truth : ‘Knowledge is often understood as an awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also mean familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is distinct from opinion or guesswork by virtue of justification.’

David Deutsch, author of, among other books and theories, The Beginning of Infinity and The Fabric of Reality , considers knowledge different than data and information. His definition frames knowledge as an effect– information with causal power . Knowledge includes explanations about how the world works, a special kind of information that can be used to explain what causes things to happen.

This definition operates in terms of function rather than concepts, with Deutsch theorizing that knowledge is asymptotic–a curve of explanations that approaches but never arrives at absolute truth. Knowledge, then, is something that perpetuates itself in the environment.

This, of course, is more of a scientific and macro definition of knowledge as an accumulation that changes the world through processes that vary in scale from evolution to writing a book.

As for education–pedagogy and learning–we tend to think of knowledge in simpler terms. In this context, knowledge can be thought of as a collection of intangible tools that are both a cause and effect of learning. Put another way, knowledge is potentially curated both as individuals and society itself.

How people think about and define knowledge is itself a kind of knowledge, which is where the following quotes about knowledge, from philosophers like Aristotle and Kant to education-centered figures like John Dewey, can help clarify what knowledge is and how we, as a species, think about what is both a concrete and abstract idea.

See also The Best Education Quotes For Teachers

20 Quotes About Knowledge

“The acquisition of knowledge always involves the revelation of ignorance – almost is the revelation of ignorance. Our knowledge of the world instructs us first of all that the world is greater than our knowledge of it.” –Wendell Berry

“To those would-be solvers of ‘the human problem,’ who hope for knowledge equal to (capable of controlling) the world, it is a source of unremitting defeat and bewilderment….or perhaps we should say instead that all our problems tend to gather under two questions about knowledge: Having the ability and desire to know, how and what should we learn? And, having learned, how and for what should we use what we know?” –Wendell Berry

“Knowledge is Power, Power provides Information; Information leads to Education, Education breeds Wisdom; Wisdom is Liberation. People are not liberated because of lack of knowledge.” –Francis Bacon

“Individuals who abide in ignorance have a thousand shades of gray, and, without knowing it, many arguments can be formed for every conceivable cause.” –Niccolo Machiavelli

“A true education is the intellectual growth of an individual achieved through the exercise of critical thinking, tolerance, and creativity.” –John Dewey

“To think for oneself is to think perfectly.” –Aristotle

“The greatest enemy of wisdom is simplicity.” –Plato

‘Where ignorance is bliss, this folly to be wise.’ –Thomas Gray

“A man may, indeed, acquire higher knowledge, but not by following or copying the rites of another, but by his own thinking.”

“Every separate step that a man takes in the goal of superior development is not in a way subordinate to the prior steps of human development that precede and come after him.” –O. Henry

See also 6 Of The Best Research Apps For iPad & Android

“To know nothing is strength.” –Albert Einstein

“Social pressure to strive for wisdom and understanding is the force that keeps all the steps of human development on the same track.” –Niels Gothenburg

“No man ever achieved tremendous success without learning — or, it should be added, without being forced to read his way out of a paper bag.” –Norman Borlaug

“However far we walk from intelligent, learned enlightenment, a man always has the seeds of ignorance he must strip and replant.” –Ernest Hemingway

“So much is to be learned in a day, that reading will never again make an excellent man so learned as he was yesterday.” —Olinga Rea

“What matters most in reading is not that it improves our intelligence, but that it does so by increasing and harmonizing our knowledge.” –Anne Lamott

“For to know nothing is nothing, not to want to know anything likewise, but to be beyond knowing anything, to know you are beyond knowing anything, that is when peace enters in, to the soul of the incurious seeker.” –Samuell Beckett

“For I was conscious that I knew practically nothing.” –Socrates

“We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.” –Unknown

“Literacy is the commonwealth, distinguished by strict compliance with general and reasonable societal standards.” –Anne Frank

“Someone who knows nothing personally pleases no one.” –O. Henry

“Education is an institution that pits the critical mind against the facts of experience, to decide what is worth knowing.“ —Olin Stickle

“The secret of wisdom is to know what you know already, and to think that you know already.” —Socrates

More Quotes on Knowledge

“Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of the soul.” –Will Durant

“An expert is a man who knows just that much more about his subject than his associates. Most of us are nearer the top than we think. We fail to realize how easy it is, how necessary it is to learn that fraction more.”

“What is all our knowledge worth? We do not even know what the weather will be tomorrow.” –Berthold Auerbach

“If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” –Isaac Newton

“To each individual, the world will take on a different connotation of meaning–the importance lies in the desire to search for an answer.” –T. S. Eliot

“Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.” –Anton Chekov

“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute. The man who does not ask is a fool for life.” —Confucius

“To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.” —Nicolaus Copernicus

“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows”—Epictetus

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” Benjamin Franklin

“Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.” Plato

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” —Confucius

“Zeal without knowledge is fire without light.” —Thomas Fuller

“That knowledge which purifies the mind and heart alone is true knowledge, all else is only a negation of knowledge.” —Ramakrishna

“Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of the soul.” —Will Durant

Best Quotes About Knowledge

TeachThought is an organization dedicated to innovation in education through the growth of outstanding teachers.

5 Critical Thinking Quotes That Will Instantly Sharpen Your Mind

Anthony metivier.

• June 14, 2021
• Critical Thinking

Let’s fix that right now.

I taught critical thinking for four years and here are some of the quotes I’ve never forgotten.

They helped me improve my thinking and many others too.

Let’s dive in.

The 5 Best Critical Thinking Quotes For People Who Want Laser Sharp Minds

Is there a best place to start?

I believe so.

It’s with humility. 

One: Start With What You Don’t Know

And Socrates was one of the first to nail down just how important humility is if you want to think well.

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”

This is probably one of the first and most important logical thinking quotes. 

It makes mathematical sense, for one thing.  

There’s so much to know, and only one life to live. 

By being intellectually honest that there will always be more to learn than any individual person could ever hope to know, you’ll be more open to collaborating with others.

And that’s exactly what Socrates did, leading to Plato’s Dialogues. It is one of the finest examples of collaborative thinking history has ever produced. 

Remember this quote and repeat it often. It will keep you open, curious and humble.

Two: An Imperfect Circle Only You Can Fix

Few people know the name Wilfred Bion now, but he was an important psychoanalyst in his time. In fact, he was even president of the British Psychoanalytical Society for some time.

When he noted that “thinking has to be called into existence to cope with thoughts,” Bion hit on something very important. It’s the core of what spiritual traditions have been struggling with for thousands of years: psychological suffering.

What Bion is essentially talking about is meta thinking or meta cognition. And as he warned his fellow psychoanalysts, how we think about thinking can either create more suffering or the release from suffering.

So as a quick exercise, ask yourself: Does how you think about your thinking increase or reduce your suffering? 

If you’re having problems, give this TEDx Talk and its simple suggestion a try:

By practicing an awareness of the difference between your thoughts and your thoughts about your thoughts, great peace and better thinking is possible.

As Bion says, you can call simple thoughts into existence to “neutralize” the thoughts that cause distress.

Three: The Reality Check

Marcus Aurelius does not strike me as a depressed person. 

But he certainly was a realistic person. And as a morning exercise, he reminded himself of all the good things in the world, without leaving out the bad.

Let’s look at the full quote in context:

“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own – not of the same blood and birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him. We were born to work together like feet, hands and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are unnatural.”

― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Why commit this quote to memory? 

The answer is simple:

To keep yourself balanced and to think critically as you go throughout your day. 

Inspired by Marcus Aurelius, I think of it this way:

The scales of justice are constantly thrown out of balance. Being ignorant of that fact helps no one. But cultivating discernment about this truth can help us better navigate the world. 

Four: Cherish And Seek Originality

A lot of people copied Nikola Tesla. 

But instead of getting mad, he said:

“I don’t care that they stole my idea …  I care that they don’t have any of their own.”

What makes this a great quote about critical thinking?

Tesla noticed the real behavior and the real problem. 

In a word, a lot of people suffer from scarcity-thinking. They don’t believe in themselves. And that leads them into behaviors that reduce their abilities to generate unique ideas.

Tesla, like Einstein, practiced something like image streaming . 

And not just for a few minutes. The practice went on over years. 

As Einstein said, ““It is not that I’m so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.”

As a result of sticking with visualization and working through problems longer than others were willing to do, powerful ideas emerged. These ideas went on to positively impact millions of people.

Tesla knew that if only more people would engage in deeper thinking, they would not have to steal the ideas of others.

That said, there’s nothing wrong with getting inspired by others. Check out these critical thinking examples if you need a starting point for coming up with ideas of your own.

Five: Don’t Settle Too Quickly

Joseph Joubert knew the dangers of deciding too quickly. As the inspector-general of universities for Napoleon, it was his job to ensure that intellectual conversations were flourishing. 

More importantly, he wanted to make sure that debates continued to happen, especially when certain parties wanted to shut them down.

That’s why he said:

“It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it.”

The next time you find yourself dodging an argument, stop and remember this quote. Debating is almost always worth it, even if you cannot always come to a consensus. 

A Few Resources That Help You Take Action From These Quotes on Critical Thinking

Going over famous critical thinking quotes is one thing.

Remembering them forever is another. 

If you’d like to commit these quotes to memory, I suggest you learn how to use a Memory Palace . It’s a fun and easy way to use a location (like your home or a classroom) to remember any information. 

Here’s where to learn all about the technique with some videos and worksheets:

For more on critical thinking, check out these resources:

• 11 Benefits of Critical Thinking That Rapidly Improve Your Life
• 9 Critical Thinking Strategies That Lifelong Learners Need To Know
• Reflective Thinking: 5 Powerful Thought Strategies For Improving Your Life
• The 7 Main Types Of Thinking (And How To Improve Them)
• Independent Thinking: 7 Tips On Becoming An Individual Thinker
• 3 Ways to Improve Your Reasoning Skills (With Examples)
• How to Think Logically (And Permanently Solve Serious Problems)
• Objective vs. Subjective Reasoning: Everything You Need to Know
• How to Think Faster And Avoid 9 Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making

I hope you enjoy going through them.

Why bother?

Well, as I often like to say (another quote for you): 

“Content may be king, but context is god.”

The more you know, the more you can know, especially when you read these critical thinking books .

One more before we go:

“I don’t write a book so that it will be the final word; I write a book so that other books are possible, not necessarily written by me.” ― Michel Foucault

Like Foucault, I write these blog posts so that posts from others become possible.

So let me know in the comments:

What are your favorite quotes about thinking? And why have they created an impact in your life?

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50 Short Quotes on Thinking from 50 Great Thinkers

by Kara Lane | Thinking

French philosopher and scientist Blaise Pascal reportedly once said, “I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.” Being clear, complete, and concise requires more thought than simply rambling on and on until a point is made. When someone makes a profound statement in a sentence or two, it is not only more memorable, it is more impactful. Following are brief quotes attributed to some of the most successful thinkers of all time. Reflect on these quotes to clarify and focus your own thinking.

1. Albert Einstein : Imagination is more important than knowledge, for while knowledge defines everything we know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.

2. Alvin Toffler : The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.

3. Amelia Earhart : The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life, and the procedure, the process, is its own reward.

4. Anton Chekhov : Man is what he believes.

5. Aristotle : Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.

6. Benjamin Disraeli : Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think.

7. Benjamin Franklin : Energy and persistence conquer all things.

8. Bertrand Russell : Many people would sooner die than think. In fact, they do.

9. Blaise Pascal : Man’s greatness lies in his power of thought.

10. Buddha : What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow. Our life is the creation of our mind.

11. Charles Bukowski : A life can change in a tenth of a second or sometimes it can take 70 years.

12. Confucius : If you look into your heart and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear?

13. David Hume : Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them.

14. Denis Waitley : If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won’t, you most assuredly won’t. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.

15. Eleanor Roosevelt : In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.

16. Ernest Holmes : My thought is in control of my experience, and I can direct my thinking.

17. F. Scott Fitzgerald : Either you think, or else others have to think for you and take power from you, pervert and discipline your natural tastes, civilize and sterilize you.

18. Frank Lloyd Wright : The thing always happens that you really believe in, and the belief in a thing makes it happen.

19. Frederick William Faber : Kind thoughts are rarer than either kind words or deeds. They imply a great deal of thinking about others. This in itself is rare. But they also imply a great deal of thinking about others without the thoughts being criticisms. This is rarer still.

20. General George Patton : A good plan implemented today is better than a perfect plan implemented tomorrow.

21. George Bernard Shaw : Few people think more than two or three times a year. I have made an international reputation for myself thinking once or twice a week.

22. Henri Bergson : To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.

23. Henry David Thoreau : Thought is the sculptor who can create the person you want to be.

24. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow : Thought takes man out of servitude, into freedom.

25. Herbert A. Otto : Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life.

26. James Allen : All that you accomplish or fail to accomplish with your life is the direct result of your thoughts.

27. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe : To act is to decide. Knowing is not enough; we must act.

28. John Locke : I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.

29. John Naisbitt : We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge.

30. John Wooden : There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. So keep in mind that in the end, the choice you make, makes you.

31. Julius Caesar : Men willingly believe what they wish.

32. Lao-Tzu : Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

33. Leonardo da Vinci : Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then you do something else. The trick is in the doing something else.

34. Mahatma Gandhi : As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world as in being able to remake ourselves.

35. Mark Twain : We like a man to come right out and say what he thinks, if we agree with him.

36. Michelangelo : If you knew how much work went into it, you wouldn’t call it genius.

37. Muhammad Ali : It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.

38. Napoleon Hill : Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.

39. Norman Vincent Peale : The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results.

40. Plato : Thinking is the talking of the soul with itself.

41. Ralph Waldo Emerson : A man is what he thinks about all day long.

42. Rumi : Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself.

43. Socrates : To find yourself, think for yourself.

44. Soren Kierkegaard : Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts.

45. Steve Jobs : Your thoughts construct patterns like scaffolding in your mind. You are really etching chemical patterns. In most cases, people get stuck in those patterns, just like grooves in a record, and they never get out of them.

46. Thomas Carlyle : Thought is the parent of the deed.

47. Thomas Paine : When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon.

48. Viktor Frankl : Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

49. William James : Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.

50. William Shakespeare : Thought is free.

I hope you enjoyed these thought-provoking quotes. If you’re interested in books about how to think more effectively, check out this post with 12 Books That Will Improve Your Thinking and Results.   

wisdom quotes trending all quotes

145 Thinking Quotes To Make You More Thoughtful

By Maxime Lagacé

Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page .

Here are 145 of the most inspiring thinking quotes. And please keep in mind: if you think each day, you’ll solve 90% of your problems. The problem is that most people live on autopilot. So slow down, and think about these quotes. Enjoy!

If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking. Benjamin Franklin

You were born with the greatest weapon in all of nature — the rational, conscious mind. Robert Greene

To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult of all. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The student reflects rarely and unconsciously. The smart reflects daily and consciously. The master let it go. Maxime Lagacé

Right thinking comes with self-knowledge. Without understanding yourself, you have no basis for thought. Jiddu Krishnamurti

There is no conversation more boring than the one where everybody agrees. Michel de Montaigne

Think for yourself, not of yourself. Think of others, not for others. Naval Ravikant

I insist on a lot of time being spent, almost every day, to just sit and think. Warren Buffett

We waste our time with short term thinking and busywork. Warren Buffett spends a year deciding and a day acting. That act lasts decades. Naval Ravikant

We like it when other people agree with us, which is why we rarely say what we are thinking. Shane Parrish

An opinion should be the result of thought, not a substitute for it. Jef Mallett

Writing is not the most important thing; thinking is. But writing is probably the best way to improve your thinking. Matt Mullenweg

Every deep thinker is more afraid of being understood than of being misunderstood. Friedrich Nietzsche

Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought. John F. Kennedy

If you can think and speak and write, you are absolutely deadly, nothing can get in your way. Jordan Peterson

• 65 Growth Mindset Quotes (To Improve Your Life)
• 75 Understanding Quotes To Bring Clarity Into Your Life
• 77 Intelligence Quotes (From The Best Minds Ever)

The Best Thinking Quotes

The best thinking is rethinking. Shane Parrish

As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it. Lao Tzu

The person who consistently makes you think, is the most undervalued person in your life. Shane Parrish

Thinking is the ability to strip away what doesn’t matter from a situation so you can see what does matter. Shane Parrish

Spend at least one hour a day thinking . Just thinking, alone, in silence. No music. No book. No one. Your mind gets clearer. Your relationships get healthier. Your life gets better. @orangebook_

The snake which cannot cast its skin has to die. As well the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be mind. Friedrich Nietzsche

New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not common. John Locke

If you overthink you become stressed and confused. If you think too little they will think for you. Maxime Lagacé

Anxiety is thought without control. Flow is control without thought. James Clear

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. Albert Einstein

Few men think, yet all will have opinions. Hence men’s opinions are superficial and confused. John Locke

I think (too much), therefore I am (not there to live my life). Thich Nhat Hanh

Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so. Bertrand Russell

Regular minds find similarities in stories (and situations); finer minds detect differences. Nassim Nicholas Taleb ( The Bed of Procrustes , Amazon book)

Think for yourself. Some people see warnings signs when they are alone. I see warning signs in a crowd. Maxime Lagacé

As a rule, you must always reserve the right to laugh the next day at your thoughts of the previous night. Napoleon Bonaparte

We only labor to stuff the memory, and leave the conscience and the understanding unfurnished and void. Michel de Montaigne

Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers. Voltaire

Thinking too little about things or thinking too much both make us obstinate and fanatical. Blaise Pascal

One of the painful signs of years of dumbed-down education is how many people are unable to make a coherent argument. They can vent their emotions, question other people’s motives, make bold assertions, repeat slogans – anything except reason. Thomas Sowell

Don’t just follow people because you agree with what they think. Follow them because you’re intrigued by how they think – and how they make you think. Adam Grant

The task is not so much to see what no one has seen, but to think what nobody has yet thought, about that which everybody sees. Erwin Schrödinger

If you’re overthinking, write. If you’re underthinking, read. Alex Wieckowski ( Source )

Learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. David Foster Wallace

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle

Good that you ask – you should always ask, always have doubts. Hermann Hesse

Part 2. Thinking Quotes That Are…

The most famous thinking quotes.

Go to table of contents

I think, therefore I am. René Descartes

To know what people really think, observe what they do, not what they say. René Descartes

The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud. Coco Chanel

Combinatory play seems to be the essential feature in productive thought. Albert Einstein ( Related : How To Boost Your Creativity The Einstein Way—With Combinatory Play , blog.trello.com)

We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them. Albert Einstein

People don’t like to think, if one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant. Helen Keller

Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too. Voltaire

Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right. Henry Ford

In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei

Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action comes, stop thinking and go in. Napoleon Bonaparte

All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking. Friedrich Nietzsche

I still live, I still think: I still have to live, for I still have to think. Friedrich Nietzsche

Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well. Mahatma Gandhi

Knowledge is real knowledge only when it is acquired by the efforts of your intellect, not by memory. Henry David Thoreau

Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think. Thomas A. Edison

Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains. Steve Jobs

Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

We more readily confess to errors, mistakes and shortcomings in our conduct than in our thought. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Hold your council before dinner; the full belly hates thinking as well as acting. Benjamin Franklin

I don’t care what people think, because people don’t think. Kanye West

What we think, we become. Buddha

Short Thinking Quotes

Schedule time to think. Shane Parrish

Rewriting is rethinking. David Perell

Learn to enjoy silence. Maxime Lagacé

Learn to enjoy not thinking. @orangebook_

Don’t outsource your thinking. Angela Jiang

Overthinking, a.k.a. underacting. Jack Butcher

The less men think, the more they talk. Montesquieu

Much learning does not produce thought. Heraclitus

The best way to minimize risk is to think. Shane Parrish

Build your own judgment, don’t rely on anyone. @AmuseChimp

Thinking is the talking of the soul with itself. Plato

For the busy mind it is painful to stop and think. Shane Parrish

Wise? No, I simply learned to think. Christopher Paolini

Calm? No, I simply learned to watch my thoughts. Maxime Lagacé

Writing is the art of thinking clearly — on paper. Julian Shapiro

Idiots ‘think’ alike, intelligent people different. @AmuseChimp

Thinking is difficult, that’s why most people judge. Carl Jung

A man has free choice to the extent that he is rational. Thomas Aquinas

Think for yourself, with humility and compassion. Lex Fridman ( Source )

The best way to improve your ability to think is to spend time thinking. Shane Parrish

My position on most things is this: I could be wrong, but I think I’m right. Jack Peach

Just think. Just be quiet and think. It’d make all the difference in the world. Fred Rogers

A clear mind is both confident and curious, calm and loving, courageous and humble. Maxime Lagacé

Inspirational Thinking Quotes

You can achieve anything you want if you just change the way you think. Will you? Maxime Lagacé

Genius is finding the invisible link between things. Vladimir Nabokov

We shouldn’t be looking for heroes, we should be looking for good ideas. Noam Chomsky

Your best thoughts will come from being in flow and not thinking at all. Dan Go ( Source )

Closed in a room, my imagination becomes the universe, and the rest of the world is missing out. Criss Jami

It’s the most powerful weapon you can possibly provide someone with. Jordan Peterson (On thinking and writing)

It becomes clear when you love silence, boredom and hard work. For the wise it’s play. For the ordinary it’s hell. Maxime Lagacé

Think not so much of what you lack as of what you have: but of the things that you have, select the best, and then reflect how eagerly you would have sought them if you did not have them . Marcus Aurelius

A thinker sees his own actions as experiments and questions – as attempts to find out something. Success and failure are for him answers above all. Friedrich Nietzsche

You must learn to master a new way to think before you can master a new way to be. Marianne Williamson

Deep understanding requires deep thinking which requires focused time alone, away from the chatter of people online and offline. It requires staying with a single thought for a long time, focusing on it and developing it. In solitude is the genesis of great ideas. @TheAncientSage

What you think constantly becomes your reality. The seed of thought is converted into action and eventually becomes the tree of your being. @TheAncientSage

It’s only by concentrating, sticking to the question, being patient, letting all the parts of my mind come into play, that I arrive at an original idea. By giving my brain a chance to make associations, draw connections, take me by surprise. William Deresiewicz

A truth, an insight, which you have slowly and laboriously puzzled out by thinking for yourself could easily have been found already written in a book; but it is a hundred times more valuable if you have arrived at it by thinking for yourself. Arthur Schopenhauer

If you want to get smart, the question you have to keep asking is why, why, why, why? Charlie Munger

Related : “You NEED to LEARN to THINK!” – Jordan B. Peterson (11-minute YouTube video)

Funny Thinking Quotes

Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again? Winnie the Pooh

Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try! Dr. Seuss

The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. Terry Pratchett

I’ll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there’s evidence of any thinking going on inside it. Terry Pratchett

There is nothing wrong with standing back and thinking. To paraphrase several sages: “Nobody can think and hit someone at the same time”. Susan Sontag

Evidence shows that we do much less thinking than we believe we do — except, of course, when we think about it. Nassim Nicholas Taleb

You’ll have better thoughts staring at a wall than watching 24-hour news. Michael ( @mmay3r )

Stop looking for angels, and start looking for angles. Ryan Holiday

Many a man fails as an original thinker simply because his memory it too good. Friedrich Nietzsche

Our heads are round so thought can change direction. Allen Ginsberg

Deep Thinking Sayings

To dare a thought is to risk being wrong. James Dale Davidson ( The Sovereign Individual , Amazon book)

The people who don’t think are the ones who never listen. Haruki Murakami

Our judgment is amongst the most subtle things that power corrupts. Naval Ravikant

Many a serious thinker has been produced in prisons, where we have nothing to do but think. Robert Greene

Your hard work and focus will give you speed. Your thoughts and judgments will give you direction. Maxime Lagacé

If people cannot write well, they cannot think well. And if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them. George Orwell

Controlling your life starts with controlling your thoughts. Dan Go ( Source )

Your mind is working at its best when you’re being paranoid. You explore every avenue and possibility of your situation at high speed with total clarity. Banksy

If you make people think they’re thinking, they’ll love you; but if you really make them think, they’ll hate you. Harlan Ellison

The challenge of our time is relearning how to concentrate. The past decade has seen an unparalleled assault on our capacity to fix our minds steadily on anything. To sit still and think, without succumbing to an anxious reach for a machine, has become almost impossible. Thibaut

Related : How To Clear Your Mind (4-minute YouTube video by SciShow Psych)

The thinker needs no one to refute him, for that he has himself. Friedrich Nietzsche

Each person is sitting alone in front of the tube, you know. It’s very hard to have ideas or thoughts under those circumstances. You can’t fight the world alone. Noam Chomsky

A truly independent thinker is neither with nor against the crowd. James Pierce ( Source )

Be careful what you put in. Those are seeds. Don’t water them. Those will grow. Clean your garden once in a while and go for a walk. Maxime Lagacé

In much of your talking, thinking is half murdered. For thought is a bird of space, that in a cage of words may indeed unfold its wings but cannot fly. Kahlil Gibran

The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think. Horace Walpole

Madness is the result not of uncertainty but of certainty. Friedrich Nietzsche

Wise Thinking Sayings

Stop thinking, and end your problems. Lao Tzu

The mark of a moderate man is freedom from his own ideas. Lao Tzu

In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple . In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present. Lao Tzu

Nothing in life matters quite as much as you think it does while you are thinking about it. Daniel Kahneman

Your thoughts shape the world you see. The world you see shapes the experiences you have. Your experiences shape your thoughts. Shane Parrish

Amateurs go with the first idea that comes into their head. Professionals realize the first idea is rarely the best idea. Shane Parrish

The true test of a long term thinker is whether you can think in decades, while your peers think in days. Anthony Pompliano ( Source )

Think through time – what do the consequences look like in 10 minutes? 10 months? 10 Years? Shane Parrish

Thinking clearly and rationally will bring you satisfaction. Listening to your heart will give you peace. Maxime Lagacé

Seek clearer thinking, not faster thinking. You acquire faster thinking on the way. @orangebook_

Just because you’ve been doing something a certain way doesn’t mean you have to continue to. Don’t let momentum make your decisions for you. Justin Kan

Related : Second-Order Thinking: What Smart People Use to Outperform (fs.blog)

Thinking is by far the most underrated activity. People consider it “unproductive” to sit on a bench and think. So they spend their lives doing things they never thought through. An hour of clear thinking can yield a conclusion that changes your life. Johnny Uzan

Twenty years after my own graduation, I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about “teaching you how to think” is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: Learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think . It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. David Foster Wallace ( This is Water )

Further Readings

• Topic: Education
• 100 Education Quotes That Will Inspire You To Keep Growing
• 100 Learning Quotes To Inspire You To Learn (Forever)
• 100 Knowledge Quotes That Will Change Your Perspective
• 100 Reading Quotes Every Book Lover Can Relate To
• 100 Curiosity Quotes To Increase Your Desire To Learn
• Why You’re Not Thinking Clearly (7-minute YouTube video by Nathaniel Drew)
• How to Think Clearly: 7 Tips for Success (euruni.edu)
• How To Learn Faster (Based on Science)

Hope you enjoyed these inspiring thinking quotes. If you did, please share them with a friend today!

Do you think often? What’s your favorite thinking quote? And remember: words can transform your life, if you find the right ones.

Video About Thinking (And Overthinking)

Table Of Contents

Part 1 Top 15 Images Best Quotes

Part 2 Thinking Quotes That ARE Famous Short Inspirational Funny Deep Wise

Part 3 Conclusion

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