--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Certainty is the enemy of mankind. If…" description: "\"Certainty is the enemy of mankind. If you're certain about everything, you have the Inquisition, you have Nazis and you have - that certainty is someth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/anthony-hopkins-1334_certain_certainty-is-the-enemy-of-mankind-if-you_2224694.png" --- # Certainty is the enemy of mankind. If you're certain about… ![“Certainty is the enemy of mankind. If you're certain about everything, you have the Inquisition, you have Nazis and you have - that certainty is something to be guarded about.” quote by Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/anthony-hopkins-1334_certain_certainty-is-the-enemy-of-mankind-if-you_2224694.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/anthony-hopkins-1334_certain_certainty-is-the-enemy-of-mankind-if-you_2224694.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/anthony-hopkins-1334_certain_certainty-is-the-enemy-of-mankind-if-you_2224694.png) > “Certainty is the enemy of mankind. If you're certain about everything, you have the Inquisition, you have Nazis and you have - that certainty is something to be guarded about.” [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Absolute certainty breeds dogma and oppression; humility guards against tyranny. **In simple terms:** Being too sure can lead to danger. Key Takeaway Stay open to doubt. Themes humility danger dogma Mood reflective cautionary Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political discourse - education - leadership - ethical decision‑making Key Concepts critical thinking historical cycles Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance confidence with humility? - When is certainty necessary? A Different Perspective Certainty can also provide stability and confidence in some contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Certainty Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty-enemy-1411637/) [Certainty Guarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty-guarded-4979634/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Guarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guarded/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inquisition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inquisition/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Mankind Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind-certain-3656974/) [Nazi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nazi/) [Nazis Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nazis-certainty-4979633/) ## Related quotes > [Oh, the truth, oh yeah, lot of trouble that got us into, didn't it, over the last maybe thousand years? Hitler knew the truth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/oh-the-truth-oh-yeah-lot-of-trouble-that-got-us-into-didn-t-it-over/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [“Whenever a great thinker wants to make of himself a binding institution for future mankind, one may be certain that he is past the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/whenever-a-great-thinker-wants-to-make-of-himself-a-binding/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Mankind cannot get on without a certain amount of absurdity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/mankind-cannot-get-on-without-a-certain-amount-of-absurdity/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [In the evolution of mankind there has always been a certain degree of social coherence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-read/in-the-evolution-of-mankind-there-has-always-been-a-certain-degree-of/) [Herbert Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-read/) > [Premature certainty is the enemy of the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nipsey-hussle/premature-certainty-is-the-enemy-of-the-truth/) [Nipsey Hussle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nipsey-hussle/) > [“Beliefs of this sort—that I’m not attractive enough, so why bother; or that my boss is an asshole, so why bother—are designed to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/beliefs-of-this-sort-that-i-m-not-attractive-enough-so-why-bother-or/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [“Certainty is the enemy of growth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/certainty-is-the-enemy-of-growth/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [“Certainty is an enemy of truth: examination and reexamination are allies of truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-boghossian/certainty-is-an-enemy-of-truth-examination-and-reexamination-are/) [Peter Boghossian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-boghossian/) > [“assume we know how the story ends. Certainty is the enemy of growth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/assume-we-know-how-the-story-ends-certainty-is-the-enemy-of-growth/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [Certainty is the enemy of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-minuchin/certainty-is-the-enemy-of-change/) [Salvador Minuchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-minuchin/) > [A prisoner in the Inquisition is never allowed to see the face of his accuser, or of the witnesses against him, but every method…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/a-prisoner-in-the-inquisition-is-never-allowed-to-see-the-face-of-his/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [If Galileo had said in verse that the world moved, the inquisition might have let him alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/if-galileo-had-said-in-verse-that-the-world-moved-the-inquisition/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Where there is no danger of overt action there is rarely any interference with freedom. That is why there has so often been amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/where-there-is-no-danger-of-overt-action-there-is-rarely-any/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [You find this curious fact, that the more intense has been the religion of any period and more profound has been the dogmatic belief,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/you-find-this-curious-fact-that-the-more-intense-has-been-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) ## More by Anthony Hopkins > [Life's too short to deal with other people's insecurities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/life-s-too-short-to-deal-with-other-people-s-insecurities/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [I visualized a lot of things happening to me, because I was a lonely kid because I didn't understand anything about school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/i-visualized-a-lot-of-things-happening-to-me-because-i-was-a-lonely/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [My life is not my own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/my-life-is-not-my-own-business/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [I watched a film with a very famous, great, great actor, I won't mention his name because everyone loves his memory, but I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/i-watched-a-film-with-a-very-famous-great-great-actor-i-won-t-mention/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [Danger is the spice of life and you’ve got to take a risk now and then…that’s what makes life worthwhile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/danger-is-the-spice-of-life-and-you-ve-got-to-take-a-risk-now-and/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [Actors I admire? 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