--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a profoundly erroneous truism…" description: "\"It is a profoundly erroneous truism, repeated by all copy books and by eminent people when they are making speeches, that we should cultivate the habit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/alfred-north-whitehead-836_book_it-is-a-profoundly-erroneous-truism-repe_249669.jpg" --- # It is a profoundly erroneous truism, repeated by all copy… ![“It is a profoundly erroneous truism, repeated by all copy books and by eminent people when they are making speeches, that we should cultivate the habit of thinking of what we are doing. The precise opposite is the case. Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we…” quote by Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/alfred-north-whitehead-836_book_it-is-a-profoundly-erroneous-truism-repe_249669.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/alfred-north-whitehead-836_book_it-is-a-profoundly-erroneous-truism-repe_249669.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/alfred-north-whitehead-836_book_it-is-a-profoundly-erroneous-truism-repe_249669.jpg) > “It is a profoundly erroneous truism, repeated by all copy books and by eminent people when they are making speeches, that we should cultivate the habit of thinking of what we are doing. The precise opposite is the case. Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them.” [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Civilization progresses by automating routine tasks, freeing thought for higher work. **In simple terms:** Automation frees mental capacity. Key Takeaway Embrace automation. Themes progress technology efficiency Mood analytical critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - workplace - education - daily routines Key Concepts cognitive load automation innovation Questions to Reflect On - Which tasks could you automate? - What are the risks of thinking too much? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on automation can reduce critical thinking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Precise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precise/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Truism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truism/) ## Related quotes > [“It is a profoundly erroneous truism that we should cultivate the habit of thinking of what we are doing. The precise opposite is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/it-is-a-profoundly-erroneous-truism-that-we-should-cultivate-the/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [“It is a profoundly erroneous truism repeated by all copybooks, and by eminent people when they are making speeches, that we should cultivate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-d-hirsch-jr-2/it-is-a-profoundly-erroneous-truism-repeated-by-all-copybooks-and-by/) E.D. Hirsch Jr > [Great art is more than a transient refreshment. It is something which adds to the permanent richness of the soul's self-attainment. It justifies itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/great-art-is-more-than-a-transient-refreshment-it-is-something-which/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them. Operations of thought are cavalry charges in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/civilization-advances-by-extending-the-number-of-important-operations/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [We get into the habit of living before acquiring the habit of thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-get-into-the-habit-of-living-before-acquiring-the-habit-of-thinking/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The painter has to unlearn the habit of thinking that things seem to have the color which common sense says they 'really' have, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-painter-has-to-unlearn-the-habit-of-thinking-that-things-seem-to/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's ok to care about what other people think, but you should give a little more weight to what you, yourself, think...The habit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nnedi-okorafor/it-s-ok-to-care-about-what-other-people-think-but-you-should-give-a/) [Nnedi Okorafor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nnedi-okorafor/) > [People who develop the habit of thinking of themselves as world citizens are fulfilling the first requirement of sanity in our time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/people-who-develop-the-habit-of-thinking-of-themselves-as-world/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [It's just as hard for man to break the habit of thinking of himself as central to the species as it was to break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-morgan/it-s-just-as-hard-for-man-to-break-the-habit-of-thinking-of-himself/) [Elaine Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-morgan/) > [Education is the methodical creation of the habit of thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-dimnet/education-is-the-methodical-creation-of-the-habit-of-thinking/) [Ernest Dimnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-dimnet/) > [I don't want to get into the habit of thinking about my career because when it comes down to it, it's not that important.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/river-phoenix/i-don-t-want-to-get-into-the-habit-of-thinking-about-my-career/) [River Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/river-phoenix/) > [The problem with Indians is that we have lost the habit of thinking big!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dhirubhai-ambani/the-problem-with-indians-is-that-we-have-lost-the-habit-of-thinking/) [Dhirubhai Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dhirubhai-ambani/) > [“The habit of thinking of ourselves as sublime, or having a lofty conception of our possibilities, of imagining ourselves as being commanded by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/the-habit-of-thinking-of-ourselves-as-sublime-or-having-a-lofty/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“The habit of thinking in terms of comparison is a fatal one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-habit-of-thinking-in-terms-of-comparison-is-a-fatal-one/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) ## More by Alfred North Whitehead > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Philosophy begins in wonder. And, at the end, when philosophic thought has done its best, the wonder remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/philosophy-begins-in-wonder-and-at-the-end-when-philosophic-thought/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [The pursuit of mathematics is a divine madness of the human spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-pursuit-of-mathematics-is-a-divine-madness-of-the-human-spirit/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Without adventure all civilization is full of decay. Adventure rarely reaches its predetermined end. Columbus never reached China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/without-adventure-all-civilization-is-full-of-decay-adventure-rarely/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Aristotle discovered all the half-truths which were necessary to the creation of science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/aristotle-discovered-all-the-half-truths-which-were-necessary-to-the/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [On the ostensible exactitude of certain branches of human knowledge, including mathematics. The exactness is a fake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/on-the-ostensible-exactitude-of-certain-branches-of-human-knowledge/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [It is this union of passionate interest in the detailed facts with equal devotion to abstract generalisation which forms the novelty in our present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/it-is-this-union-of-passionate-interest-in-the-detailed-facts-with/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Our minds are finite, and yet even in these circumstances of infinitude we are surrounded by possibilities that are infinite, and the purpose of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/our-minds-are-finite-and-yet-even-in-these-circumstances-of/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [The many become one and are increased by one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-many-become-one-and-are-increased-by-one/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/art-is-the-imposing-of-a-pattern-on-experience-and-our-aesthetic/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [The future belongs to those who can rise above the confines of the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-future-belongs-to-those-who-can-rise-above-the-confines-of-the/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Common sense is genius in homespun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/common-sense-is-genius-in-homespun/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Everyone is a philosopher. Not everyone is good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/everyone-is-a-philosopher-not-everyone-is-good-at-it/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Do not teach too many subjects and what you teach, teach thoroughly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/do-not-teach-too-many-subjects-and-what-you-teach-teach-thoroughly/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them. Operations of thought are cavalry charges in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/civilization-advances-by-extending-the-number-of-important-operations/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) [Explore all 356 Alfred North Whitehead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. 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