--- title: "3 Irrational Quotes By Eliezer Yudkowsky" description: "3 Irrational quotes by Eliezer Yudkowsky. Plus more from Eliezer Yudkowsky and more Irrational sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/661/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_cynicism_a-true-rationalist-ought-to-be-effective_2825023.png" --- > [“A true rationalist ought to be effective in the real world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/a-true-rationalist-ought-to-be-effective-in-the-real-world/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/661/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_cynicism_a-true-rationalist-ought-to-be-effective_2825023.png) > [Your strength as a rationalist is your ability to be more confused by fiction than by reality. If you are equally good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/your-strength-as-a-rationalist-is-your-ability-to-be-more-confused-by/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_irrational_your-strength-as-a-rationalist-is-your-a_2972487.png) > [You cannot 'rationalize' what is not rational to begin with - as if lying were called 'truthization.' There is no way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/you-cannot-rationalize-what-is-not-rational-to-begin-with-as-if-lying/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_argument_you-cannot-rationalize-what-is-not-ratio_2999979.png) ## Other authors on Irrational - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b004/author-ayn-rand-15943.jpg) Ayn Rand 16 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational/ayn-rand/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b018/author-noam-chomsky-71799.jpg) Noam Chomsky 10 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational/noam-chomsky/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b009/author-erich-fromm-33632.jpg) Erich Fromm 8 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational/erich-fromm/) - [Aristotle 8 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational/aristotle/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b003/author-albert-ellis-10499.jpg) Albert Ellis 7 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational/albert-ellis/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b010/author-friedrich-nietzsche-36363.jpg) Friedrich Nietzsche 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational/friedrich-nietzsche/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b007/author-dan-ariely-26126.jpg) Dan Ariely 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational/dan-ariely/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b014/author-karl-popper-55250.jpg) Karl Popper 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational/karl-popper/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b006/author-christopher-hitchens-23938.jpg) Christopher Hitchens 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational/christopher-hitchens/) ## More by Eliezer Yudkowsky > [“But I really am Ravenclaw, you know, not Slytherin. I don't want to rule the universe. I just think it could be more sensibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/but-i-really-am-ravenclaw-you-know-not-slytherin-i-don-t-want-to-rule/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“‎If you regard evidence as a constraint and seek to free yourself, you sell yourself into the chains of your whims. For you cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/if-you-regard-evidence-as-a-constraint-and-seek-to-free-yourself-you/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“I am not sure how to explain it, except that - truth matters to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-am-not-sure-how-to-explain-it-except-that-truth-matters-to-us/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [I see little hope for democracy as an effective form of government, but I admire the poetry of how it makes its victims complicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-see-little-hope-for-democracy-as-an-effective-form-of-government/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“He really really really shouldn't have done that. Amazing how much more obvious that became one second after it was too late.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/he-really-really-really-shouldn-t-have-done-that-amazing-how-much/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [I'm wondering if there's a spell to make lightning flash in the background whenever I make an ominous resolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-m-wondering-if-there-s-a-spell-to-make-lightning-flash-in-the/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“There’s a technique we use in our local rationalist cluster called “Is That Your True Rejection?”, and it works like this: Before you stake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/there-s-a-technique-we-use-in-our-local-rationalist-cluster-called-is/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [Lonely dissent doesn't feel like going to school dressed in black. It feels like going to school wearing a clown suit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/lonely-dissent-doesn-t-feel-like-going-to-school-dressed-in-black-it/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“Knowing that Draco's hopeful face had probably been drilled into him by months of practice did not make it any less effective, Harry observed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/knowing-that-draco-s-hopeful-face-had-probably-been-drilled-into-him/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [The strength of a theory is not what it allows, but what it prohibits; if you can invent an equally persuasive explanation for any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/the-strength-of-a-theory-is-not-what-it-allows-but-what-it-prohibits/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [It is triple ultra forbidden to respond to criticism with violence. There are a very few injunctions in the human art of rationality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/it-is-triple-ultra-forbidden-to-respond-to-criticism-with-violence/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [The human species was not born into a market economy. Bees won't sell you honey if you offer them an electronic funds transfer. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/the-human-species-was-not-born-into-a-market-economy-bees-won-t-sell/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“Frigideiro! " said Hermione again from the desk next to him. Her water was solid ice and there were white crystals forming on the rim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/frigideiro-said-hermione-again-from-the-desk-next-to-him-her-water/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“And then Harry Potter had launched in to a speech that was inspiring, yet vague. A speech to the effect that Fred and George…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/and-then-harry-potter-had-launched-in-to-a-speech-that-was-inspiring/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“And I know that I'd just make myself unhappy by comparing that reality to... something perfect that I built up in my imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/and-i-know-that-i-d-just-make-myself-unhappy-by-comparing-that/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational/eliezer-yudkowsky/#itemlist", "name": "3 Irrational Quotes By Eliezer Yudkowsky", "numberOfItems": 3, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A true rationalist ought to be effective in the real world.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eliezer Yudkowsky" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/a-true-rationalist-ought-to-be-effective-in-the-real-world/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/661/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_cynicism_a-true-rationalist-ought-to-be-effective_2825023.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/661/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_cynicism_a-true-rationalist-ought-to-be-effective_2825023.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/661/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_cynicism_a-true-rationalist-ought-to-be-effective_2825023.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A true rationalist ought to be effective in the real world.” — Eliezer Yudkowsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Your strength as a rationalist is your ability to be more confused by fiction than by reality. 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