--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mental effort, I would argue, is…" description: "\"Mental effort, I would argue, is relatively rare. Most of the time we coast.\" — Daniel Kahneman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/daniel-kahneman-431_arguing_mental-effort-i-would-argue-is-relativel_1207984.jpg" --- # Mental effort, I would argue, is relatively rare. Most of… ![“Mental effort, I would argue, is relatively rare. Most of the time we coast.” quote by Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/daniel-kahneman-431_arguing_mental-effort-i-would-argue-is-relativel_1207984.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/daniel-kahneman-431_arguing_mental-effort-i-would-argue-is-relativel_1207984.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/daniel-kahneman-431_arguing_mental-effort-i-would-argue-is-relativel_1207984.jpg) > “Mental effort, I would argue, is relatively rare. Most of the time we coast.” [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. Mental effort is uncommon; most people operate on autopilot, conserving energy by coasting through routine tasks. **In simple terms:** People rarely use deep thinking, preferring easy, automatic actions. Key Takeaway Engage in deliberate thinking when decisions matter. Themes cognition effort automation Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - decision making - learning - problem solving Key Concepts System 1 System 2 cognitive load Questions to Reflect On - When do you choose to think deeply? - How does autopilot affect your goals? A Different Perspective Effortful thinking can cause fatigue and resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I made a game effort to argue but two things were against me: the umpires and the rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-durocher/i-made-a-game-effort-to-argue-but-two-things-were-against-me-the/) [Leo Durocher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-durocher/) > [It's still relatively rare to have an epidemiologist at a zoo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ross/it-s-still-relatively-rare-to-have-an-epidemiologist-at-a-zoo/) [Steve Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ross/) > [“... while madness in individuals is relatively rare, it is virtually a prerequisite for a certain sort of political leader.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/while-madness-in-individuals-is-relatively-rare-it-is-virtually-a/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Someone has said that it requires less mental effort to condemn than to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/someone-has-said-that-it-requires-less-mental-effort-to-condemn-than/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [People are misers of mental effort. If we don't have the interest or the capacity to look into the arguments, if the message isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-hill/people-are-misers-of-mental-effort-if-we-don-t-have-the-interest-or/) [Kyle Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-hill/) > [“pupils are sensitive indicators of mental effort—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/pupils-are-sensitive-indicators-of-mental-effort/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [If you can attribute your success entirely to your own mental effort, to your own attitude, to some spiritual essence that you have that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/if-you-can-attribute-your-success-entirely-to-your-own-mental-effort/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [The desire to economize time and mental effort in arithmetical computations, and to eliminate human liability to error is probably as old as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-aiken/the-desire-to-economize-time-and-mental-effort-in-arithmetical/) [Howard Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-aiken/) > [“It requires less mental effort to condemn than to think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/it-requires-less-mental-effort-to-condemn-than-to-think/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [The best mental effort in the game of business is concentrated on the major problem of securing the consumer's dollar before the other fellow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/the-best-mental-effort-in-the-game-of-business-is-concentrated-on-the/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [“Mental effort moves us into higher gear, activating more vigorous and more analytical brain machinery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/mental-effort-moves-us-into-higher-gear-activating-more-vigorous-and/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [The human doesnt need mental effort or even a brain to have faith. It is not an emotion. Faith is a natural state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/the-human-doesnt-need-mental-effort-or-even-a-brain-to-have-faith-it/) [Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/) > [In proportion to the mental energy he spent, the man who creates a new invention receives but a small percentage of his value in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/in-proportion-to-the-mental-energy-he-spent-the-man-who-creates-a-new/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Your success will be proportioned to the amount of mental effort you devote to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-e-lawrence/your-success-will-be-proportioned-to-the-amount-of-mental-effort-you/) [T. E. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-e-lawrence/) > [Even if nothing worse than wasted mental effort could be laid to the charge of theology, that alone ought to be sufficient to banish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-m-child/even-if-nothing-worse-than-wasted-mental-effort-could-be-laid-to-the/) [Lydia M. Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-m-child/) ## 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 Arguing quotes > [I do wish you wouldn't argue with me when I'm knitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-durrell/i-do-wish-you-wouldn-t-argue-with-me-when-i-m-knitting/) [Gerald Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-durrell/) > [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/) > [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Men are fair, and they have learned not to personalize anger - they can disagree with you and argue to the bone, but afterward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/men-are-fair-and-they-have-learned-not-to-personalize-anger-they-can/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [When Eudæmonidas heard a philosopher arguing that only a wise man can be a good general, "This is a wonderful speech," said he; "but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/when-eud-monidas-heard-a-philosopher-arguing-that-only-a-wise-man-can/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Fasting is required, staying away from fighting and arguing and bombing of masjids is still going on. Hatred is still manifested between Sunni and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/fasting-is-required-staying-away-from-fighting-and-arguing-and/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) > [The problem for the Left, however, is that the moment it stops painting the Right as vile, it has to argue the issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/the-problem-for-the-left-however-is-that-the-moment-it-stops-painting/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/to-argue-with-a-person-who-has-renounced-the-use-of-reason-is-like/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [You can argue that the Terminator movies reboot their world each time they go back in time, but that doesn't negate the value of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hayter/you-can-argue-that-the-terminator-movies-reboot-their-world-each-time/) [David Hayter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hayter/) > [We may argue eloquently that 'Honesty is the best Policy' - unfortunately, the moment honesty is adopted for the sake of policy it mysteriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/we-may-argue-eloquently-that-honesty-is-the-best-policy-unfortunately/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [I'm a very serious person, but I don't take myself very seriously and I would rather laugh all day than argue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/i-m-a-very-serious-person-but-i-don-t-take-myself-very-seriously-and/) [Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/) > [These eyes, tho' clear To outward view of blemish or of spot, Bereft of light, their seeing have forgot, Nor to their idle orbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/these-eyes-tho-clear-to-outward-view-of-blemish-or-of-spot-bereft-of/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [There's crucial distinction that has to be drawn between the Shari'a, which is this hugely expansive vision of cosmic order that I've been describing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadakat-kadri/there-s-crucial-distinction-that-has-to-be-drawn-between-the-shari-a/) [Sadakat Kadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadakat-kadri/) > [Only fools argue whether to eat meat or not. 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