--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The mind, as a defense against the volume…" description: "\"“The mind, as a defense against the volume of today’s communications, screens and rejects much of the information offered it. In general, the mind acce..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/al-ries-14351_communication_the-mind-as-a-defense-against-the-volume_801569.png" --- # The mind, as a defense against the volume of today’s… ![“The mind, as a defense against the volume of today’s communications, screens and rejects much of the information offered it. In general, the mind accepts only that which matches prior knowledge or experience.” quote by Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/al-ries-14351_communication_the-mind-as-a-defense-against-the-volume_801569.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/al-ries-14351_communication_the-mind-as-a-defense-against-the-volume_801569.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/al-ries-14351_communication_the-mind-as-a-defense-against-the-volume_801569.png) > ““The mind, as a defense against the volume of today’s communications, screens and rejects much of the information offered it. In general, the mind accepts only that which matches prior knowledge or experience.”” [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The mind filters information, accepting only what matches prior knowledge, leading to selective perception. **In simple terms:** Our brains favor familiar ideas. Key Takeaway Recognize and broaden mental filters. Themes cognition information overload bias Mood analytical cautious Type educational insightful When to use this quote - marketing strategies - learning new skills - media consumption - decision making Key Concepts selective perception confirmation bias mental models Questions to Reflect On - How can you challenge existing assumptions? - What new perspectives could you explore? A Different Perspective Overreliance on prior knowledge can hinder innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [General Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/general-mind-4497427/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind Accepts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-accepts-4189060/) [Mind Defense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-defense-1073541/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Rejects Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rejects-information-6136570/) ## Related quotes > [To penetrate and dissipate these clouds of darkness, the general mind must be strengthened by education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/to-penetrate-and-dissipate-these-clouds-of-darkness-the-general-mind/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Once the subconscious mind accepts an idea, it begins to execute it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/once-the-subconscious-mind-accepts-an-idea-it-begins-to-execute-it/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Defense of the mind is the defense of your sanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/collin-mitchell/defense-of-the-mind-is-the-defense-of-your-sanity/) [Collin Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/collin-mitchell/) > [“That's what a little victory in psychiatry looks like. You slip into the shadows, dodging the mind's defense mechanisms, glad enough to take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/that-s-what-a-little-victory-in-psychiatry-looks-like-you-slip-into/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [Metaphor isn't just a fancy turn of speech. It shapes our thoughts and feelings, reaches out to grasp new experience, and even binds our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-richardson/metaphor-isn-t-just-a-fancy-turn-of-speech-it-shapes-our-thoughts-and/) [James Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-richardson/) > [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. 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Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) ## More by Al Ries > [“Never run advertising until the major publicity possibilities have been exploited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/never-run-advertising-until-the-major-publicity-possibilities-have/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [It normally takes decades to build a brand... It's the forgetting of the old truth that allows a person to accept a new truth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/it-normally-takes-decades-to-build-a-brand-it-s-the-forgetting-of-the/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [Marketing is what a company is in business to do. Marketing is a company's ultimate objective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/marketing-is-what-a-company-is-in-business-to-do-marketing-is-a/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [The next generation product almost never comes from the previous generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/the-next-generation-product-almost-never-comes-from-the-previous/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [Your brand's power lies in dominance. It is better to have 50% of one market, instead of 10% of five markets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/your-brand-s-power-lies-in-dominance-it-is-better-to-have-50-of-one/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [What's your brand? If you can't answer that question about your own brand in two or three words, your brand's in trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/what-s-your-brand-if-you-can-t-answer-that-question-about-your-own/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [Changing the direction of a large company is like trying to turn an aircraft carrier. It takes a mile before anything happens. And if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/changing-the-direction-of-a-large-company-is-like-trying-to-turn-an/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [A branding program should be designed to differentiate your cow from all the other cattle on the range. Even if all the cattle on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/a-branding-program-should-be-designed-to-differentiate-your-cow-from/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [When a really new product comes along, it's almost always a mistake to hang a well-known name on it. The reason is obvious. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/when-a-really-new-product-comes-along-it-s-almost-always-a-mistake-to/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [“What’s called luck is usually an outgrowth of successful communication.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/what-s-called-luck-is-usually-an-outgrowth-of-successful-communication/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [“Mind-changing is the road to advertising disaster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/mind-changing-is-the-road-to-advertising-disaster/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [A successful branding program is based on the concept of singularity. It creates in the mind of the prospect the perception that there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/a-successful-branding-program-is-based-on-the-concept-of-singularity/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [To get into the consumer's mind, you have to sacrifice. You have to reduce the essence of your brand to a single thought or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/to-get-into-the-consumer-s-mind-you-have-to-sacrifice-you-have-to/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [Customers want brands that are narrow in scope and distinguishable by a single word, the shorter the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/customers-want-brands-that-are-narrow-in-scope-and-distinguishable-by/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [Marketing is not selling. Marketing is building a brand in the mind of the prospect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/marketing-is-not-selling-marketing-is-building-a-brand-in-the-mind-of/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) [Explore all 46 Al Ries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) [Yoram Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/) > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) [Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The mind, as a defense against the volume of today’s communications, screens and rejects much of the information offered it. 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