--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a mistake to let aesthetics drive…" description: "\"It is a mistake to let aesthetics drive your rational decision making.\" — Cory Doctorow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/cory-doctorow-1928_aesthetics_it-is-a-mistake-to-let-aesthetics-drive_848186.png" --- # It is a mistake to let aesthetics drive your rational… ![“It is a mistake to let aesthetics drive your rational decision making.” quote by Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/cory-doctorow-1928_aesthetics_it-is-a-mistake-to-let-aesthetics-drive_848186.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/cory-doctorow-1928_aesthetics_it-is-a-mistake-to-let-aesthetics-drive_848186.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/cory-doctorow-1928_aesthetics_it-is-a-mistake-to-let-aesthetics-drive_848186.png) > “It is a mistake to let aesthetics drive your rational decision making.” [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritizing style over logic can corrupt decision making. **In simple terms:** Beauty should not dictate choices. Key Takeaway Balance aesthetics with rational analysis. Themes design decisionmaking logic Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - product design - marketing strategy - personal purchases Key Concepts cognitive bias critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - When have you chosen looks over usefulness? - How to spot aesthetic bias? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on aesthetics may ignore functionality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aesthetics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aesthetics/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Rational decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rational-decisions/) ## Related quotes > [Cheshvan starts tonight," Rixon said, "What are you doing arsing around in a graveyard?" "Thinking." "Thinking?" "A process by which I use my brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/cheshvan-starts-tonight-rixon-said-what-are-you-doing-arsing-around/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [I approve designs not because I think I am more gifted or somebody who can see ahead three or four years from now, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ghosn/i-approve-designs-not-because-i-think-i-am-more-gifted-or-somebody/) [Carlos Ghosn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ghosn/) > [Sometimes knowing what's right isn't a rational decision, or even what works on paper. Sometimes leaving is the best course of action after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-knowing-what-s-right-isn-t-a-rational-decision-or-even-what/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Knowing where things are, and why, is essential to rational decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-dangermond/knowing-where-things-are-and-why-is-essential-to-rational-decision/) Jack Dangermond > [Thinking. A process by which I use my brain to make a rational decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/thinking-a-process-by-which-i-use-my-brain-to-make-a-rational-decision/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [Don't undermine the science just because you don't like the economics. That's a dangerous slope, because the problem of course is you're not undermining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox/don-t-undermine-the-science-just-because-you-don-t-like-the-economics/) [Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) > [We are all far less rational in our decision-making than standard economic theory assumes. Our irrational behaviors are neither random nor senseless: they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/we-are-all-far-less-rational-in-our-decision-making-than-standard/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [In my opinion, economists and sociologists are the people to whom we ought to turn more than we do for instruction in the grounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/in-my-opinion-economists-and-sociologists-are-the-people-to-whom-we/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [(Game theory is) essentially a structural theory. It uncovers the logical structure of a great variety of conflict situations and describes this structure in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatol-rapoport/game-theory-is-essentially-a-structural-theory-it-uncovers-the/) [Anatol Rapoport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatol-rapoport/) > [“The film nicely shows how a person may make a rational decision to achieve a goal while at the same time unconsciously doing everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/the-film-nicely-shows-how-a-person-may-make-a-rational-decision-to/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [“What could be more rational than the decision to use my gifts in a way which would most clearly manifest my moral and intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-howatch/what-could-be-more-rational-than-the-decision-to-use-my-gifts-in-a/) [Susan Howatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-howatch/) > [“Standard economics assumes that we are rational... But, as the results presented in this book (and others) show, we are far less rational in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/standard-economics-assumes-that-we-are-rational-but-as-the-results/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [Two things happen when you're fearful. First, you make seemingly rational decisions that are actually hedges. Or second, you fail to do something because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landgraf/two-things-happen-when-you-re-fearful-first-you-make-seemingly/) [John Landgraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landgraf/) > [Amor deliria nervosa: It affects your mind so that you cannot think clearly, or make rational decisions about your own well-being. Symptom number twelve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/amor-deliria-nervosa-it-affects-your-mind-so-that-you-cannot-think/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Even those who identify themselves as libertarians follow an overtly anti-rationalist philosophy, as even a brief acquaintance with the work of Friedrich Hayek should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-e-agre/even-those-who-identify-themselves-as-libertarians-follow-an-overtly/) [Philip E. Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-e-agre/) ## More by Cory Doctorow > [“For me -- for pretty much every writer -- the big problem isn't piracy, it's obscurity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/for-me-for-pretty-much-every-writer-the-big-problem-isn-t-piracy-it-s/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“Kurt smiled a shy smile. "You're just trying to cheer me up," he said. "Course I am," Andy said. "You deserve to be full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/kurt-smiled-a-shy-smile-you-re-just-trying-to-cheer-me-up-he-said/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [Right, and you point out something important which is that people who don’t want to pay, people who are pirates, don’t get bothered by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/right-and-you-point-out-something-important-which-is-that-people-who/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [The other one I did was 'I, Robot.' I take apart Isaac Asimov's Robots world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/the-other-one-i-did-was-i-robot-i-take-apart-isaac-asimov-s-robots/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“When in problem, or in doubt, run in cirles, scream and shout”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/when-in-problem-or-in-doubt-run-in-cirles-scream-and-shout/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“the problem with reading off a screen isn’t resolution, eyestrain, or compatibility with reading in the bathtub: it’s that computers are seductive, they tempt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/the-problem-with-reading-off-a-screen-isn-t-resolution-eyestrain-or/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [I'm 17 years old. I'm not a straight-A student or anything. Even so, I figured out how to make an Internet that they can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/i-m-17-years-old-i-m-not-a-straight-a-student-or-anything-even-so-i/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“Anything invented before you were eighteen was there all along. Anything invented before you’re thirty is exciting and will change the world forever. Anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/anything-invented-before-you-were-eighteen-was-there-all-along/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [Novels for me are how I find out what's going on in my own head. And so that's a really useful and indeed critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/novels-for-me-are-how-i-find-out-what-s-going-on-in-my-own-head-and/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“It’s our version of Christian guilt—it’s impious to feel good about your piety. You have to want to be good, but not feel good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/it-s-our-version-of-christian-guilt-it-s-impious-to-feel-good-about/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [The important thing about security systems isn’t how they work, it’s how they fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/the-important-thing-about-security-systems-isn-t-how-they-work-it-s/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [This is why I loved technology: if you used it right, it could give you power and privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/this-is-why-i-loved-technology-if-you-used-it-right-it-could-give-you/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [Funny, for all surveillance, Osama bin Laden is still free—and we're not. Guess who's winning the "war on terror?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/funny-for-all-surveillance-osama-bin-laden-is-still-free-and-we-re/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [I had this really great amazing thing happen where I almost finished the book and I really needed to come up with an ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/i-had-this-really-great-amazing-thing-happen-where-i-almost-finished/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [It's the stupid questions that have some of the most surprising and interesting answers. Most people never think to ask the stupid questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/it-s-the-stupid-questions-that-have-some-of-the-most-surprising-and/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) [Explore all 195 Cory Doctorow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) ## More Aesthetics quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Pleasure is by no means an infallible critical guide, but it is the least fallible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/pleasure-is-by-no-means-an-infallible-critical-guide-but-it-is-the/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [ Probably the high-watermark of \[Bob\] Dylan's career came after he plugged in his guitar ("Judas!" one fan shouted during a concert) and exploded American… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/probably-the-high-watermark-of-bob-dylan-s-career-came-after-he/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [Road cycling, especially up mountains. It's the heady mixture of endorphins and aesthetics that I love. My wife does it too, and being with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-kemp/road-cycling-especially-up-mountains-it-s-the-heady-mixture-of/) [Gary Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-kemp/) > [“No man sings as beautifully as when his song is accompanied by a woman’s voice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/no-man-sings-as-beautifully-as-when-his-song-is-accompanied-by-a/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [ \[Alexei Nemov\] has the best feel for the aesthetics of the sport. He doesn't just do a skill; he makes it look gorgeous. Some… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-vidmar/alexei-nemov-has-the-best-feel-for-the-aesthetics-of-the-sport-he/) [Peter Vidmar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-vidmar/) > [The great work of art is the complete banality, and the fault with most banalities is that they are not banal enough. Banality here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asger-jorn/the-great-work-of-art-is-the-complete-banality-and-the-fault-with/) [Asger Jorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asger-jorn/) > [I find the aesthetics of the 20th century hopelessly barren.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-find-the-aesthetics-of-the-20th-century-hopelessly-barren/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [For it is a mad world and it will get madder if we allow the minorities, be they dwarf or giant, orangutan or dolphin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/for-it-is-a-mad-world-and-it-will-get-madder-if-we-allow-the/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We’re surrounded by anonymous, poorly made objects. It’s tempting to think it’s because the people who use them don’t care-just like the people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-re-surrounded-by-anonymous-poorly-made-objects-it-s-tempting-to/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved science and art tend to coalesce in aesthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/after-a-certain-high-level-of-technical-skill-is-achieved-science-and/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [There's only so much you can do until you get on set and see the aesthetics of what you're dealing with. Then you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-urban/there-s-only-so-much-you-can-do-until-you-get-on-set-and-see-the/) [Karl Urban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-urban/) > [In our view the Olympic idea involves a strong physical culture supplemented on the one hand by mobility, what is so aptly called 'fair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-de-coubertin/in-our-view-the-olympic-idea-involves-a-strong-physical-culture/) [Pierre de Coubertin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-de-coubertin/) [Browse all 302 Aesthetics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aesthetics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is a mistake to let aesthetics drive your rational decision making.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cory Doctorow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/it-is-a-mistake-to-let-aesthetics-drive-your-rational-decision-making/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aesthetics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/it-is-a-mistake-to-let-aesthetics-drive-your-rational-decision-making/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/cory-doctorow-1928_aesthetics_it-is-a-mistake-to-let-aesthetics-drive_848186.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/cory-doctorow-1928_aesthetics_it-is-a-mistake-to-let-aesthetics-drive_848186.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/cory-doctorow-1928_aesthetics_it-is-a-mistake-to-let-aesthetics-drive_848186.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is a mistake to let aesthetics drive your rational decision making.” — Cory Doctorow", "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": "Cory Doctorow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is a mistake to let...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/it-is-a-mistake-to-let-aesthetics-drive-your-rational-decision-making/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/it-is-a-mistake-to-let-aesthetics-drive-your-rational-decision-making/#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 } } ] } ```