--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In fact, I suspect they prefer flawed…" description: "\"“In fact, I suspect they prefer flawed certainty to faultless ambivalence.”\" — Bobby Adair" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/bobby-adair-3804_doubt_in-fact-i-suspect-they-prefer-flawed-cer_1848317.jpg" --- # In fact, I suspect they prefer flawed certainty to… ![“In fact, I suspect they prefer flawed certainty to faultless ambivalence.” quote by Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/bobby-adair-3804_doubt_in-fact-i-suspect-they-prefer-flawed-cer_1848317.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/bobby-adair-3804_doubt_in-fact-i-suspect-they-prefer-flawed-cer_1848317.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/bobby-adair-3804_doubt_in-fact-i-suspect-they-prefer-flawed-cer_1848317.jpg) > ““In fact, I suspect they prefer flawed certainty to faultless ambivalence.”” [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often choose confident but flawed beliefs over ambiguous, flawless uncertainty. **In simple terms:** Flawed certainty is preferred over ambiguous ambivalence. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty and question overconfidence. Themes certainty ambiguity belief Mood skeptical thoughtful Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - business decisions - personal beliefs - scientific research Key Concepts cognitive bias decision making philosophy Questions to Reflect On - Why do we cling to certainty? - How can we tolerate ambiguous truths? A Different Perspective Overconfidence may lead to errors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambivalence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambivalence/) [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Certainty Faultless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty-faultless-2407023/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Faultless Ambivalence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faultless-ambivalence-2407022/) [Flawed Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flawed-certainty-2407021/) ## Related quotes > [We don't do ambivalence well in America. We do courage of our convictions. We do might makes right. Ambivalence is French. Certainty is American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/we-don-t-do-ambivalence-well-in-america-we-do-courage-of-our/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“In order to determine whether we can know anything with certainty, we first have to doubt everything we know”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-order-to-determine-whether-we-can-know-anything-with-certainty-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ \[Friedrich\] Nietzsche said something marvellous, he said "Madness is not a consequence of uncertainty but of certainty", and this is fanaticism. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/friedrich-nietzsche-said-something-marvellous-he-said-madness-is-not/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [What I need most of all is certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/what-i-need-most-of-all-is-certainty/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [That which is true must always remain true, though the applications may change greatly from generation to generation. It is the absence of such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-which-is-true-must-always-remain-true-though-the-applications/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe that we do not know anything for certain, but everything probably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-huygens/i-believe-that-we-do-not-know-anything-for-certain-but-everything/) [Christiaan Huygens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-huygens/) > [Living by faith isn't living with certainty. It's trusting God in spite of unanswered questions and unresolved doubts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/living-by-faith-isn-t-living-with-certainty-it-s-trusting-god-in/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [“In this world, what is here is not necessarily here, and what is now may not really be now: place and time are malleable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amir-aczel/in-this-world-what-is-here-is-not-necessarily-here-and-what-is-now/) [Amir Aczel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amir-aczel/) > [“Though what could anyone really say these days with one hundred percent certainty?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/though-what-could-anyone-really-say-these-days-with-one-hundred/) [Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/) > [Go for broke. Always try and do too much. Dispense with safety nets. Take a deep breath before you begin talking. Aim for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/go-for-broke-always-try-and-do-too-much-dispense-with-safety-nets/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-allen-paulos/uncertainty-is-the-only-certainty-there-is-and-knowing-how-to-live/) [John Allen Paulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-allen-paulos/) > [Criticism, though dignified from the earliest ages by the labours of men eminent for knowledge and sagacity, has not yet attained the certainty and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/criticism-though-dignified-from-the-earliest-ages-by-the-labours-of/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) ## More by Bobby Adair > [“Murphy was right. Other people’s fears would haunt us forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/murphy-was-right-other-people-s-fears-would-haunt-us-forever/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“The upper middle-class cracker neighborhood ignored me, focused instead on its own pockets of human chaos. Four”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/the-upper-middle-class-cracker-neighborhood-ignored-me-focused/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“Once people get beliefs into their heads, it’s fucking hard to change their minds, no matter how many facts come knocking on the door.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/once-people-get-beliefs-into-their-heads-it-s-fucking-hard-to-change/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“The shop was a monument to uninhibited human depravity, the kind that scars souls with permanent shadows. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/the-shop-was-a-monument-to-uninhibited-human-depravity-the-kind-that/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“Sure, shit happens we can’t control, but that’s exactly what it is: shit you can’t control. You can’t control what it is, or sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/sure-shit-happens-we-can-t-control-but-that-s-exactly-what-it-is-shit/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“made his words something of a Rorschach test, and I might be reading too many of my own emotions into it. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/made-his-words-something-of-a-rorschach-test-and-i-might-be-reading/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“I went into the living room and looked down at my mother’s torn body and shook my head. It was surreal. I guess some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/i-went-into-the-living-room-and-looked-down-at-my-mother-s-torn-body/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“But for the absence of Satan, the world looked like Hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/but-for-the-absence-of-satan-the-world-looked-like-hell/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“I’m your nightmare.” I loved that thought. It tantalized me with its power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/i-m-your-nightmare-i-loved-that-thought-it-tantalized-me-with-its/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“gazed blankly at nothing in particular. I knew that look. They were the Russells of the group.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/gazed-blankly-at-nothing-in-particular-i-knew-that-look-they-were-the/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“The Rural People of East Texas Club.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/the-rural-people-of-east-texas-club/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“instead of just surviving, we can choose to thrive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/instead-of-just-surviving-we-can-choose-to-thrive/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“In soothing tones I added, “Sometimes I notice little details. Besides,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/in-soothing-tones-i-added-sometimes-i-notice-little-details-besides/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“I needed to stop letting my thoughts wander off on their own. They needed adult supervision, and”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/i-needed-to-stop-letting-my-thoughts-wander-off-on-their-own-they/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“we’re different. You can think all of the ‘We Are The World’ thoughts you want, but we aren’t part of that club anymore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/we-re-different-you-can-think-all-of-the-we-are-the-world-thoughts/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) [Explore all 121 Bobby Adair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) ## More Ambivalence quotes > [The less obvious hurdle is that of preparing parents emotionally and putting forward realistic images of parenthood and motherhood. There also needs to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/the-less-obvious-hurdle-is-that-of-preparing-parents-emotionally-and/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [“In starlit nights I saw you, So cruelly you kissed me. Your lips a magic world, Your sky all hung with jewels. The killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/echo-and-the-bunnymen/in-starlit-nights-i-saw-you-so-cruelly-you-kissed-me-your-lips-a/) [Echo and the Bunnymen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/echo-and-the-bunnymen/) > [The base of artistic pursuit is ambivalence and complexity. And that's what I try to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-perez/the-base-of-artistic-pursuit-is-ambivalence-and-complexity-and-that-s/) [Fernando Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-perez/) > [We British play an important role in Europe, even if we have a traditional and historical ambivalence towards the continent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-barber/we-british-play-an-important-role-in-europe-even-if-we-have-a/) [Lionel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-barber/) > [“Raising a child is the very definition of ambivalence. I am overwhelmed at times by how something can simultaneously be so awful and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/raising-a-child-is-the-very-definition-of-ambivalence-i-am/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [We don't do ambivalence well in America. We do courage of our convictions. We do might makes right. Ambivalence is French. Certainty is American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/we-don-t-do-ambivalence-well-in-america-we-do-courage-of-our/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“The problem is that when you’re not fighting for survival, it’s easy to stop making decisions and fall into the trap of thinking you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-ryder-howe/the-problem-is-that-when-you-re-not-fighting-for-survival-it-s-easy/) [Ben Ryder Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-ryder-howe/) > ['The Simpsons' is about alienation and the ambivalence of living with a family who you love but who drive you completely crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/the-simpsons-is-about-alienation-and-the-ambivalence-of-living-with-a/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [I think we have deluded ourselves into believing that people don't know that abortion is killing. So any pretense that abortion is not killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faye-wattleton/i-think-we-have-deluded-ourselves-into-believing-that-people-don-t/) [Faye Wattleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faye-wattleton/) > [Prudence is not hesitation, procrastination, or moderation. It is not driving in the middle of the road. It is not the way of ambivalence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/prudence-is-not-hesitation-procrastination-or-moderation-it-is-not/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [From the beginning, there have been some religious leaders who greeted the funding of faith-based social services by government with ambivalence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-campolo/from-the-beginning-there-have-been-some-religious-leaders-who-greeted/) [Tony Campolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-campolo/) > [Real love, the kind you have with a person, must go through ambivalence.There is simply no way around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumar-anupam/real-love-the-kind-you-have-with-a-person-must-go-through-ambivalence/) [Kumar Anupam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumar-anupam/) > [My children cause me the most exquisite suffering of which I have any experience. It is the suffering of ambivalence: the murderous alternation between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/my-children-cause-me-the-most-exquisite-suffering-of-which-i-have-any/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Life had this unmoored quality, full of voids and barely acknowledged yearnings, and if I'd made a list of things I wanted desperately at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/life-had-this-unmoored-quality-full-of-voids-and-barely-acknowledged/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Horizontality is a desire to give up, to sleep. Verticality is an attempt to escape. Hanging and floating are states of ambivalence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bourgeois/horizontality-is-a-desire-to-give-up-to-sleep-verticality-is-an/) [Louise Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bourgeois/) [Browse all 121 Ambivalence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambivalence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In fact, I suspect they prefer flawed certainty to faultless ambivalence.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bobby Adair" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/in-fact-i-suspect-they-prefer-flawed-certainty-to-faultless/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambivalence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/in-fact-i-suspect-they-prefer-flawed-certainty-to-faultless/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/bobby-adair-3804_doubt_in-fact-i-suspect-they-prefer-flawed-cer_1848317.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/bobby-adair-3804_doubt_in-fact-i-suspect-they-prefer-flawed-cer_1848317.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/bobby-adair-3804_doubt_in-fact-i-suspect-they-prefer-flawed-cer_1848317.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In fact, I suspect they prefer flawed certainty to faultless ambivalence.” — Bobby Adair", "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": "Bobby Adair", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In fact, I suspect they prefer...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/in-fact-i-suspect-they-prefer-flawed-certainty-to-faultless/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/in-fact-i-suspect-they-prefer-flawed-certainty-to-faultless/#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 } } ] } ```