--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I propose a simple account of how we…" description: "\"“I propose a simple account of how we generate intuitive opinions on complex matters. If a satisfactory answer to a hard question is not found quickly,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/daniel-kahneman-431_quote_i-propose-a-simple-account-of-how-we-gen_959212.jpg" --- # I propose a simple account of how we generate intuitive… ![“I propose a simple account of how we generate intuitive opinions on complex matters. If a satisfactory answer to a hard question is not found quickly, System 1 will find a related question that is easier and will answer it. I call the operation of answering one question in place of another…” quote by Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/daniel-kahneman-431_quote_i-propose-a-simple-account-of-how-we-gen_959212.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/daniel-kahneman-431_quote_i-propose-a-simple-account-of-how-we-gen_959212.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/daniel-kahneman-431_quote_i-propose-a-simple-account-of-how-we-gen_959212.jpg) > ““I propose a simple account of how we generate intuitive opinions on complex matters. If a satisfactory answer to a hard question is not found quickly, System 1 will find a related question that is easier and will answer it. I call the operation of answering one question in place of another substitution.”” [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When a hard question lacks a quick answer, the brain substitutes a simpler related question, using System 1 to provide an easy answer **In simple terms:** The mind replaces tough queries with easier ones Key Takeaway Be aware of substitution shortcuts in reasoning Themes cognition decision‑making heuristics Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type psychology educational When to use this quote - Problem solving - critical thinking - research design Key Concepts System 1 substitution intuition Questions to Reflect On - Do you recognize when you’re substituting? - How can you verify the original question’s relevance? A Different Perspective Substitution can lead to oversimplification and bias ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answer Operation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answer-operation-1762441/) [Generate Intuitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generate-intuitive-1762443/) [Intuitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuitive/) [Intuitive Opinions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuitive-opinions-1762440/) [Opinions Complex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinions-complex-1762442/) ## Related quotes > [“If a satisfactory answer to a hard question is not found quickly, System 1 will find a related question that is easier and will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/if-a-satisfactory-answer-to-a-hard-question-is-not-found-quickly/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“She gasped. “You know what your problem is? You don’t take yourself… or anything… seriously enough!” She sat rigidly, her teeth and her buttocks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-gasped-you-know-what-your-problem-is-you-don-t-take-yourself-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Intuitive diagnosis is reliable when people have a lot of relevant feedback. But people are very often willing to make intuitive diagnoses even when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/intuitive-diagnosis-is-reliable-when-people-have-a-lot-of-relevant/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Except for some effects that I attribute mostly to age, my intuitive thinking is just as prone to overconfidence, extreme predictions, and the planning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/except-for-some-effects-that-i-attribute-mostly-to-age-my-intuitive/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“Most of us are pitch-perfect in detecting anger in the first word of a telephone call, recognize as we enter a room that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/most-of-us-are-pitch-perfect-in-detecting-anger-in-the-first-word-of/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“intuitive heuristics: when faced with a difficult question, we often answer an easier one instead, usually without noticing the substitution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/intuitive-heuristics-when-faced-with-a-difficult-question-we-often/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [What I realized halfway through writing romance is that you start out intuitive, and you make all these choices mostly based on yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/what-i-realized-halfway-through-writing-romance-is-that-you-start-out/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [... in a capitalist society a man is expected to be an aggressive, uncompromising, factual, lusty, intelligent provider of goods,and the woman, a retiring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-cade-bambara/in-a-capitalist-society-a-man-is-expected-to-be-an-aggressive/) [Toni Cade Bambara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-cade-bambara/) > [Perhaps my early problems with dyslexia made me more intuitive: when someone sends me a written proposal, rather than dwelling on detailed facts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/perhaps-my-early-problems-with-dyslexia-made-me-more-intuitive-when/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Intuitive guidance means having the self-esteem to recognize that the discomfort or confusion that a person feels is actually directing him to take charge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/intuitive-guidance-means-having-the-self-esteem-to-recognize-that-the/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [“And Lincoln, as would be evidenced throughout his presidency, was a master of timing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/and-lincoln-as-would-be-evidenced-throughout-his-presidency-was-a/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [Writing lyrics is part spontaneous, intuitive and part really thought through and carefully analyzed as you write it. It's a mixture of two approaches,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anderson/writing-lyrics-is-part-spontaneous-intuitive-and-part-really-thought/) [Ian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anderson/) > [“Maddox isn’t a stupid man.  He’s probably one of the most intuitive people I’ve ever met. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-sloan/maddox-isn-t-a-stupid-man-he-s-probably-one-of-the-most-intuitive/) [Harper Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-sloan/) > [I know the importance of highly trained awareness of the “moment” and the immediate and intuitive response of the photographer. It should be obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-know-the-importance-of-highly-trained-awareness-of-the-moment-and/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [A successful director is someone who has the combination of skills that you can learn, but there's also an intuitive sensibility that they bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-heinrichs/a-successful-director-is-someone-who-has-the-combination-of-skills/) [Rick Heinrichs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-heinrichs/) ## More by Daniel Kahneman > [Economists think about what people ought to do. Psychologists watch what they actually do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/economists-think-about-what-people-ought-to-do-psychologists-watch/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“Belief in the Law of Small Numbers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/belief-in-the-law-of-small-numbers/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“People who are poor think like traders, but the dynamics are quite different. Unlike traders, the poor are not indifferent to the differences between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/people-who-are-poor-think-like-traders-but-the-dynamics-are-quite/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“Mood evidently affects the operation of System 1: when we are uncomfortable and unhappy, we lose touch with our intuition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/mood-evidently-affects-the-operation-of-system-1-when-we-are/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [The confidence that individuals have in their beliefs depends mostly on the quality of the story they can tell about what they see, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-confidence-that-individuals-have-in-their-beliefs-depends-mostly/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“So this is my aim for watercooler conversations: improve the ability to identify and understand errors of judgment and choice, in others and eventually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/so-this-is-my-aim-for-watercooler-conversations-improve-the-ability/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“For example, I recently came to doubt my long-held impression that adultery is more common among politicians than among physicians or lawyers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/for-example-i-recently-came-to-doubt-my-long-held-impression-that/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Survival prospects are poor for an animal that is not suspicious of novelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/survival-prospects-are-poor-for-an-animal-that-is-not-suspicious-of/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“the idea of money primes individualism: a reluctance to be involved with others, to depend on others, or to accept demands from others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-idea-of-money-primes-individualism-a-reluctance-to-be-involved/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Most of the moments of our life - and I calculated, you know, the psychological present is said to be about three seconds long;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/most-of-the-moments-of-our-life-and-i-calculated-you-know-the/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“knowing little makes it easier to fit everything you know into a coherent pattern.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/knowing-little-makes-it-easier-to-fit-everything-you-know-into-a/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Experts don't know exactly where the boundaries of their expertise are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/experts-don-t-know-exactly-where-the-boundaries-of-their-expertise-are/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [All of us would be better investors if we just made fewer decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/all-of-us-would-be-better-investors-if-we-just-made-fewer-decisions/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“The best we can do is a compromise: learn to recognize situations in which mistakes are likely and try harder to avoid significant mistakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-best-we-can-do-is-a-compromise-learn-to-recognize-situations-in/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“A happy mood loosens the control of System 2 over performance: when in a good mood, people become more intuitive and more creative but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/a-happy-mood-loosens-the-control-of-system-2-over-performance-when-in/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) [Explore all 560 Daniel Kahneman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) ## More Intuitive quotes > [A successful director is someone who has the combination of skills that you can learn, but there's also an intuitive sensibility that they bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-heinrichs/a-successful-director-is-someone-who-has-the-combination-of-skills/) [Rick Heinrichs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-heinrichs/) > [I know the importance of highly trained awareness of the “moment” and the immediate and intuitive response of the photographer. It should be obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-know-the-importance-of-highly-trained-awareness-of-the-moment-and/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [“Maddox isn’t a stupid man.  He’s probably one of the most intuitive people I’ve ever met. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-sloan/maddox-isn-t-a-stupid-man-he-s-probably-one-of-the-most-intuitive/) [Harper Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-sloan/) > [Writing lyrics is part spontaneous, intuitive and part really thought through and carefully analyzed as you write it. It's a mixture of two approaches,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anderson/writing-lyrics-is-part-spontaneous-intuitive-and-part-really-thought/) [Ian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anderson/) > [“And Lincoln, as would be evidenced throughout his presidency, was a master of timing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/and-lincoln-as-would-be-evidenced-throughout-his-presidency-was-a/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [Intuitive guidance means having the self-esteem to recognize that the discomfort or confusion that a person feels is actually directing him to take charge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/intuitive-guidance-means-having-the-self-esteem-to-recognize-that-the/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [Perhaps my early problems with dyslexia made me more intuitive: when someone sends me a written proposal, rather than dwelling on detailed facts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/perhaps-my-early-problems-with-dyslexia-made-me-more-intuitive-when/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [... in a capitalist society a man is expected to be an aggressive, uncompromising, factual, lusty, intelligent provider of goods,and the woman, a retiring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-cade-bambara/in-a-capitalist-society-a-man-is-expected-to-be-an-aggressive/) [Toni Cade Bambara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-cade-bambara/) > [What I realized halfway through writing romance is that you start out intuitive, and you make all these choices mostly based on yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/what-i-realized-halfway-through-writing-romance-is-that-you-start-out/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [I think it is more of an intuitive, circular kind of personality, for starters. And, as I say of horses, the secret to breeding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walton/i-think-it-is-more-of-an-intuitive-circular-kind-of-personality-for/) [Alice Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walton/) > [The writing is the springboard for your intuitive stuff and then you see, maybe a colour of what you want to achieve. Then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-richardson/the-writing-is-the-springboard-for-your-intuitive-stuff-and-then-you/) [Miranda Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-richardson/) > [ He \[Democritus\] is probably best known for two of the most scientifically intuitive quotes ever uttered by an ancient: 'Nothing exists except atoms and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-m-lederman/he-democritus-is-probably-best-known-for-two-of-the-most/) [Leon M. Lederman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-m-lederman/) > [“For someone so intuitive,” he said, shaking his head, “sometimes you only see what you expect to see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-a-george/for-someone-so-intuitive-he-said-shaking-his-head-sometimes-you-only/) [M.A. George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-a-george/) > [In the early days the Cubism' method of grasping an object was to go round and round it. The Futurists declared that one had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gino-severini/in-the-early-days-the-cubism-method-of-grasping-an-object-was-to-go/) [Gino Severini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gino-severini/) > [By banishing doubt and trusting your intuitive feelings, you clear a space for the power of intention to flow through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/by-banishing-doubt-and-trusting-your-intuitive-feelings-you-clear-a/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) [Browse all 508 Intuitive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuitive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I propose a simple account of how we generate intuitive opinions on complex matters. If a satisfactory answer to a hard question is not found quickly, System 1 will find a related question that is easier and will answer it. 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