--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My greatest surprise was that so much of…" description: "\"My greatest surprise was that so much of what we think is common sense is just prejudice, and so much of what we think is scientific fact is about as s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/amy-bloom-4288_about_my-greatest-surprise-was-that-so-much-of_3131146.png" --- # My greatest surprise was that so much of what we think is… ![“My greatest surprise was that so much of what we think is common sense is just prejudice, and so much of what we think is scientific fact is about as scientific as the idea that the sun revolves around the earth.” quote by Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/amy-bloom-4288_about_my-greatest-surprise-was-that-so-much-of_3131146.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/amy-bloom-4288_about_my-greatest-surprise-was-that-so-much-of_3131146.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/amy-bloom-4288_about_my-greatest-surprise-was-that-so-much-of_3131146.png) > “My greatest surprise was that so much of what we think is common sense is just prejudice, and so much of what we think is scientific fact is about as scientific as the idea that the sun revolves around the earth.” [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. What we deem obvious often hides bias; scientific “facts” can be as mistaken as outdated astronomy. **In simple terms:** Common sense can be biased; science isn’t infallible. Key Takeaway Question assumptions, seek evidence. Themes bias science critical thinking Mood inquisitive thoughtful Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - academic research - media literacy - policy making - education reform Key Concepts cognitive bias philosophy of science Questions to Reflect On - What belief have you accepted without scrutiny? - How do you differentiate bias from evidence? A Different Perspective Even science can be misinterpreted; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Scientific](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) ## Related quotes > [By 'scientifiction' I mean the Jules Verne, H. G. 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I think the best thing my films can do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-don-t-think-my-films-are-going-to-get-rid-of-racism-or-prejudice-i/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [Me can't be prejudice. Me can't me no think of life that way. Because, me figure if you prejudice, that mean you have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/me-can-t-be-prejudice-me-can-t-me-no-think-of-life-that-way-because/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [“When we think of discrimination, these are types of ugly, virulent prejudice that we think about. But John faced a much different kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-think-of-discrimination-these-are-types-of-ugly-virulent/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is a prejudice to think that morality is more favourable to the development of reason than immorality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-a-prejudice-to-think-that-morality-is-more-favourable-to-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“I am quite sure ... I have no race prejudice, and I think I have no color prejudices, nor caste prejudices. Indeed, I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-am-quite-sure-i-have-no-race-prejudice-and-i-think-i-have-no-color/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“Almost everyone I’ve ever met likes to hear a story from the beginning. It’s a curious prejudice, when you think about it. In life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-tobolowsky/almost-everyone-i-ve-ever-met-likes-to-hear-a-story-from-the/) [Stephen Tobolowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-tobolowsky/) > [The theory of evolution, like the theory of gravity, is a scientific fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-theory-of-evolution-like-the-theory-of-gravity-is-a-scientific/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [In short, evolution is as close to being a scientific fact as is possible for any theory, given that science is open - ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-j-stenger/in-short-evolution-is-as-close-to-being-a-scientific-fact-as-is/) [Victor J. Stenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-j-stenger/) > [“Do to others as you would've them do to you. scientific fact prove that action make some reaction. Don't fuck with me, & I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-to-others-as-you-would-ve-them-do-to-you-scientific-fact-prove/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We’re brought together by a power greater than either of us. Something bigger than our own world.” It’s not just a romantic saying; it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-gray/we-re-brought-together-by-a-power-greater-than-either-of-us-something/) [Claudia Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-gray/) > [“It is a scientific fact that the crack between the stove and the kitchen counter serves as a kind of voracious black hole, sucking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-gulian/it-is-a-scientific-fact-that-the-crack-between-the-stove-and-the/) Jared Gulian ## More by Amy Bloom > [I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. And also, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-fine-writer-i-ve-ever-read/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [My target audience is anyone who finds the world interesting and human behavior fascinating, terrible, inspiring, funny, and occasionally, mysterious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/my-target-audience-is-anyone-who-finds-the-world-interesting-and/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [I assume as a writer that most of the time I'm going to fall down and fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-assume-as-a-writer-that-most-of-the-time-i-m-going-to-fall-down-and/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [It is a wonderful, moving, heart-filling experience to sit with the man or woman you love and your beloved children and know that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/it-is-a-wonderful-moving-heart-filling-experience-to-sit-with-the-man/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [If you're an American reader, you can love short stories the way other Americans love baseball; this is our game, people! We have more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/if-you-re-an-american-reader-you-can-love-short-stories-the-way-other/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [My father certainly believed that one could make a living outside of an office, as he did. And that if I didn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/my-father-certainly-believed-that-one-could-make-a-living-outside-of/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > ['Normal' is not clinical, it's not autobiographical, and I don't claim to be objective. 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I won him the way poor people occasionally win the lottery: Shameless perseverance and embarrassingly dumb luck, and every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-met-jay-jonhson-i-won-him-the-way-poor-people-occasionally-win-the/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [Actual happiness is sometimes confused with the pursuit of it; and the most mindless and crass how-tos can get jumbled in with the modestly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/actual-happiness-is-sometimes-confused-with-the-pursuit-of-it-and-the/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [Smart people often talk trash about happiness and worse than trash about books on happiness, and they have been doing so for centuries -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/smart-people-often-talk-trash-about-happiness-and-worse-than-trash/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [My father would have been spectacularly ill-suited to working for an institution of any kind, and I suspect that, to a lesser degree, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/my-father-would-have-been-spectacularly-ill-suited-to-working-for-an/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [Marriage is not a ritual or an end. Its a long, intricate, intimate dance together and nothing matters more than your own sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/marriage-is-not-a-ritual-or-an-end-its-a-long-intricate-intimate/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [All intimacy is rare-that's what makes it precious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/all-intimacy-is-rare-that-s-what-makes-it-precious/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) [Explore all 112 Amy Bloom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. 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That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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