--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When men perceive the world as being…" description: "\"“When men perceive the world as being right, we are content. But if we see a hole—a deficiency—we scramble to fill it.”\" — Brandon Sanderson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/brandon-sanderson-112_perceive-world_when-men-perceive-the-world-as-being-rig_2725943.jpg" --- # When men perceive the world as being right, we are… ![“When men perceive the world as being right, we are content. But if we see a hole—a deficiency—we scramble to fill it.” quote by Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/brandon-sanderson-112_perceive-world_when-men-perceive-the-world-as-being-rig_2725943.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/brandon-sanderson-112_perceive-world_when-men-perceive-the-world-as-being-rig_2725943.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/brandon-sanderson-112_perceive-world_when-men-perceive-the-world-as-being-rig_2725943.jpg) > ““When men perceive the world as being right, we are content. But if we see a hole—a deficiency—we scramble to fill it.”” [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People are satisfied when they think the world is perfect; noticing flaws drives them to act. **In simple terms:** Seeing flaws motivates change. Key Takeaway Address gaps, not just accept. Themes contentment imperfection action motivation Mood reflective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - social reform - innovation - leadership Key Concepts psychology human behavior problem solving Questions to Reflect On - What flaw have you ignored? - How can awareness become constructive? A Different Perspective Blind acceptance can ignore deeper systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Content Hole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/content-hole-2918473/) [Deficiency Scramble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deficiency-scramble-2918474/) [Hole Deficiency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hole-deficiency-2918472/) [Men Perceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-perceive-1940564/) [Perceive World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perceive-world/) ## Related quotes > [There is an inevitable divergence between the world as it is and the world as men perceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/there-is-an-inevitable-divergence-between-the-world-as-it-is-and-the/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/no-man-has-the-right-to-dictate-what-other-men-should-perceive-create/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Little do men perceive what solitude is, and how far it extendeth. For a crowd is not company, and faces are but a gallery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/little-do-men-perceive-what-solitude-is-and-how-far-it-extendeth-for/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [One cannot enter don Juan's world intellectually, like a dilettante seeking fast and fleeting knowledge. Nor, in don Juan's world, can anything be verified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/one-cannot-enter-don-juan-s-world-intellectually-like-a-dilettante/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [“The knowledge you select becomes “part’ of you, and shapes the lenses you perceive the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/the-knowledge-you-select-becomes-part-of-you-and-shapes-the-lenses/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“But one thing is certain: every day in America, thousands of people appear before a jury of their peers and hope they will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-feldman-barrett/but-one-thing-is-certain-every-day-in-america-thousands-of-people/) [Lisa Feldman Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-feldman-barrett/) > [Of course! The path to heaven doesn't lie down in flat miles. It's in the imagination with which you perceive this world, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/of-course-the-path-to-heaven-doesn-t-lie-down-in-flat-miles-it-s-in/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [There is only one reality - the reality knowable to reason. And if man does not choose to perceive it, there is nothing else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/there-is-only-one-reality-the-reality-knowable-to-reason-and-if-man/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [So long as we perceive this world in motion, we have to conceive will behind it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/so-long-as-we-perceive-this-world-in-motion-we-have-to-conceive-will/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“Your brain is shaped by the realities of the world that you find yourself in, including the social world made by agreement among people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-feldman-barrett/your-brain-is-shaped-by-the-realities-of-the-world-that-you-find/) [Lisa Feldman Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-feldman-barrett/) > [I'm interested in such things as the difference between how we perceive the world and what the world turns out to be. The difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/i-m-interested-in-such-things-as-the-difference-between-how-we/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“All we have to believe is our senses: the tools we use to perceive the world, our sight, our touch, our memory. If they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/all-we-have-to-believe-is-our-senses-the-tools-we-use-to-perceive-the/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Why do we perceive the world as stable and ourselves as local and unique? Here’s my guess: because it’s useful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/why-do-we-perceive-the-world-as-stable-and-ourselves-as-local-and/) [Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/) > [“We perceive the world in a particular way and confidently expect it to conform to its appearance. But we fail to recognize that certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/we-perceive-the-world-in-a-particular-way-and-confidently-expect-it/) [Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/) > [I perceive the world through the wide range of emotions that whirl all around in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-archuleta/i-perceive-the-world-through-the-wide-range-of-emotions-that-whirl/) [David Archuleta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-archuleta/) ## More by Brandon Sanderson > [“I’ll admit, Jasnah, that I empathize with your skepticism, but I don’t agree with it. I just think you've been looking for God in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-ll-admit-jasnah-that-i-empathize-with-your-skepticism-but-i-don-t/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [They say a man doesn't know himself until he faces death for the first time. . . I don't know about that. It seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/they-say-a-man-doesn-t-know-himself-until-he-faces-death-for-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“I wasn’t a nerd, mind you, but I’d spent a lot of my youth studying Epics, so I’d had limited experience with social interaction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-wasn-t-a-nerd-mind-you-but-i-d-spent-a-lot-of-my-youth-studying/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Why, Elend! That’s almost romantic—in a twisted ‘I’m going to make my wife want to kill me’ sort of way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/why-elend-that-s-almost-romantic-in-a-twisted-i-m-going-to-make-my/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“And...how much are we getting paid for achieving the impossible?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/and-how-much-are-we-getting-paid-for-achieving-the-impossible/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Elantris was the one place where she could remember feeling unconditional acceptance. She had not been a princess, she had been something far better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elantris-was-the-one-place-where-she-could-remember-feeling/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Elend smiled. "Oh, come on. You have to admit that you're unusual, Vin. You're like some strange mixture of a noblewoman, a street urchin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elend-smiled-oh-come-on-you-have-to-admit-that-you-re-unusual-vin-you/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“That is always how it is, though, isn't it?” Shuden asked. “Those who can least afford extravagance seem to be the ones most determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/that-is-always-how-it-is-though-isn-t-it-shuden-asked-those-who-can/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“He says he’s letting the Stormfather judge you,” Moash added. “Jezerezeh, king of Heralds. He says that if you deserve to live, you will….”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/he-says-he-s-letting-the-stormfather-judge-you-moash-added-jezerezeh/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“The stories say the Nightwatcher might be capable of that. . . . Powerful spren. Vast spren.’ ‘Is he calling me vast?’ Syl said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/the-stories-say-the-nightwatcher-might-be-capable-of-that-powerful/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“But the mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/but-the-mark-of-a-great-man-is-one-who-knows-when-to-set-aside-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“My life to yours. My breath beecome yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/my-life-to-yours-my-breath-beecome-yours/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“If you're always on time, it implies that you never have anything better you should be doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-you-re-always-on-time-it-implies-that-you-never-have-anything/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [You are inexperienced. So was I, once. So is every man. The measure of a person is not how much they have lived. .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/you-are-inexperienced-so-was-i-once-so-is-every-man-the-measure-of-a/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“So I should not hate Adolin Kholin for wielding a corpse!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/so-i-should-not-hate-adolin-kholin-for-wielding-a-corpse/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) [Explore all 1,238 Brandon Sanderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## More Perceive World quotes > [I perceive the world through the wide range of emotions that whirl all around in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-archuleta/i-perceive-the-world-through-the-wide-range-of-emotions-that-whirl/) [David Archuleta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-archuleta/) > [“We perceive the world in a particular way and confidently expect it to conform to its appearance. But we fail to recognize that certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/we-perceive-the-world-in-a-particular-way-and-confidently-expect-it/) [Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/) > [“Why do we perceive the world as stable and ourselves as local and unique? Here’s my guess: because it’s useful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/why-do-we-perceive-the-world-as-stable-and-ourselves-as-local-and/) [Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/) > [“All we have to believe is our senses: the tools we use to perceive the world, our sight, our touch, our memory. If they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/all-we-have-to-believe-is-our-senses-the-tools-we-use-to-perceive-the/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I'm interested in such things as the difference between how we perceive the world and what the world turns out to be. The difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/i-m-interested-in-such-things-as-the-difference-between-how-we/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“Your brain is shaped by the realities of the world that you find yourself in, including the social world made by agreement among people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-feldman-barrett/your-brain-is-shaped-by-the-realities-of-the-world-that-you-find/) [Lisa Feldman Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-feldman-barrett/) > [So long as we perceive this world in motion, we have to conceive will behind it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/so-long-as-we-perceive-this-world-in-motion-we-have-to-conceive-will/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [There is only one reality - the reality knowable to reason. And if man does not choose to perceive it, there is nothing else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/there-is-only-one-reality-the-reality-knowable-to-reason-and-if-man/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Of course! The path to heaven doesn't lie down in flat miles. It's in the imagination with which you perceive this world, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/of-course-the-path-to-heaven-doesn-t-lie-down-in-flat-miles-it-s-in/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“But one thing is certain: every day in America, thousands of people appear before a jury of their peers and hope they will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-feldman-barrett/but-one-thing-is-certain-every-day-in-america-thousands-of-people/) [Lisa Feldman Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-feldman-barrett/) > [“The knowledge you select becomes “part’ of you, and shapes the lenses you perceive the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/the-knowledge-you-select-becomes-part-of-you-and-shapes-the-lenses/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [One cannot enter don Juan's world intellectually, like a dilettante seeking fast and fleeting knowledge. Nor, in don Juan's world, can anything be verified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/one-cannot-enter-don-juan-s-world-intellectually-like-a-dilettante/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [ The child begins to perceive the world not only through his \[or her\] eyes but also through his \[or her\] speech ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-s-vygotsky/the-child-begins-to-perceive-the-world-not-only-through-his-or-her/) [Lev S. Vygotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-s-vygotsky/) > [Empathy allows us to re-perceive our world in a new way and move forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/empathy-allows-us-to-re-perceive-our-world-in-a-new-way-and-move/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [The brain is a far more open system than we ever imagined, and nature has gone very far to help us perceive and take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-doidge/the-brain-is-a-far-more-open-system-than-we-ever-imagined-and-nature/) [Norman Doidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-doidge/) [Browse all 50 Perceive World quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perceive-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When men perceive the world as being right, we are content. 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