Degrees Quote by Albert Ellis
“When I was 16 I started keeping a diary in which I recorded my disagreements with the famous philosophers. I didn't insist that they were wrong, that I was right and I had to prevail. I just agreed and disagreed with them. I thought there was a high degree of probability that I was right and some other thinkers were wrong. But I wasn't positive about it.”
About This Quote
Source Book: *Reason and Emotion*, 1977
Questioning philosophers with humility acknowledges uncertainty.
In simple terms: Stay open to doubt.
Key Takeaway
Embrace intellectual humility.
Themes
psychology
philosophy
self‑reflection
Mood
introspective
educational
Type
self‑help
philosophical
When to use this quote
- therapy sessions
- academic debates
- personal journaling
Key Concepts
cognitive bias
critical thinking
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance confidence and doubt?
- When is certainty useful?
A Different Perspective
Overconfidence can still persist.
![“[Photography is ] likewise even French impressionists. So the Sculls bought pop. It was politics, and they moved with it. And I think that could be happening, to some degree, with photography, too. It doesn't cost as much to do it, either.” quote by Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2eb/garry-winogrand-2342_cost_photography-is-likewise-even-french-impr_2802.jpg)
![“What are you for? It may be, to a degree, consoling that white brothers and sisters did not vote for [Donald] Trump, and do not participate in that brand of animus, that gas-bagging of enormous bigotry.” quote by Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/01d/michael-eric-dyson-1424_animus_what-are-you-for-it-may-be-to-a-degree-c_14940.jpg)
