--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you take anything that succeeded, just…" description: "\"If you take anything that succeeded, just imagine it succeeding 10 years before or 10 years after, you could almost always make, with the same plausibi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/cass-sunstein-7201_argument_if-you-take-anything-that-succeeded-just_2055530.jpg" --- # If you take anything that succeeded, just imagine it… ![“If you take anything that succeeded, just imagine it succeeding 10 years before or 10 years after, you could almost always make, with the same plausibility, the "it fit the times" argument.” quote by Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/cass-sunstein-7201_argument_if-you-take-anything-that-succeeded-just_2055530.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/cass-sunstein-7201_argument_if-you-take-anything-that-succeeded-just_2055530.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/cass-sunstein-7201_argument_if-you-take-anything-that-succeeded-just_2055530.jpg) > “If you take anything that succeeded, just imagine it succeeding 10 years before or 10 years after, you could almost always make, with the same plausibility, the "it fit the times" argument.” [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success often depends on timing; an idea that fits one era may also fit earlier or later periods with similar plausibility. **In simple terms:** Timing matters for ideas to Key Takeaway Consider era when evaluating ideas. Themes timing innovation historical context Mood analytical thoughtful Type strategic insightful When to use this quote - business planning - policy making - product launch - media campaigns Key Concepts Temporal relevance strategic foresight Questions to Reflect On - How would you test an idea’s relevance across eras? - What factors beyond timing affect adoption? A Different Perspective Timing alone does not guarantee success; market conditions still vary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Imagine Succeeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-succeeding-3894565/) [Make Plausibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-plausibility-3894566/) [Plausibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plausibility/) [Plausibility Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plausibility-fit-3894564/) [Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed/) [Succeeding 10](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeeding-10-3894567/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [The theme that runs through my movies is the fact that we create barriers for ourselves…because we say, Well, I can't do that. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/the-theme-that-runs-through-my-movies-is-the-fact-that-we-create/) [George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/) > [It is a secret from nobody that the famous random event is most likely to arise from those parts of the world where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/it-is-a-secret-from-nobody-that-the-famous-random-event-is-most/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [There is thus a certain plausibility to Nietzsche's doctrine, though it is dynamite. He maintains in effect that the gulf separating Plato from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kaufmann/there-is-thus-a-certain-plausibility-to-nietzsche-s-doctrine-though/) [Walter Kaufmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kaufmann/) > [“Know how to rank your beliefs not according to their plausibility but by the harm they may cause.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/know-how-to-rank-your-beliefs-not-according-to-their-plausibility-but/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“But our relationship to these infinite pasts and futures isn’t random—plausibility throws its weight around, per some freaky quantum mechanics stuff that Dr. Oda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/but-our-relationship-to-these-infinite-pasts-and-futures-isn-t-random/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“ I would like to focus on the use of the word silly for a particular people’s point of views. Everybody has what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-rauser/i-would-like-to-focus-on-the-use-of-the-word-silly-for-a-particular/) [Randal Rauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-rauser/) > [“Holding me, as it were, within the infinite hope of your plausibility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-davis/holding-me-as-it-were-within-the-infinite-hope-of-your-plausibility/) [Peter Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-davis/) > [The fictioneer labors under the constraint of plausibility; his inventions must stay within the capacity of the audience to accept and believe. God, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/the-fictioneer-labors-under-the-constraint-of-plausibility-his/) [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) > [“Love covers a myriad of plausibility structures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-plum-ucci/love-covers-a-myriad-of-plausibility-structures/) [Carol Plum-Ucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-plum-ucci/) > [Perfect nonsense goes on in the world. Sometimes there is no plausibility at all](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/perfect-nonsense-goes-on-in-the-world-sometimes-there-is-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In any kind of comic scene you're going to perhaps push the boundaries of plausibility but as long as there is some semblance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-spall/in-any-kind-of-comic-scene-you-re-going-to-perhaps-push-the/) [Rafe Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-spall/) > [My friends and I have often discussed the plausibility of a connection between qualitatively bad music and quantifiably successful music, often citing the example…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oneohtrix-point-never/my-friends-and-i-have-often-discussed-the-plausibility-of-a/) [Oneohtrix Point Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oneohtrix-point-never/) > [We humans seem to be extremely good at generating ideas, theories, and explanations that have the ring of plausibility. We may be relatively deficient,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/we-humans-seem-to-be-extremely-good-at-generating-ideas-theories-and/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [Office tends to confer a dreadful plausibility on even the most negligible of those who hold it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawson/office-tends-to-confer-a-dreadful-plausibility-on-even-the-most/) [Mark Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawson/) > [“Objective truth is difficult to come by, and even if you have it, what you can pass on to the next person is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-abraham/objective-truth-is-difficult-to-come-by-and-even-if-you-have-it-what/) [Daniel Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-abraham/) ## More by Cass Sunstein > [I think President Barack Obama has been an extraordinarily successful president, and that this period will record that with a bunch of exclamation points.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/i-think-president-barack-obama-has-been-an-extraordinarily-successful/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [I am proud to say that the Federalist Society was founded in part at the University of Chicago, and one of its best characteristics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/i-am-proud-to-say-that-the-federalist-society-was-founded-in-part-at/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [Groups become more extreme and entrenched in their beliefs and polarized from others when members only exchange information that reinforces their views and filter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/groups-become-more-extreme-and-entrenched-in-their-beliefs-and/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [Those who believe in climate change, as I do, I think it's also fair to say that they are more receptive to confirming evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/those-who-believe-in-climate-change-as-i-do-i-think-it-s-also-fair-to/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [I think it's a very firm part of human nature that if you surround yourself with like-minded people, you'll end up thinking more extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/i-think-it-s-a-very-firm-part-of-human-nature-that-if-you-surround/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [There is no liberty without dependency. That is why we should celebrate tax day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/there-is-no-liberty-without-dependency-that-is-why-we-should/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [And so it's no surprise that people who object to the death penalty on pure moral grounds also think it has no deterrent effect,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/and-so-it-s-no-surprise-that-people-who-object-to-the-death-penalty/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [It is even possible that desirable redistribution is more likely to occur through climate change policy than otherwise, or to be accomplished more effectively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/it-is-even-possible-that-desirable-redistribution-is-more-likely-to/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [Presumed consent preserves freedom of choice, but it is different from explicit consent because it shifts the default rule. Under this policy, all citizens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/presumed-consent-preserves-freedom-of-choice-but-it-is-different-from/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [A well-functioning democracy has a culture of free speech, not simply legal protection of free speech. It encourages independence of mind. It imparts a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/a-well-functioning-democracy-has-a-culture-of-free-speech-not-simply/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [I'm also a big Bob Dylan fan. The songs on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - which is one of his best early albums -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/i-m-also-a-big-bob-dylan-fan-the-songs-on-the-freewheelin-bob-dylan/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [So, you could often say things are terrible and that accounts for what happened, or things are really bright, and that accounts for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/so-you-could-often-say-things-are-terrible-and-that-accounts-for-what/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [Wikipedia works because those who know the truth are usually more numerous and committed than those who believe in a falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/wikipedia-works-because-those-who-know-the-truth-are-usually-more/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [For the Sanders supporters, there's a thought that the people who are well off are doing really great, and the system is systematically unfair,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/for-the-sanders-supporters-there-s-a-thought-that-the-people-who-are/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [Whatever your gender, you can be a Star Wars fan. Of course I knew it from life before, but the core of enthusiastic female…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/whatever-your-gender-you-can-be-a-star-wars-fan-of-course-i-knew-it/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) [Explore all 93 Cass Sunstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) ## More Argument quotes > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [“Arguments led by subjectivity are a waste of time. And, if they take place online, add to that, a waste of one’s keyboard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/arguments-led-by-subjectivity-are-a-waste-of-time-and-if-they-take/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [If in the middle of an argument I suddenly fall silent it does not mean you have won... No it means you should probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/if-in-the-middle-of-an-argument-i-suddenly-fall-silent-it-does-not/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/) [Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/) > [“The motive behind my arguments have always been to come at truth. I am not interested in conquering anyone with my ideologies or seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-evans/the-motive-behind-my-arguments-have-always-been-to-come-at-truth-i-am/) [Crystal Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-evans/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) [Browse all 3,479 Argument quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you take anything that succeeded, just imagine it succeeding 10 years before or 10 years after, you could almost always make, with the same plausibility, the \"it fit the times\" argument.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cass Sunstein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/if-you-take-anything-that-succeeded-just-imagine-it-succeeding-10/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Argument" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/if-you-take-anything-that-succeeded-just-imagine-it-succeeding-10/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/cass-sunstein-7201_argument_if-you-take-anything-that-succeeded-just_2055530.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/cass-sunstein-7201_argument_if-you-take-anything-that-succeeded-just_2055530.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/cass-sunstein-7201_argument_if-you-take-anything-that-succeeded-just_2055530.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you take anything that succeeded, just imagine it succeeding 10 years before or 10 years after, you could…” — Cass Sunstein", "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": "Cass Sunstein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you take anything that succeeded,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/if-you-take-anything-that-succeeded-just-imagine-it-succeeding-10/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/if-you-take-anything-that-succeeded-just-imagine-it-succeeding-10/#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 } } ] } ```