--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe in an open mind, but not so…" description: "\"I believe in an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out.\" — Arthur Hays Sulzberger" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/arthur-hays-sulzberger-27725_believe_i-believe-in-an-open-mind-but-not-so-ope_2454104.png" --- # I believe in an open mind, but not so open that your… ![“I believe in an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out.” quote by Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/arthur-hays-sulzberger-27725_believe_i-believe-in-an-open-mind-but-not-so-ope_2454104.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/arthur-hays-sulzberger-27725_believe_i-believe-in-an-open-mind-but-not-so-ope_2454104.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/arthur-hays-sulzberger-27725_believe_i-believe-in-an-open-mind-but-not-so-ope_2454104.png) > “I believe in an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out.” [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Keep an open mind, but maintain critical boundaries to protect reasoning. **In simple terms:** Be open, but protect your mind. Key Takeaway Balance openness with caution. Themes critical thinking open‑mindedness boundaries Mood thoughtful cautious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - debates - learning new skills - media consumption Key Concepts cognitive bias intellectual humility Questions to Reflect On - When should you question a new idea? - How do you decide what to accept? A Different Perspective Too much openness can lead to gullibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Open mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains fall out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-pays-to-keep-an-open-mind-but-not-so-open-your-brains-fall-out/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Keep an open mind, but no so open that your brains fall out”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-oberg/keep-an-open-mind-but-no-so-open-that-your-brains-fall-out/) James Oberg > [A mind should not be so open that the brains fall out; however, it should not be so closed that whatever gray matter which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-bell/a-mind-should-not-be-so-open-that-the-brains-fall-out-however-it/) [Art Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-bell/) > [I do not suggest that you should not have an open mind ... but don't keep your mind so open that your brains fall out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bennett/i-do-not-suggest-that-you-should-not-have-an-open-mind-but-don-t-keep/) [William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/) > [“Keeping an open mind is a virtue—but, as the space engineer James Oberg once said, not so open that your brains fall out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/keeping-an-open-mind-is-a-virtue-but-as-the-space-engineer-james/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [I believe in open government. I've always believed in open government. I don't e-mail, however. And there's a reason: I don't want you reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-believe-in-open-government-i-ve-always-believed-in-open-government/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [You mustn’t be so open-minded that your brains fall out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cheever/you-mustn-t-be-so-open-minded-that-your-brains-fall-out/) [Susan Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cheever/) > [Maintaining an open mind is essential when exploring the unknown, but allowing one's brains to fall out in the process is inadvisable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-radin/maintaining-an-open-mind-is-essential-when-exploring-the-unknown-but/) [Dean Radin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-radin/) > [You don't want to be so open minded that your brains fall out!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/you-don-t-want-to-be-so-open-minded-that-your-brains-fall-out/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [“he cannot afford to be so open-minded that his brains fall out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-johns/he-cannot-afford-to-be-so-open-minded-that-his-brains-fall-out/) [Dan Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-johns/) > [If you're too open-minded; your brains will fall out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/if-you-re-too-open-minded-your-brains-will-fall-out/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [At Coinbase, our mission is to create an open financial system for the world. We believe that open protocols for money will create more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-armstrong/at-coinbase-our-mission-is-to-create-an-open-financial-system-for-the/) [Brian Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-armstrong/) > [I'm always open to new ideas. Because there is always another one that might stick and could be better than another one that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-reaves/i-m-always-open-to-new-ideas-because-there-is-always-another-one-that/) [Austin Reaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-reaves/) > [“Companies believe that more open space will boost productivity and creativity, but they have no evidence to prove it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/companies-believe-that-more-open-space-will-boost-productivity-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe that the open exchange of information can have a positive global impact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biz-stone/i-believe-that-the-open-exchange-of-information-can-have-a-positive/) [Biz Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biz-stone/) ## More by Arthur Hays Sulzberger > [Free nations with different histories, economies and a vast amount of stubborn pride will never achieve complete agreement, even when they desire the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/free-nations-with-different-histories-economies-and-a-vast-amount-of/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [News is so often a report of conflict, an account of problems, a thing of the day and even of the minute, that sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/news-is-so-often-a-report-of-conflict-an-account-of-problems-a-thing/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [Obviously, a man's judgement cannot be better than the information on which he bases it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/obviously-a-man-s-judgement-cannot-be-better-than-the-information-on/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [Speakers are not supposed to waste time on platitudes, but the capacity of this generation for ignoring the obvious and concentrating on the negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/speakers-are-not-supposed-to-waste-time-on-platitudes-but-the/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [Freedom cannot be trifled with. You cannot surrender it for security unless in a state of war, and then you must guard carefully the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/freedom-cannot-be-trifled-with-you-cannot-surrender-it-for-security/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [I am a non Zionist because the Jew, in seeking a homeland of his own, seems to me to be giving up something of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/i-am-a-non-zionist-because-the-jew-in-seeking-a-homeland-of-his-own/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [The statesmen still say that we should not interfere in the internal affairs of other nations and yet it is not possible any longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/the-statesmen-still-say-that-we-should-not-interfere-in-the-internal/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [Freedom of the press, or, to be more precise, the benefit of freedom of the press, belongs to everyone – to the citizen as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/freedom-of-the-press-or-to-be-more-precise-the-benefit-of-freedom-of/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [What Ottawa and Washington used to think about Turkey or Iran was not very important because we really didn't think much about either, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/what-ottawa-and-washington-used-to-think-about-turkey-or-iran-was-not/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [The United States can tell you all about what's wrong with the British, to say nothing of the Russians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/the-united-states-can-tell-you-all-about-what-s-wrong-with-the/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [ We \[journalists\] tell the public which way the cat is jumping. The public will take care of the cat. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/we-journalists-tell-the-public-which-way-the-cat-is-jumping-the/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [I look askance at any movement which assists in making the peacemaker among nations merely a national warrior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/i-look-askance-at-any-movement-which-assists-in-making-the-peacemaker/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [All nations are more tolerant of their own mistakes and weaknesses than of the mistakes and weaknesses of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/all-nations-are-more-tolerant-of-their-own-mistakes-and-weaknesses/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [For eleven months and maybe about twenty days each year, we concentrate upon the shortcomings of others, but for a few days at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/for-eleven-months-and-maybe-about-twenty-days-each-year-we/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [Obviously, a man's judgement cannot be better than the information on which he has based it. Give him the truth and he may still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/obviously-a-man-s-judgement-cannot-be-better-than-the-information-on-2/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) [Explore all 20 Arthur Hays Sulzberger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. 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I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. 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It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I believe in an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur Hays Sulzberger" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/i-believe-in-an-open-mind-but-not-so-open-that-your-brains-fall-out/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/i-believe-in-an-open-mind-but-not-so-open-that-your-brains-fall-out/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/arthur-hays-sulzberger-27725_believe_i-believe-in-an-open-mind-but-not-so-ope_2454104.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/arthur-hays-sulzberger-27725_believe_i-believe-in-an-open-mind-but-not-so-ope_2454104.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/arthur-hays-sulzberger-27725_believe_i-believe-in-an-open-mind-but-not-so-ope_2454104.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I believe in an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out.” — Arthur Hays Sulzberger", "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": "Arthur Hays Sulzberger", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I believe in an open mind,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/i-believe-in-an-open-mind-but-not-so-open-that-your-brains-fall-out/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/i-believe-in-an-open-mind-but-not-so-open-that-your-brains-fall-out/#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 } } ] } ```