--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes certainty can sound an awful…" description: "\"“Sometimes certainty can sound an awful lot like madness.”\" — Ann Aguirre" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/ann-aguirre-1121_awful-lot_sometimes-certainty-can-sound-an-awful-l_1911405.png" --- # Sometimes certainty can sound an awful lot like madness. ![“Sometimes certainty can sound an awful lot like madness.” quote by Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/ann-aguirre-1121_awful-lot_sometimes-certainty-can-sound-an-awful-l_1911405.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/ann-aguirre-1121_awful-lot_sometimes-certainty-can-sound-an-awful-l_1911405.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/ann-aguirre-1121_awful-lot_sometimes-certainty-can-sound-an-awful-l_1911405.png) > ““Sometimes certainty can sound an awful lot like madness.”” [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that absolute confidence can mask irrationality, urging caution when certainty feels extreme. **In simple terms:** Certainty can hide madness. Key Takeaway Question assumptions behind certainty. Themes critical thinking skepticism psychology Mood cautious reflective Type philosophical warning When to use this quote - political debate - personal decisions - scientific research - leadership - media consumption Key Concepts cognitive bias confidence madness Questions to Reflect On - When have you mistaken certainty for truth? - How can you test the soundness of your confidence? A Different Perspective Overconfidence may be justified in expertise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) ## Related quotes > [But I like my madness. There is a thrill in it unknown to such sanity as yours. ~ Book 1, Chapter 9,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-sabatini/but-i-like-my-madness-there-is-a-thrill-in-it-unknown-to-such-sanity/) [Rafael Sabatini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-sabatini/) > [And to be wroth with one we love…Doth work like madness in the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-to-be-wroth-with-one-we-love-doth-work-like-madness-in-the-brain/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The process of writing is a little like madness, a kind of possession not altogether benign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/the-process-of-writing-is-a-little-like-madness-a-kind-of-possession/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [I actually think in music, learning technical stuff doesn't matter. You can be as technical as you like, but still sound awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-lennon/i-actually-think-in-music-learning-technical-stuff-doesn-t-matter-you/) [Sean Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-lennon/) > [I try to think of school - this is going to sound awful - as something I do in my free time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerri-green/i-try-to-think-of-school-this-is-going-to-sound-awful-as-something-i/) Kerri Green > [If I claim I'm the opposite of my characters, then it'll just sound awful. But I tend to write the sort of things I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-davis/if-i-claim-i-m-the-opposite-of-my-characters-then-it-ll-just-sound/) [Julia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-davis/) > [The best way for me to teach myself an instrument is to just jam on it, and sound awful sometimes, and sound great other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-groban/the-best-way-for-me-to-teach-myself-an-instrument-is-to-just-jam-on/) [Josh Groban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-groban/) > [“Love, like madness, can only fill the models that society makes available.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neel-burton/love-like-madness-can-only-fill-the-models-that-society-makes/) [Neel Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neel-burton/) > [“He is mad. I am mad too, with an inward curtain-like madness. A pall. There is no illumination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-smart/he-is-mad-i-am-mad-too-with-an-inward-curtain-like-madness-a-pall/) [Elizabeth Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-smart/) > [Like madness, is the glory of this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/like-madness-is-the-glory-of-this-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Magic is a power, much like madness but so much more like fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-gael/magic-is-a-power-much-like-madness-but-so-much-more-like-fire/) Cynthia Gael > [Like madness is the glory of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/like-madness-is-the-glory-of-life/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [ “\[W\]hat seems like madness at its inception will become the way things have always been if you give it enough time.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/w-hat-seems-like-madness-at-its-inception-will-become-the-way-things/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [I get invited to an awful lot of Jewish functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/i-get-invited-to-an-awful-lot-of-jewish-functions/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [“There is room enough for an awful lot of people to be right about things and still not agree. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/there-is-room-enough-for-an-awful-lot-of-people-to-be-right-about/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) ## More by Ann Aguirre > [I’d never known it was possible to love as he did— with complete devotion yet devoid of promises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/i-d-never-known-it-was-possible-to-love-as-he-did-with-complete/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [“Vel once told me that the heart isn't like a cup of water. You can't drain it. It's more like an endless well, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/vel-once-told-me-that-the-heart-isn-t-like-a-cup-of-water-you-can-t/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [There were different kinds of strength. I knew that now. It didn't always come from a knife or a willingness to fight. Sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/there-were-different-kinds-of-strength-i-knew-that-now-it-didn-t/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [I wanted proof, not promises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/i-wanted-proof-not-promises/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [“When people stop writing down their stories, the soul the world is lost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/when-people-stop-writing-down-their-stories-the-soul-the-world-is-lost/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [Is that love? It seems like a pale word, too easily tossed about by people who don’t know the meaning of it, who twist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/is-that-love-it-seems-like-a-pale-word-too-easily-tossed-about-by/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [Maybe I was just one of those people who couldn't rest easy unless things went catastrophically wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/maybe-i-was-just-one-of-those-people-who-couldn-t-rest-easy-unless/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [“The strong survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/the-strong-survive/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [Here in the enclave, one didn't prosper by demonstrating too much independent thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/here-in-the-enclave-one-didn-t-prosper-by-demonstrating-too-much/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [“My heart hurt when I remembered him, but the alternative was forgetting, and that was the final kind of death—when nobody told your story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/my-heart-hurt-when-i-remembered-him-but-the-alternative-was/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [“He cocked his head, listening, then whispered to the big man, "We've got a group of four, incoming. Don't scare them off with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/he-cocked-his-head-listening-then-whispered-to-the-big-man-we-ve-got/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [“These are the results of public security cams at work, recording routinely those who come and go. Apparently, it functions as a wondrous preventative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/these-are-the-results-of-public-security-cams-at-work-recording/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [We stood back-to-back, blocking and striking in harmony; sometimes it felt like his arms and legs were an extension of me. I could count…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/we-stood-back-to-back-blocking-and-striking-in-harmony-sometimes-it/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [Time is fluid, so the moments where everything feels perfect pass in a wink, and those where you're on your knees in despair drag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/time-is-fluid-so-the-moments-where-everything-feels-perfect-pass-in-a/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [“It hurts, but then, what doesn't? Pain proves that we're alive, gives us the ability to appreciate pleasure - everything in balance, everything in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/it-hurts-but-then-what-doesn-t-pain-proves-that-we-re-alive-gives-us/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) [Explore all 287 Ann Aguirre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) ## More Awful lot quotes > [“There is room enough for an awful lot of people to be right about things and still not agree. 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They keep us going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickey-medlocke/the-fans-mean-an-awful-lot-to-us-they-keep-us-going/) [Rickey Medlocke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickey-medlocke/) > [But I did an awful lot of work in Hollywood, and in New York for that matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macnee/but-i-did-an-awful-lot-of-work-in-hollywood-and-in-new-york-for-that/) [Patrick Macnee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macnee/) > [I learned by reading an awful lot and by writing a half a million words of stuff nobody would do anything with except wrap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-turtledove/i-learned-by-reading-an-awful-lot-and-by-writing-a-half-a-million/) [Harry Turtledove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-turtledove/) > [It takes an awful lot to offend me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-visage/it-takes-an-awful-lot-to-offend-me/) [Michelle Visage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-visage/) > [For someone who doesn't even like love stories, I've played an awful lot of lovers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahrukh-khan/for-someone-who-doesn-t-even-like-love-stories-i-ve-played-an-awful/) [Shahrukh Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahrukh-khan/) > [On Route 66, a lot of it, it's very transient. There's an awful lot of really, really bad food, you can't ignore that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-myers/on-route-66-a-lot-of-it-it-s-very-transient-there-s-an-awful-lot-of/) [Dave Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-myers/) > [There's an awful lot of terrible television which I could do, but I mostly stick to Have I Got News for You.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hislop/there-s-an-awful-lot-of-terrible-television-which-i-could-do-but-i/) [Ian Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hislop/) > [“Learn a little bit about an awful lot and an awful lot about precious little.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-rancic/learn-a-little-bit-about-an-awful-lot-and-an-awful-lot-about-precious/) [Bill Rancic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-rancic/) > [I get into an awful lot of trouble for not being polite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/i-get-into-an-awful-lot-of-trouble-for-not-being-polite/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [I've done an awful lot of stuff that's a monument to public patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrone-power/i-ve-done-an-awful-lot-of-stuff-that-s-a-monument-to-public-patience/) Tyrone Power > [That invisible hand of Adam Smith seems to offer an extended middle finger to an awful lot of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/that-invisible-hand-of-adam-smith-seems-to-offer-an-extended-middle/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [You know, as director of the CIA, I got an awful lot of intelligence about all the horrible things that could go on across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/you-know-as-director-of-the-cia-i-got-an-awful-lot-of-intelligence/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) Browse all 47 Awful lot quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sometimes certainty can sound an awful lot like madness.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ann Aguirre" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/sometimes-certainty-can-sound-an-awful-lot-like-madness/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Awful lot" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/sometimes-certainty-can-sound-an-awful-lot-like-madness/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/ann-aguirre-1121_awful-lot_sometimes-certainty-can-sound-an-awful-l_1911405.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/ann-aguirre-1121_awful-lot_sometimes-certainty-can-sound-an-awful-l_1911405.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/ann-aguirre-1121_awful-lot_sometimes-certainty-can-sound-an-awful-l_1911405.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes certainty can sound an awful lot like madness.” — Ann Aguirre", "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": "Ann Aguirre", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Sometimes certainty can sound an awful...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/sometimes-certainty-can-sound-an-awful-lot-like-madness/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/sometimes-certainty-can-sound-an-awful-lot-like-madness/#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 } } ] } ```