--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are two kinds of thoughts. There is…" description: "\"“There are two kinds of thoughts. There is nothing wrong with thinking in the sense of what I call “technical thinking.” We have to think in order to w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccb/charlotte-joko-beck-41825_psychology_there-are-two-kinds-of-thoughts-there-is_1138380.jpg" --- # There are two kinds of thoughts. There is nothing wrong… ![“There are two kinds of thoughts. There is nothing wrong with thinking in the sense of what I call “technical thinking.” We have to think in order to walk from here to the corner or to bake a cake or to solve a physics problem. That use of the mind is fine. It isn’t real or unreal; it is just what…” quote by Charlotte Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccb/charlotte-joko-beck-41825_psychology_there-are-two-kinds-of-thoughts-there-is_1138380.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccb/charlotte-joko-beck-41825_psychology_there-are-two-kinds-of-thoughts-there-is_1138380.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccb/charlotte-joko-beck-41825_psychology_there-are-two-kinds-of-thoughts-there-is_1138380.jpg) > ““There are two kinds of thoughts. There is nothing wrong with thinking in the sense of what I call “technical thinking.” We have to think in order to walk from here to the corner or to bake a cake or to solve a physics problem. That use of the mind is fine. It isn’t real or unreal; it is just what it is. But opinions, judgments, memories, dreaming about the future—ninety percent of the thoughts spinning around in our heads have no essential reality. And we go from birth to death, unless we wake up, wasting most of our life with them.”” [Charlotte Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-joko-beck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Most thoughts are mental activity without essential reality; only practical thinking has tangible purpose. **In simple terms:** Most thoughts are not truly real. Key Takeaway Focus on present, practical thoughts. Themes mindfulness thoughts reality Mood reflective calm Type philosophical mindful When to use this quote - meditation - daily planning - creative work - problem solving Key Concepts technical thinking opinions memories dreams awakening Questions to Reflect On - How can you identify thoughts that waste time? - What practices help stay present? A Different Perspective Distinguishing useful from empty thoughts can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Spinning around](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spinning-around/) [Technical Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technical-thinking-3162617/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinking Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-think/) [Thoughts Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-wrong-350609/) [Wrong thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-thinking/) ## Related quotes > [My "thinking" time was devoted mainly to activities that were essentially clerical or mechanical: searching, calculating, plotting, transforming, determining the logical or dynamic consequences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-r-licklider/my-thinking-time-was-devoted-mainly-to-activities-that-were-2/) [J. C. R. Licklider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-r-licklider/) > [People are unfair when you're married to someone famous. They believe you haven't got thoughts of your own. That's where they are wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira-caine/people-are-unfair-when-you-re-married-to-someone-famous-they-believe/) [Shakira Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira-caine/) > [“This need to be right has put a huge burden on me, one that I never deserved to have to carry. 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You're not thinking correctly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-trudeau/the-problem-with-mental-illness-as-opposed-to-physical-illness-is/) [Margaret Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-trudeau/) > [“Wrong thinking limits and hinders God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moroaswi-tumiso-victor/wrong-thinking-limits-and-hinders-god/) [Moroaswi Tumiso Victor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moroaswi-tumiso-victor/) ## More by Charlotte Joko Beck > [“We enter a discipline like Zen practice so that we can learn to live in a sane way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-joko-beck/we-enter-a-discipline-like-zen-practice-so-that-we-can-learn-to-live/) [Charlotte Joko Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-joko-beck/) > [“But sitting is not something that we do for a year or two with the idea of mastering it. 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