--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As I watched and observed, day after day…" description: "\"“As I watched and observed, day after day, week after week, month after month, even year after year, one day I had an epiphany: “Oh my gosh! Adults bel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/adyashanti-1169_different-ideas_as-i-watched-and-observed-day-after-day_2744753.png" --- # As I watched and observed, day after day, week after week… ![“As I watched and observed, day after day, week after week, month after month, even year after year, one day I had an epiphany: “Oh my gosh! Adults believe what they think! That’s why they suffer! That’s why they get into conflict. That’s why they behave strangely, in ways that I don’t understand…” quote by Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/adyashanti-1169_different-ideas_as-i-watched-and-observed-day-after-day_2744753.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/adyashanti-1169_different-ideas_as-i-watched-and-observed-day-after-day_2744753.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/adyashanti-1169_different-ideas_as-i-watched-and-observed-day-after-day_2744753.png) > ““As I watched and observed, day after day, week after week, month after month, even year after year, one day I had an epiphany: “Oh my gosh! Adults believe what they think! That’s why they suffer! That’s why they get into conflict. That’s why they behave strangely, in ways that I don’t understand, because they actually believe the thoughts in their head.” What I realized was that adults spent a lot of time thinking, and more important than that—and more odd, it seemed to me—they actually believed what they were thinking. They believed the thoughts in their head. All of a sudden, I had an understanding of what was happening when adults communicated with one another; that what people were in fact communicating were their thoughts, and that each person believed that what they thought was actually true. The problem was that all of the different adults had different ideas about what they thought the truth was, and so when they communicated there was this unspoken negotiation, this attempt to win each other over and to defend one’s thinking and beliefs.”” [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adults often mistake their thoughts for objective truth, leading to conflict and misunderstanding. **In simple terms:** People think their thoughts are facts, causing fights. Key Takeaway Question your own beliefs before arguing. Themes psychology communication conflict Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical insightful When to use this quote - family discussions - work meetings - political debates - online forums Key Concepts cognitive bias subjective reality belief systems Questions to Reflect On - What belief of yours might be just a thought? - How can you test a thought before accepting it? A Different Perspective Beliefs can be changed with evidence, but people resist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Different ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-ideas/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) ## Related quotes > [“If you want to keep growing, you have to challenge everything. Even your own thinking and beliefs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gould/if-you-want-to-keep-growing-you-have-to-challenge-everything-even/) Bill Gould > [When I believed my thoughts I suffered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/when-i-believed-my-thoughts-i-suffered/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [I discovered that when I believed my thoughts, I suffered, but that when I didn’t believe them, I didn’t suffer, and that this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/i-discovered-that-when-i-believed-my-thoughts-i-suffered-but-that/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [“I discovered that when I believed my thoughts, I suffered,” Katie says, “but that when I didn’t believe them, I didn’t suffer, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/i-discovered-that-when-i-believed-my-thoughts-i-suffered-katie-says/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [“If you believed that thoughts were energy and energy is matter (E=mc2) and matter never disappears, then a person can never truly leave you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wunder/if-you-believed-that-thoughts-were-energy-and-energy-is-matter-e-mc2-2/) [Wendy Wunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wunder/) > [Kids believe in Santa; adults believe in childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-kennedy/kids-believe-in-santa-adults-believe-in-childhood/) Cate Kennedy > [“The trouble with adults is that they never believe kids can do something even when they have good ideas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-merrill/the-trouble-with-adults-is-that-they-never-believe-kids-can-do/) Jean Merrill > [It's naive of adults to believe that young people aren't aware of what is going on in the world. The best thing we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reynolds/it-s-naive-of-adults-to-believe-that-young-people-aren-t-aware-of/) [Jason Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reynolds/) > [“Children are the ones that know exactly what's going on in the world,..They see more than adults, believe in more, are honest and will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/children-are-the-ones-that-know-exactly-what-s-going-on-in-the-world/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [When we are young we believe to be adults; when we are adults we believe to be young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-bittencourt-de-oliveira/when-we-are-young-we-believe-to-be-adults-when-we-are-adults-we/) Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira > [“Adults who believe in the Little Adult Assumption are going to rely heavily on words and reasons in trying to change the behavior of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-w-phelan/adults-who-believe-in-the-little-adult-assumption-are-going-to-rely/) [Thomas W. Phelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-w-phelan/) > [One of my mentors was Patricia Schroeder, and one night she came to me on the floor and she said to me, "Why are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-maloney/one-of-my-mentors-was-patricia-schroeder-and-one-night-she-came-to-me/) [Carolyn Maloney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-maloney/) > [“In my return to church, I had learned the hard way to avoid assumptions about other people's faith. For one thing, people kept surprising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mcgee/in-my-return-to-church-i-had-learned-the-hard-way-to-avoid/) [Margaret McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mcgee/) > [“For no one believes anything unless he has first thought that it is to be believed. For however suddenly, however rapidly, some thoughts fly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-of-hippo/for-no-one-believes-anything-unless-he-has-first-thought-that-it-is/) [Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-of-hippo/) > [I believed or thought I was disoriented and the victim of a bizarre dream and I believe I paced in and out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-sheppard/i-believed-or-thought-i-was-disoriented-and-the-victim-of-a-bizarre/) [Sam Sheppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-sheppard/) ## More by Adyashanti > [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [This moment in which you experience stillness is every moment. Don't let the mind seduce you into the past or future. Stay in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/this-moment-in-which-you-experience-stillness-is-every-moment-don-t/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [When you rest deeply in the Unknown without trying to escape, your experience becomes very vast. As the experience of the Unknown deepens, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/when-you-rest-deeply-in-the-unknown-without-trying-to-escape-your/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [Embrace suffering, and you transform your relationship with what causes you to suffer, as well as your relationship with suffering itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/embrace-suffering-and-you-transform-your-relationship-with-what/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [What is really important you can't understand with your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/what-is-really-important-you-can-t-understand-with-your-mind/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [What would happen if you were to allow everything to be exactly as it is? If you gave up the need for control, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/what-would-happen-if-you-were-to-allow-everything-to-be-exactly-as-it/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [Inherent in the impulse to be free, is insecurity. The impulse to be free comes from outside of the mind, and because of this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/inherent-in-the-impulse-to-be-free-is-insecurity-the-impulse-to-be/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [You can't lose what you serve. That's the secret. What you serve, you can't lose. What you don't serve and what you try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/you-can-t-lose-what-you-serve-that-s-the-secret-what-you-serve-you/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [It is not the pursuit of greater and greater states of happiness and bliss that leads to enlightenment, but the yearning for Reality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/it-is-not-the-pursuit-of-greater-and-greater-states-of-happiness-and/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [Suffering is how Life tells you that you are resisting or misperceiving what is real and true. It is the way Life suggests that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/suffering-is-how-life-tells-you-that-you-are-resisting-or/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [Real meditation is not about mastering a technique; it's about letting go of control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/real-meditation-is-not-about-mastering-a-technique-it-s-about-letting/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [When emptiness is still, that is eternity. When it moves, that is love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/when-emptiness-is-still-that-is-eternity-when-it-moves-that-is-love/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [You are an incredible mystery that you will never figure out. To be this mystery consciously is the greatest joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/you-are-an-incredible-mystery-that-you-will-never-figure-out-to-be/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [Life sustains itself. Let go of the ego and life takes care of itself through you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/life-sustains-itself-let-go-of-the-ego-and-life-takes-care-of-itself/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [One doesn't stay in a state of nirvana by hiding from difficulties. You stay in nirvana by lavishing nirvana on everyone you meet, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/one-doesn-t-stay-in-a-state-of-nirvana-by-hiding-from-difficulties/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) [Explore all 279 Adyashanti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) ## More Different ideas quotes > [People have a different idea of how movies are made than they really are. On a certain level, everyone throws ideas into the hopper.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/people-have-a-different-idea-of-how-movies-are-made-than-they-really/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [“My greatest strength is an unfocused mind. This is because while you are all thinking of one idea, I’m thinking of five different ideas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mitchell/my-greatest-strength-is-an-unfocused-mind-this-is-because-while-you/) [Ben Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mitchell/) > [I'm usually up until around 1 A.M. or 2 A.M. I don't get much sleep - and I prefer it that way, writing notes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rande-gerber/i-m-usually-up-until-around-1-a-m-or-2-a-m-i-don-t-get-much-sleep-and/) [Rande Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rande-gerber/) > [Berlin is still a very edgy place, a very cosmopolitan place. It's a place where completely different ideas and cultures come together and clash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bremmer/berlin-is-still-a-very-edgy-place-a-very-cosmopolitan-place-it-s-a/) [Ian Bremmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bremmer/) > [People have different ideas on how to increase female racing driver participation. My belief is that men and women should compete together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-wolff/people-have-different-ideas-on-how-to-increase-female-racing-driver/) [Susie Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-wolff/) > [Faith is a great thing, and really religious people would like us to believe that faith and knowing are the same thing, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/faith-is-a-great-thing-and-really-religious-people-would-like-us-to/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [While we may have very different ideas and core philosophies, at the end of the day, we are all Americans. We do well to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-johnson/while-we-may-have-very-different-ideas-and-core-philosophies-at-the/) [Mike Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-johnson/) > [It's really interesting to me how all of us can experience the exact same event, and yet come away with wildly disparate interpretations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-hornbacher/it-s-really-interesting-to-me-how-all-of-us-can-experience-the-exact/) [Marya Hornbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-hornbacher/) > [“I can't run out of different ideas. I am different. When can I run out of me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/i-can-t-run-out-of-different-ideas-i-am-different-when-can-i-run-out/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) > [“A person has to have confidence in what he's going to do. If he don't, he's not going to do it long. He has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaunda-micheaux-nelson/a-person-has-to-have-confidence-in-what-he-s-going-to-do-if-he-don-t/) [Vaunda Micheaux Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaunda-micheaux-nelson/) > [In the summer of 2010, I had decided to get into film and TV writing, so I wrote scripts for six different ideas I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/in-the-summer-of-2010-i-had-decided-to-get-into-film-and-tv-writing/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [If we had a starting XI that no one could argue about it wouldn't say a lot for English football. 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I am in a place where anything is possible if you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alesha-dixon/i-am-constantly-thinking-of-different-ideas-and-formats-for-tv-shows/) [Alesha Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alesha-dixon/) [Browse all 168 Different ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-ideas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As I watched and observed, day after day, week after week, month after month, even year after year, one day I had an epiphany: “Oh my gosh! Adults believe what they think! That’s why they suffer! That’s why they get into conflict. That’s why they behave strangely, in ways that I don’t understand, because they actually believe the thoughts in their head.” What I realized was that adults spent a lot of time thinking, and more important than that—and more odd, it seemed to me—they actually believed what they were thinking. They believed the thoughts in their head. 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