--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I try not to think with my gut. If I'm…" description: "\"“I try not to think with my gut. If I'm serious about understanding the world, thinking with anything besides my brain, as tempting as that might be, i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/carl-sagan-160_gut-feelings_i-try-not-to-think-with-my-gut-if-i-m-se_2330907.jpg" --- # I try not to think with my gut. If I'm serious about… ![“I try not to think with my gut. If I'm serious about understanding the world, thinking with anything besides my brain, as tempting as that might be, is likely to get me in trouble. Really, it's okay to reserve judgment until the evidence is in.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/carl-sagan-160_gut-feelings_i-try-not-to-think-with-my-gut-if-i-m-se_2330907.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/carl-sagan-160_gut-feelings_i-try-not-to-think-with-my-gut-if-i-m-se_2330907.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/carl-sagan-160_gut-feelings_i-try-not-to-think-with-my-gut-if-i-m-se_2330907.jpg) > ““I try not to think with my gut. If I'm serious about understanding the world, thinking with anything besides my brain, as tempting as that might be, is likely to get me in trouble. Really, it's okay to reserve judgment until the evidence is in.”” [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Relying solely on intuition can mislead; true understanding requires evidence‑based reasoning before forming judgments. **In simple terms:** Think with evidence, not just gut feelings. Key Takeaway Prioritize data before conclusions. Themes critical thinking science skepticism Mood analytical curious Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - scientific research - decision making - problem solving - daily observations Key Concepts epistemology cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - When have you trusted gut feelings successfully? - How can you test intuition against data? A Different Perspective Intuition can sometimes guide breakthroughs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gut feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gut-feelings/) [Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Understanding the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding-the-world/) ## Related quotes > [But I try not to think with my gut. If I'm serious about understanding the world, thinking with anything besides my brain, as tempting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/but-i-try-not-to-think-with-my-gut-if-i-m-serious-about-understanding/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“I'm frequently asked, "Do you believe there's extraterrestrial intelligence?" I give the standard arguments- there are a lot of places out there, the molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-m-frequently-asked-do-you-believe-there-s-extraterrestrial/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [I think your first gut feeling is the correct feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alia-bhatt/i-think-your-first-gut-feeling-is-the-correct-feeling/) [Alia Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alia-bhatt/) > [Our guts can really mislead us. Sometimes, what we think of as our gut is something else, like an outside influence. If you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/our-guts-can-really-mislead-us-sometimes-what-we-think-of-as-our-gut/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [“Books, purchasable at low cost, permit us to interrogate the past with high accuracy; to tap the wisdom of our species; to understand the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/books-purchasable-at-low-cost-permit-us-to-interrogate-the-past-with/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Books are key to understanding the world and participating in a democratic society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/books-are-key-to-understanding-the-world-and-participating-in-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“A few years back, I had a long session with a psychiatrist who was conducting a study on post-traumatic stress disorder and its effects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-di-giovanni/a-few-years-back-i-had-a-long-session-with-a-psychiatrist-who-was/) [Janine Di Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-di-giovanni/) > [I don't have the slightest interest in gold. I like understanding what works and what doesn't in human systems. To me that's not optional;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-don-t-have-the-slightest-interest-in-gold-i-like-understanding-what/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I used to think 'King Lear' was an analysis of insanity, but I don't really think it is. When Lear is supposed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/i-used-to-think-king-lear-was-an-analysis-of-insanity-but-i-don-t/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [“My mom thought having a child was going to be like having a partner, but every child is born the center of its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/my-mom-thought-having-a-child-was-going-to-be-like-having-a-partner/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [“As your perspective of the world increases not only is the pain it inflicts on you less but also its meaning. Understanding the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/as-your-perspective-of-the-world-increases-not-only-is-the-pain-it/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [ I follow many tragedies around the world. At one point I \[will\] feel like I've accumulated an enormous amount of information, a critical mass… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/i-follow-many-tragedies-around-the-world-at-one-point-i-will-feel/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [“And I wished I could believe him. I wished with all that I had. And when you're eleven, you're on the cusp between still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-klune/and-i-wished-i-could-believe-him-i-wished-with-all-that-i-had-and/) [T.J. Klune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-klune/) > [Not forgiving prolongs hurt and anger and leads to smoldering resentment, which will make us miserable until it kills us. Resentment destroys the perception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-walters/not-forgiving-prolongs-hurt-and-anger-and-leads-to-smoldering/) Richard Walters > [“This is Galileo,” said Aristotle. “He advocates understanding the world through observation and experiment. He is an unimaginative thinker, but his results demand our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/this-is-galileo-said-aristotle-he-advocates-understanding-the-world/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) ## More by Carl Sagan > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-prediction-of-nuclear-winter-is-drawn-not-of-course-from-any/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Telepathy’ literally means to feel at a distance, just as ‘telephone’ is to hear at a distance and ‘television’ is to see at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/telepathy-literally-means-to-feel-at-a-distance-just-as-telephone-is/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“On the scale of worlds—to say nothing of stars or galaxies—humans are inconsequential, a thin film of life on an obscure and solitary lump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/on-the-scale-of-worlds-to-say-nothing-of-stars-or-galaxies-humans-are/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-one-of-us-is-in-the-cosmic-perspective-precious-if-a-human/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [In our time, we have sifted the sands of Mars, we have established a presence there, we have fulfilled a century of dreams!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/in-our-time-we-have-sifted-the-sands-of-mars-we-have-established-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ “\[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :\] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-about-fulfilled-prophecies-he/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Don't judge everyone else by your own limited experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/don-t-judge-everyone-else-by-your-own-limited-experience/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Books permit us to voyage through time, to tap the wisdom of our ancestors. The library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/books-permit-us-to-voyage-through-time-to-tap-the-wisdom-of-our/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [We live on a hunk of rock and metal that circles a humdrum star that is one of 400 billion other stars that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-live-on-a-hunk-of-rock-and-metal-that-circles-a-humdrum-star-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [A tiny blue dot set in a sunbeam. Here it is. That's where we live. That's home. We humans are one species and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/a-tiny-blue-dot-set-in-a-sunbeam-here-it-is-that-s-where-we-live-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Any sufficiently crisp question can be answered by a single binary digit-0 or 1, yes or no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/any-sufficiently-crisp-question-can-be-answered-by-a-single-binary/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Humans — who enslave, castrate, experiment on, and fillet other animals — have had an understandable penchant for pretending animals do not feel pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/humans-who-enslave-castrate-experiment-on-and-fillet-other-animals/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Every star may be a sun to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-star-may-be-a-sun-to-someone/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) [Explore all 1,043 Carl Sagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## More Gut feelings quotes > [Practice following your intuition in everyday things, trusting your gut feelings moment by moment and acting on them as best you can. As you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakti-gawain/practice-following-your-intuition-in-everyday-things-trusting-your/) [Shakti Gawain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakti-gawain/) > [“Sometimes you just have to trust your instincts; it may be all you have to trust.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-murray/sometimes-you-just-have-to-trust-your-instincts-it-may-be-all-you/) [Jocelyn Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-murray/) > [You can see the rider serving the elephant when people are morally dumbfounded. They have strong gut feelings about what is right and wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/you-can-see-the-rider-serving-the-elephant-when-people-are-morally/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [When your gut feelings tell you something, LISTEN to it because 9 times out of 10 it's telling you the TRUTH! Don't be someone's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-your-gut-feelings-tell-you-something-listen-to-it-because-9/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think I feel more like you're an actor for hire and you take the jobs you want to take, obviously, and some pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-fiennes/i-think-i-feel-more-like-you-re-an-actor-for-hire-and-you-take-the/) [Ralph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-fiennes/) > [My wife loves cars, but the difference is she doesn't have 20 years of understanding the background of them. She basically drives them and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-allen/my-wife-loves-cars-but-the-difference-is-she-doesn-t-have-20-years-of/) [Tim Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-allen/) > [“The combination of the Main brain with its central nervous system, and the ancient Animal Brain with its somatic, enteric nervous system in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-char-love/the-combination-of-the-main-brain-with-its-central-nervous-system-and/) [Martha Char Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-char-love/) > [If I don't cry while writing a key emotional scene, my gut feeling is it's failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/if-i-don-t-cry-while-writing-a-key-emotional-scene-my-gut-feeling-is/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/a-brand-is-a-person-s-gut-feeling-about-a-product-service-or/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [As we continue toward the fifth secret technique of psychics, I have a gut feeling that you are the sort of person that lets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wiseman/as-we-continue-toward-the-fifth-secret-technique-of-psychics-i-have-a/) [Richard Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wiseman/) > [Trust your hunches... Hunches are usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-brothers/trust-your-hunches-hunches-are-usually-based-on-facts-filed-away-just/) [Joyce Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-brothers/) > [When I'm hiring someone I look for magic and a spark. Little things that intuitively give me a gut feeling that this person will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-mottola/when-i-m-hiring-someone-i-look-for-magic-and-a-spark-little-things/) [Tommy Mottola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-mottola/) > [“Faith requires following the power of a whisper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/faith-requires-following-the-power-of-a-whisper/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“We have noted that gut feelings are an important part of the body’s sensory apparatus, helping us to evaluate the environment and assess whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/we-have-noted-that-gut-feelings-are-an-important-part-of-the-body-s/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [Good science requires distinguishing between "felt knowledge" and knowledge arising out of testable observations. "I am sure" is a mental sensation, not a testable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/good-science-requires-distinguishing-between-felt-knowledge-and/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) [Browse all 95 Gut feelings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gut-feelings/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I try not to think with my gut. If I'm serious about understanding the world, thinking with anything besides my brain, as tempting as that might be, is likely to get me in trouble. Really, it's okay to reserve judgment until the evidence is in.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carl Sagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-try-not-to-think-with-my-gut-if-i-m-serious-about-understanding-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gut feelings" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-try-not-to-think-with-my-gut-if-i-m-serious-about-understanding-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/carl-sagan-160_gut-feelings_i-try-not-to-think-with-my-gut-if-i-m-se_2330907.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/carl-sagan-160_gut-feelings_i-try-not-to-think-with-my-gut-if-i-m-se_2330907.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/carl-sagan-160_gut-feelings_i-try-not-to-think-with-my-gut-if-i-m-se_2330907.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I try not to think with my gut. If I'm serious about understanding the world, thinking with anything besides…” — Carl Sagan", "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": "Carl Sagan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I try not to think with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-try-not-to-think-with-my-gut-if-i-m-serious-about-understanding-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-try-not-to-think-with-my-gut-if-i-m-serious-about-understanding-the/#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 } } ] } ```