--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Obviousness is always the enemy of…" description: "\"Obviousness is always the enemy of correctness.\" — Bertrand Russell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/bertrand-russell-69_correctness_obviousness-is-always-the-enemy-of-corre_1543091.jpg" --- # Obviousness is always the enemy of correctness. ![“Obviousness is always the enemy of correctness.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/bertrand-russell-69_correctness_obviousness-is-always-the-enemy-of-corre_1543091.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/bertrand-russell-69_correctness_obviousness-is-always-the-enemy-of-corre_1543091.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/bertrand-russell-69_correctness_obviousness-is-always-the-enemy-of-corre_1543091.jpg) > “Obviousness is always the enemy of correctness.” [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Overreliance on obviousness hinders accurate understanding and truth‑seeking. **In simple terms:** Don’t let obviousness block correctness. Key Takeaway Question assumptions, seek deeper truth. Themes critical thinking philosophy truth seeking Mood inquisitive reflective Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - academic research - daily decision making - media consumption - scientific inquiry Key Concepts epistemology logic cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - When does obviousness help? - How to balance intuition and analysis? A Different Perspective Obviousness can be useful as a heuristic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Correctness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/correctness/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Enemy Correctness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy-correctness-5750586/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Obviousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obviousness/) [Obviousness Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obviousness-enemy-5750585/) ## Related quotes > [“If any one asks: ‘Why should I accept the results of valid arguments based on true premisses?’ we can only answer by appealing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-any-one-asks-why-should-i-accept-the-results-of-valid-arguments/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [A word is used "correctly" when the average hearer will be affected by it in the way intended. This is a psychological, not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/a-word-is-used-correctly-when-the-average-hearer-will-be-affected-by/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Nothing is obvious in itself. Obviousness is subjective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/nothing-is-obvious-in-itself-obviousness-is-subjective/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [“saw with razor’s-edge clarity, so plainly that I laughed out loud from the Disney Movie obviousness of it: The greatest power comes from love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-j-miller/saw-with-razor-s-edge-clarity-so-plainly-that-i-laughed-out-loud-from/) [Sam J. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-j-miller/) > [There's a depth of meaning all on its own in awareness being gentled. From within the subtlety of being gentled, the level of perception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-ruiter/there-s-a-depth-of-meaning-all-on-its-own-in-awareness-being-gentled/) [John de Ruiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-ruiter/) > ["The people" is that massive portion of a society that lives by its pathetic subjection to sheer immediacy or self-obviousness, and that therefore uncritically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/the-people-is-that-massive-portion-of-a-society-that-lives-by-its/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [“While you were busy trying to prove God stands behind you, God was before me lighting the trail, so he could lead us both.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/while-you-were-busy-trying-to-prove-god-stands-behind-you-god-was/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [The ability of the theist to misunderstand a thing is directly proportional to the obviousness of the thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-ability-of-the-theist-to-misunderstand-a-thing-is-directly/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Something is reflecting our thoughts back to us in obvious and not so obvious ways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/something-is-reflecting-our-thoughts-back-to-us-in-obvious-and-not-so/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“It was so completely obvious, and yet what proof was there? It was, Martin thought, like the rabbit which the Hindus see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-boucher/it-was-so-completely-obvious-and-yet-what-proof-was-there-it-was/) [Anthony Boucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-boucher/) > [the squeeky wheel gets the grease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/the-squeeky-wheel-gets-the-grease/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Opinions about obviousness are to a certain extent a function of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/opinions-about-obviousness-are-to-a-certain-extent-a-function-of-time/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [My hatred of crowds, the obviousness of crowds, of anything en masse. Is this why I like little-known books? A general desire to escape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/my-hatred-of-crowds-the-obviousness-of-crowds-of-anything-en-masse-is/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [There are certain truths which stand out so openly on the roadsides of life, as it were, that every passer-by may see them. Yet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/there-are-certain-truths-which-stand-out-so-openly-on-the-roadsides/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Beyond the obvious facts that he has at some time done manual labour, that he takes snuff, that he is a Freemason, that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/beyond-the-obvious-facts-that-he-has-at-some-time-done-manual-labour/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) ## More by Bertrand Russell > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/that-the-world-is-in-a-bad-shape-is-undeniable-but-there-is-not-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [All movements go too far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/all-movements-go-too-far/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Such, in outline, but even more purposeless, more void of meaning, is the world which Science presents for our belief. Amid such a world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/such-in-outline-but-even-more-purposeless-more-void-of-meaning-is-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Dr. Arnold . . . the admired reformer of public schools, came across some cranks who thought it a mistake to flog boys. Anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/dr-arnold-the-admired-reformer-of-public-schools-came-across-some/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Of all evils of war the greatest is the purely spiritual evil: the hatred, the injustice, the repudiation of truth, the artificial conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/of-all-evils-of-war-the-greatest-is-the-purely-spiritual-evil-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/aristotle-maintained-that-women-have-fewer-teeth-than-men-although-he/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-an-opinion-contrary-to-your-own-makes-you-angry-that-is-a-sign/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I cannot escape from the conclusion that the great ages of progress have depended upon a small number of individuals of transcendent ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-cannot-escape-from-the-conclusion-that-the-great-ages-of-progress/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I think it would be just to say the most essential characteristic of mind is memory, using this word in its broadest sense to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-think-it-would-be-just-to-say-the-most-essential-characteristic-of/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [The newspapers at one time said that I was dead but after carefully examining the evidence I came to the conclusion that this statement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-newspapers-at-one-time-said-that-i-was-dead-but-after-carefully/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Persecution is used in theology, not in arithmetic, because in arithmetic there is knowledge, but in theology there is only opinion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/persecution-is-used-in-theology-not-in-arithmetic-because-in/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Many orthodox people speak as though it were the business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather than of dogmatists to prove them. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/many-orthodox-people-speak-as-though-it-were-the-business-of-sceptics/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [There is no greater reason for children to honour parents than for parents to honour children except, that while the children are young, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/there-is-no-greater-reason-for-children-to-honour-parents-than-for/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) [Explore all 1,620 Bertrand Russell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) ## More Correctness quotes > [Whether it's people walking off 'The View' when Bill O'Reilly makes a statement about radical Islam or Juan Williams being fired for expressing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantor/whether-it-s-people-walking-off-the-view-when-bill-o-reilly-makes-a/) [Eric Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantor/) > [Martyrdom has always been a proof of the intensity, never of the correctness of a belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schnitzler/martyrdom-has-always-been-a-proof-of-the-intensity-never-of-the/) [Arthur Schnitzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schnitzler/) > [Political correctness is a major defect of the western ethos. Some Western countries have even passed blasphemy laws that would put you in legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-sina/political-correctness-is-a-major-defect-of-the-western-ethos-some/) [Ali Sina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-sina/) > [Another plague upon the land, as devastating as the locusts God loosed on the Egyptians, is 'Political Correctness.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-heston/another-plague-upon-the-land-as-devastating-as-the-locusts-god-loosed/) [Charlton Heston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlton-heston/) > [Political correctness is a thing of leftist radicals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jair-bolsonaro/political-correctness-is-a-thing-of-leftist-radicals/) [Jair Bolsonaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jair-bolsonaro/) > [The job of formal methods is to elucidate the assumptions upon which formal correctness depends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/the-job-of-formal-methods-is-to-elucidate-the-assumptions-upon-which/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [All this discussion though politically correct, is dead beyond destruction though it leaves me quite erect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/live-band/all-this-discussion-though-politically-correct-is-dead-beyond/) [Live (Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/live-band/) > [We all have Tumblr, and we all have Instagram and everything. People care so much about it because, now, any random can be famous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/we-all-have-tumblr-and-we-all-have-instagram-and-everything-people/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [“No one in the world can shake you up if you are correct. First comes ‘correctness’ and then comes exactness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/no-one-in-the-world-can-shake-you-up-if-you-are-correct-first-comes/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [You get so tired of political correctness. I'm noted for speaking out all my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-arpaio/you-get-so-tired-of-political-correctness-i-m-noted-for-speaking-out/) [Joe Arpaio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-arpaio/) > [Political correctness is neither political nor is it correct. It amounts to social censorship, and the sooner we spit it out, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/political-correctness-is-neither-political-nor-is-it-correct-it/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [The truth is that this culture of political correctness has tied the hands of law enforcement around the USA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-truth-is-that-this-culture-of-political-correctness-has-tied-the/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [“You see political correctness is just like any other religion. It’s based on faith, impervious to logic, always looking for converts and its true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-white-jr/you-see-political-correctness-is-just-like-any-other-religion-it-s/) [E.R. White Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-white-jr/) > [In this era of political correctness, some people seem unaware that being squeamish about words can mean being blind to realities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/in-this-era-of-political-correctness-some-people-seem-unaware-that/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [To speak plainly and truthfully about the state of our world - to say, for instance, that the Bible and the Koran both contain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/to-speak-plainly-and-truthfully-about-the-state-of-our-world-to-say/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) [Browse all 313 Correctness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/correctness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Obviousness is always the enemy of correctness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bertrand Russell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/obviousness-is-always-the-enemy-of-correctness/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Correctness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/obviousness-is-always-the-enemy-of-correctness/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/bertrand-russell-69_correctness_obviousness-is-always-the-enemy-of-corre_1543091.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/bertrand-russell-69_correctness_obviousness-is-always-the-enemy-of-corre_1543091.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa4/bertrand-russell-69_correctness_obviousness-is-always-the-enemy-of-corre_1543091.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Obviousness is always the enemy of correctness.” — Bertrand Russell", "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": "Bertrand Russell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Obviousness is always the enemy of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/obviousness-is-always-the-enemy-of-correctness/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/obviousness-is-always-the-enemy-of-correctness/#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 } } ] } ```