--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Each of us is armed with this touchstone…" description: "\"“Each of us is armed with this touchstone of actuality; by applying it we decide that this sorry world of ours is actual and Utopia is a dream. As our ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/arthur-stanley-eddington-20703_actuality_each-of-us-is-armed-with-this-touchstone_2322491.jpg" --- # Each of us is armed with this touchstone of actuality; by… ![“Each of us is armed with this touchstone of actuality; by applying it we decide that this sorry world of ours is actual and Utopia is a dream. As our individual consciousnesses are different, so our touchstones are different; but fortunately they all agree in their indication of actuality - or at…” quote by Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/arthur-stanley-eddington-20703_actuality_each-of-us-is-armed-with-this-touchstone_2322491.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/arthur-stanley-eddington-20703_actuality_each-of-us-is-armed-with-this-touchstone_2322491.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/arthur-stanley-eddington-20703_actuality_each-of-us-is-armed-with-this-touchstone_2322491.jpg) > ““Each of us is armed with this touchstone of actuality; by applying it we decide that this sorry world of ours is actual and Utopia is a dream. As our individual consciousnesses are different, so our touchstones are different; but fortunately they all agree in their indication of actuality - or at any rate those which agree are in sufficient majority to shut the others up in lunatic asylums.”” [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our personal perceptions shape reality; differing views create varied concepts of truth, but a consensus defines what is accepted as real. **In simple terms:** Our views decide what’s real; most agree on a common reality. Key Takeaway Recognize how perception influences belief. Themes perception reality consensus subjectivity Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - political debate - education - media analysis - conflict resolution Key Concepts Epistemology philosophy of mind social constructivism Questions to Reflect On - How do personal biases shape your view of reality? - When should dissenting views be heard? A Different Perspective Consensus may suppress minority perspectives, leading to marginalization. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actuality/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) ## Related quotes > [“Our individual consciousnesses were sieves of the divine. We could only know what our minds could encompass safely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/our-individual-consciousnesses-were-sieves-of-the-divine-we-could/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [“The actuality of Nature is like the beauty of Nature. We can scarcely describe the beauty of a landscape as non-existent when there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/the-actuality-of-nature-is-like-the-beauty-of-nature-we-can-scarcely/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [If only the sense of actuality can be lulled-and it sleeps for ever in most historians-there is no passion that cannot be gratified in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/if-only-the-sense-of-actuality-can-be-lulled-and-it-sleeps-for-ever/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [I am not especially good at remembering the actualities of the world I inhabit, but I have pretty strong associative memories of how it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-bradfield/i-am-not-especially-good-at-remembering-the-actualities-of-the-world/) [Scott Bradfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-bradfield/) > [The problems of philosophy and the systems designed to solve them are formulated in terms which tend to refer, not to the realm of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/the-problems-of-philosophy-and-the-systems-designed-to-solve-them-are/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [During the reign of Rameses III (the Twentieth Dynasty) Egypt saw a flowering of its civilization and the harp became the royal instrument of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-heline/during-the-reign-of-rameses-iii-the-twentieth-dynasty-egypt-saw-a/) [Corinne Heline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-heline/) > [I don't want to manipulate actuality; I want to record it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/i-don-t-want-to-manipulate-actuality-i-want-to-record-it/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [Behavior must also be adequately assessed under appropriate circumstances. Ill-defined global measures of perceived self-efficacy or defective assessments of performance will yield discordances. Disparities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bandura/behavior-must-also-be-adequately-assessed-under-appropriate/) [Albert Bandura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bandura/) > [Each mental act opens up a new dimension of actuality. In a manner of speaking, your slightest thought gives birth to worlds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-roberts/each-mental-act-opens-up-a-new-dimension-of-actuality-in-a-manner-of/) [Jane Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-roberts/) > [The question of historicity and actuality with regard to gods and unicorns is a relatively trifling matter which may be left to antiquarians and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odell-shepard/the-question-of-historicity-and-actuality-with-regard-to-gods-and/) [Odell Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odell-shepard/) > [It may look as though two chess players are sitting at the board peacefully calculating possibilities, but in actuality they are seething with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shankarananda/it-may-look-as-though-two-chess-players-are-sitting-at-the-board/) Shankarananda > [Man is the "ethical animal" ethical in potentiality even if, unfortunately, not in actuality. His capacity for ethical judgment like freedom, reason and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/man-is-the-ethical-animal-ethical-in-potentiality-even-if/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [The superhero shows and movies are always having the spotlight on the superheroes themselves. It's never about the people who are living in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-hudgens/the-superhero-shows-and-movies-are-always-having-the-spotlight-on-the/) [Vanessa Hudgens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-hudgens/) > [If the theme is simple, you can include a hundred details that create the illusion of actuality better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satyajit-ray/if-the-theme-is-simple-you-can-include-a-hundred-details-that-create/) [Satyajit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satyajit-ray/) > [When indeed shall we learn that we are all related one to the other, that we are all members of one body? Until the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/when-indeed-shall-we-learn-that-we-are-all-related-one-to-the-other/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) ## More by Arthur Stanley Eddington > [“The simpler elements of the scientific world have no immediate counterparts in everyday experience; we use them to build things which have counterparts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/the-simpler-elements-of-the-scientific-world-have-no-immediate/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“We take as building material relations and relata. The relations unite the relata; the relata are the meeting-points of the relations. The one is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/we-take-as-building-material-relations-and-relata-the-relations-unite/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“It would probably be wiser to nail up over the door of the new quantum theory a notice, 'Structural alterations in progress - No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/it-would-probably-be-wiser-to-nail-up-over-the-door-of-the-new/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“The suggestion that the body really wanted to go straight but some mysterious agent made it go crooked is picturesque but unscientific. 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We can grasp the tune…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/out-of-the-numbers-proceeds-that-harmony-of-natural-law-which-it-is/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“Let us begin with the fine-structure constant. ... The fine-structure constant is really the ratio of two natural units or atoms of action. ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/let-us-begin-with-the-fine-structure-constant-the-fine-structure/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“The mind-stuff of the world is, of course, something more general than our individual conscious minds… It is difficult for the matter-of-fact physicist to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/the-mind-stuff-of-the-world-is-of-course-something-more-general-than/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“You will understand the true spirit neither of science nor of religion unless seeking is placed in the forefront.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/you-will-understand-the-true-spirit-neither-of-science-nor-of/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“Just as we were misled into untenable ideas of the aether through trusting to an analogy with the material ocean, so we have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/just-as-we-were-misled-into-untenable-ideas-of-the-aether-through/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“We know the prodigality of Nature. How many acorns are scattered for one that grows to an oak? And need she be more careful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/we-know-the-prodigality-of-nature-how-many-acorns-are-scattered-for/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) [Explore all 30 Arthur Stanley Eddington quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) ## More Actuality quotes > [When indeed shall we learn that we are all related one to the other, that we are all members of one body? 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His capacity for ethical judgment like freedom, reason and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/man-is-the-ethical-animal-ethical-in-potentiality-even-if/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [It may look as though two chess players are sitting at the board peacefully calculating possibilities, but in actuality they are seething with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shankarananda/it-may-look-as-though-two-chess-players-are-sitting-at-the-board/) Shankarananda > [The question of historicity and actuality with regard to gods and unicorns is a relatively trifling matter which may be left to antiquarians and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odell-shepard/the-question-of-historicity-and-actuality-with-regard-to-gods-and/) [Odell Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odell-shepard/) > [Each mental act opens up a new dimension of actuality. In a manner of speaking, your slightest thought gives birth to worlds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-roberts/each-mental-act-opens-up-a-new-dimension-of-actuality-in-a-manner-of/) [Jane Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-roberts/) > [Behavior must also be adequately assessed under appropriate circumstances. Ill-defined global measures of perceived self-efficacy or defective assessments of performance will yield discordances. Disparities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bandura/behavior-must-also-be-adequately-assessed-under-appropriate/) [Albert Bandura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bandura/) > [I don't want to manipulate actuality; I want to record it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/i-don-t-want-to-manipulate-actuality-i-want-to-record-it/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [During the reign of Rameses III (the Twentieth Dynasty) Egypt saw a flowering of its civilization and the harp became the royal instrument of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-heline/during-the-reign-of-rameses-iii-the-twentieth-dynasty-egypt-saw-a/) [Corinne Heline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-heline/) > [The problems of philosophy and the systems designed to solve them are formulated in terms which tend to refer, not to the realm of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/the-problems-of-philosophy-and-the-systems-designed-to-solve-them-are/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [I am not especially good at remembering the actualities of the world I inhabit, but I have pretty strong associative memories of how it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-bradfield/i-am-not-especially-good-at-remembering-the-actualities-of-the-world/) [Scott Bradfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-bradfield/) > [If only the sense of actuality can be lulled-and it sleeps for ever in most historians-there is no passion that cannot be gratified in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/if-only-the-sense-of-actuality-can-be-lulled-and-it-sleeps-for-ever/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [I recognise a distinction between dream life and real life, between appearances and actualities. I confess to an over-powering desire to know whether I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/i-recognise-a-distinction-between-dream-life-and-real-life-between/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [If tone is granted to be subjected to control, why not line also, which has equal emotional significance? And if line, why not shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mortensen/if-tone-is-granted-to-be-subjected-to-control-why-not-line-also-which/) [William Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mortensen/) [Browse all 142 Actuality quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actuality/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Each of us is armed with this touchstone of actuality; by applying it we decide that this sorry world of ours is actual and Utopia is a dream. 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