--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Much of what we call emotion is nothing…" description: "\"Much of what we call emotion is nothing more or less than a certain kind - a biased, prejudiced, or strongly evaluative kind - of thought.\" — Albert Ellis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/albert-ellis-3379_biased_much-of-what-we-call-emotion-is-nothing_2341997.jpg" --- # Much of what we call emotion is nothing more or less than… ![“Much of what we call emotion is nothing more or less than a certain kind - a biased, prejudiced, or strongly evaluative kind - of thought.” quote by Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/albert-ellis-3379_biased_much-of-what-we-call-emotion-is-nothing_2341997.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/albert-ellis-3379_biased_much-of-what-we-call-emotion-is-nothing_2341997.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/albert-ellis-3379_biased_much-of-what-we-call-emotion-is-nothing_2341997.jpg) > “Much of what we call emotion is nothing more or less than a certain kind - a biased, prejudiced, or strongly evaluative kind - of thought.” [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emotions arise from evaluative thoughts; they are not separate from cognition. **In simple terms:** Emotions are thoughts with value judgments. Key Takeaway Question your judgments. Themes emotion thought bias Mood analytical critical Type psychological practical When to use this quote - therapy sessions - decision making - conflict resolution Key Concepts cognitive therapy evaluation subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - What belief fuels your strong feeling? - Can you reframe that thought? A Different Perspective Thoughts can be distorted, skewing emotions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biased/) [Biased Prejudiced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biased-prejudiced-5671313/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Emotion Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion-certain-5671314/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Kind Biased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind-biased-5671312/) [Prejudiced Strongly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudiced-strongly-5671315/) ## Related quotes > [The people who are constantly striving to apply skepticism to everything in their lives, the ones who actually care enough about truth and \[care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-dillahunty/the-people-who-are-constantly-striving-to-apply-skepticism-to/) [Matt Dillahunty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-dillahunty/) > [There's no question that I am biased toward the Hebrew calendar over the Gregorian one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bari-weiss/there-s-no-question-that-i-am-biased-toward-the-hebrew-calendar-over/) [Bari Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bari-weiss/) > [Well, being a black man in America and growing up in this society, my view of the justice system is pretty much set. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-morgan/well-being-a-black-man-in-america-and-growing-up-in-this-society-my/) [Rob Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-morgan/) > [It is quite exhilarating to speak about a God who has an incredible bias, a notorious bias in favor of the downtrodden. You look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/it-is-quite-exhilarating-to-speak-about-a-god-who-has-an-incredible/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [I pledge allegiance to the fair and balanced truth. Not the biased truth, Not the liest truth, But the highest truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-fair-and-balanced-truth-not-the-biased/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I think I'm the best at everything that I do. I may be biased because it's me. But if you ask me that, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cam-ron/i-think-i-m-the-best-at-everything-that-i-do-i-may-be-biased-because/) [Cam'ron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cam-ron/) > [Yes, the mainstream media is painfully biased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-bila/yes-the-mainstream-media-is-painfully-biased/) [Jedediah Bila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-bila/) > [The ideal reader of my novels is a lapsed Catholic and failed musician, short-sighted, colour-blind, auditorily biased, who has read the books that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-ideal-reader-of-my-novels-is-a-lapsed-catholic-and-failed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [The schedules are crammed with shows urging us to travel further, drive faster, build bigger, buy more, yet none of them are deemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/the-schedules-are-crammed-with-shows-urging-us-to-travel-further/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [“I pick up a copy of Newsweek on the plane and immediately notice how biased, slanted, and opinionated all the U.S. newsmagazine articles are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-pick-up-a-copy-of-newsweek-on-the-plane-and-immediately-notice-how/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [Digital media are biased toward replication and storage. Our digital photos practically upload and post themselves on Facebook, and our most deleted e-mails tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/digital-media-are-biased-toward-replication-and-storage-our-digital/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/) [Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/) > [I'm a liberal, but I'm not biased. Seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/i-m-a-liberal-but-i-m-not-biased-seriously/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) [Whitney Balliett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-balliett/) ## More by Albert Ellis > [The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/the-best-years-of-your-life-are-the-ones-in-which-you-decide-your/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [“REBT’s Insight No. 1 holds that you have both healthy and unhealthy emotions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/rebt-s-insight-no-1-holds-that-you-have-both-healthy-and-unhealthy/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [Failure doesn't have anything to do with your intrinsic value as a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/failure-doesn-t-have-anything-to-do-with-your-intrinsic-value-as-a/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [So I'd better stop my whining and help myself cope better with even the worst Adversities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/so-i-d-better-stop-my-whining-and-help-myself-cope-better-with-even/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [I'm one of the best-loved psychologists in the United States, but I'm also probably the most hated one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/i-m-one-of-the-best-loved-psychologists-in-the-united-states-but-i-m/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [I thought foolishly that Freudian psychoanalysis was deeper and more intensive than other, more directive forms of therapy, so I was trained in it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/i-thought-foolishly-that-freudian-psychoanalysis-was-deeper-and-more/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [I'm very happy. I like my work and I like the various aspects of it - going around the world, teaching the gospel according…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/i-m-very-happy-i-like-my-work-and-i-like-the-various-aspects-of-it/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [Let's suppose somebody abused you sexually. You still had a choice, though not a good one, about what to tell yourself about the abuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/let-s-suppose-somebody-abused-you-sexually-you-still-had-a-choice/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [People don't just get upset. They contribute to their upsetness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/people-don-t-just-get-upset-they-contribute-to-their-upsetness/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [“The concept of deservingness for one’s “sins” implies that certain acts are unquestionably under all conditions “sinful.” And this is impossible to prove.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/the-concept-of-deservingness-for-one-s-sins-implies-that-certain-acts/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [The art of love is largely the art of persistence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/the-art-of-love-is-largely-the-art-of-persistence/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [I teach people to be flexible, scientific and logical in their thinking and therefore to be less prone to brainwashing by the therapist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/i-teach-people-to-be-flexible-scientific-and-logical-in-their/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [For that again, is what all manner of religion essentially is: childish dependency. If something is irrational, that means it won't work. It's usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/for-that-again-is-what-all-manner-of-religion-essentially-is-childish/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [Thinking rationally is often different from "positive thinking," in that it is a realistic assessment of the situation, with a view towards rectifying the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/thinking-rationally-is-often-different-from-positive-thinking-in-that/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [People are terrified of other people or difficult projects because they tell themselves that they could fail or be rejected. Failure can lead to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/people-are-terrified-of-other-people-or-difficult-projects-because/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) [Explore all 132 Albert Ellis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) ## More Biased quotes > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) [Whitney Balliett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-balliett/) > [I'm a liberal, but I'm not biased. Seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/i-m-a-liberal-but-i-m-not-biased-seriously/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/) [Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Digital media are biased toward replication and storage. Our digital photos practically upload and post themselves on Facebook, and our most deleted e-mails tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/digital-media-are-biased-toward-replication-and-storage-our-digital/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [“I pick up a copy of Newsweek on the plane and immediately notice how biased, slanted, and opinionated all the U.S. newsmagazine articles are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-pick-up-a-copy-of-newsweek-on-the-plane-and-immediately-notice-how/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [The schedules are crammed with shows urging us to travel further, drive faster, build bigger, buy more, yet none of them are deemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/the-schedules-are-crammed-with-shows-urging-us-to-travel-further/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [The ideal reader of my novels is a lapsed Catholic and failed musician, short-sighted, colour-blind, auditorily biased, who has read the books that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-ideal-reader-of-my-novels-is-a-lapsed-catholic-and-failed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Yes, the mainstream media is painfully biased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-bila/yes-the-mainstream-media-is-painfully-biased/) [Jedediah Bila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-bila/) > [I think I'm the best at everything that I do. I may be biased because it's me. But if you ask me that, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cam-ron/i-think-i-m-the-best-at-everything-that-i-do-i-may-be-biased-because/) [Cam'ron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cam-ron/) > [I pledge allegiance to the fair and balanced truth. Not the biased truth, Not the liest truth, But the highest truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-fair-and-balanced-truth-not-the-biased/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [It is quite exhilarating to speak about a God who has an incredible bias, a notorious bias in favor of the downtrodden. You look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/it-is-quite-exhilarating-to-speak-about-a-god-who-has-an-incredible/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Well, being a black man in America and growing up in this society, my view of the justice system is pretty much set. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-morgan/well-being-a-black-man-in-america-and-growing-up-in-this-society-my/) [Rob Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-morgan/) > [There's no question that I am biased toward the Hebrew calendar over the Gregorian one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bari-weiss/there-s-no-question-that-i-am-biased-toward-the-hebrew-calendar-over/) [Bari Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bari-weiss/) > [The present educational establishment, to cite just one group, has been obscuring the past so that our children have no way of comparing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-demar/the-present-educational-establishment-to-cite-just-one-group-has-been/) [Gary DeMar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-demar/) [Browse all 277 Biased quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biased/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Much of what we call emotion is nothing more or less than a certain kind - a biased, prejudiced, or strongly evaluative kind - of thought.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Albert Ellis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/much-of-what-we-call-emotion-is-nothing-more-or-less-than-a-certain/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Biased" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/much-of-what-we-call-emotion-is-nothing-more-or-less-than-a-certain/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/albert-ellis-3379_biased_much-of-what-we-call-emotion-is-nothing_2341997.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/albert-ellis-3379_biased_much-of-what-we-call-emotion-is-nothing_2341997.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/albert-ellis-3379_biased_much-of-what-we-call-emotion-is-nothing_2341997.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Much of what we call emotion is nothing more or less than a certain kind - a biased, prejudiced, or strongly…” — Albert Ellis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Albert Ellis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Much of what we call emotion...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/much-of-what-we-call-emotion-is-nothing-more-or-less-than-a-certain/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/much-of-what-we-call-emotion-is-nothing-more-or-less-than-a-certain/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```