---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It turns out your conscious mind — the…"
description: "\"It turns out your conscious mind — the part you think of as you — is really the smallest part of what's happening in your brain, and usually the last o..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/david-eagleman-2079_brain_it-turns-out-your-conscious-mind-the-par_1672080.png"
---

#  It turns out your conscious mind — the part you think of…

![“It turns out your conscious mind — the part you think of as you — is really the smallest part of what's happening in your brain, and usually the last one in line to find out any information.” quote by David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/david-eagleman-2079_brain_it-turns-out-your-conscious-mind-the-par_1672080.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/david-eagleman-2079_brain_it-turns-out-your-conscious-mind-the-par_1672080.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/david-eagleman-2079_brain_it-turns-out-your-conscious-mind-the-par_1672080.png)

> “It turns out your conscious mind — the part you think of as you — is really the smallest part of what's happening in your brain, and usually the last one in line to find out any information.”

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The conscious mind is a tiny, late‑arriving observer compared to the vast unconscious processes driving behavior.

**In simple terms:** Consciousness is a small, late part of brain activity.

Key Takeaway

Recognize unconscious influences on decisions.

Themes

consciousness brain perception

Mood

curious thoughtful

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- decision making
- self‑reflection
- habit formation
- mental health
- mindfulness

Key Concepts

cognitive neuroscience unconscious processing

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your unconscious shape daily choices?
- Can you train awareness to precede instinct?

A Different Perspective

Conscious awareness may be too delayed to affect rapid reactions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Conscious mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-mind/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [“Paranoia had crept into that part of my brain usually reserved for reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-shepherd/paranoia-had-crept-into-that-part-of-my-brain-usually-reserved-for/)

[Megan Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-shepherd/)

> [“We are made up of an entire parliament of pieces and parts and subsystems. Beyond a collection of local expert systems, we are collections…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/we-are-made-up-of-an-entire-parliament-of-pieces-and-parts-and/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [It is more parsimonious to assume that the sun goes around the Earth, that atoms at the smallest scale operate in accordance with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/it-is-more-parsimonious-to-assume-that-the-sun-goes-around-the-earth/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [“Before opening your mouth to talk, you should open your mind to think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/before-opening-your-mouth-to-talk-you-should-open-your-mind-to-think/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [The big characters who occupy science, especially modern science, are all "off" in fundamental ways. I don't think that genius goes hand in hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/the-big-characters-who-occupy-science-especially-modern-science-are/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [What action will you do, depends on how your mind think of the do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-action-will-you-do-depends-on-how-your-mind-think-of-the-do/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In one way or another, it is a common mistake to think transformation is all in the will. And it isn't! It's in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/in-one-way-or-another-it-is-a-common-mistake-to-think-transformation/)

[Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/)

> [“The body tells the mind what to think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harold-fink/the-body-tells-the-mind-what-to-think/)

David Harold Fink

> [“Mind your mind. Think of distinctive footprints. Insofar as all things move forward and not backward, avoid retrogressive thinking, imprison negative thoughts, build a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/mind-your-mind-think-of-distinctive-footprints-insofar-as-all-things/)

[Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/)

> [Whatever your eyes see so do your mind think it into a word that will get your ass whoop!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenchqueen/whatever-your-eyes-see-so-do-your-mind-think-it-into-a-word-that-will/)

Frenchqueen

> [“Apropos of nothing at all except that it has been on my mind and I think I had better say it because it accounts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gorey/apropos-of-nothing-at-all-except-that-it-has-been-on-my-mind-and-i/)

[Edward Gorey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gorey/)

> [Great mind think about what is coming even in the darkest world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-mwasomola/great-mind-think-about-what-is-coming-even-in-the-darkest-world/)

Richard Mwasomola

> [Keep this question in mind: 'What would I think of this if I exchanged places with the other person?' It paves the way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-schwartz/keep-this-question-in-mind-what-would-i-think-of-this-if-i-exchanged/)

[David Joseph Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-schwartz/)

> [When you're shooting you go to references in your mind. You think about how you should stand in these particular clothes, or how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-moss/when-you-re-shooting-you-go-to-references-in-your-mind-you-think/)

[Kate Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-moss/)

> [The brain can be developed just the same as the muscles can be developed, if on will only take the pains to train the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/the-brain-can-be-developed-just-the-same-as-the-muscles-can-be/)

[Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/)

## More by David Eagleman

> [We're trapped on this very thin slice of perception ... But even at that slice of reality that we call home, we're not seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/we-re-trapped-on-this-very-thin-slice-of-perception-but-even-at-that/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [Visual cortex is fundamentally a machine whose job is to generate a model of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/visual-cortex-is-fundamentally-a-machine-whose-job-is-to-generate-a/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [If you ever feel lazy or dull, take heart: you're the busiest, brightest thing on the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/if-you-ever-feel-lazy-or-dull-take-heart-you-re-the-busiest-brightest/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [We are not conscious of most things until we ask ourselves questions about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/we-are-not-conscious-of-most-things-until-we-ask-ourselves-questions/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [“with the knowledge that you cannot appreciate the destination without knowing the starting point; you cannot revel in the simplicity unless you remember the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/with-the-knowledge-that-you-cannot-appreciate-the-destination-without/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [“If an epileptic seizure is focused in a particular sweet spot in the temporal lobe, a person won´t have motor seizures, but instead something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/if-an-epileptic-seizure-is-focused-in-a-particular-sweet-spot-in-the/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [The deep secret of the brain is that not only the spinal cord but the entire central nervous system works this way: internally generated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/the-deep-secret-of-the-brain-is-that-not-only-the-spinal-cord-but-the/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [When people fall in love, there´s period of up to three years during which the zeal and infatuation ride at a peak. The internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/when-people-fall-in-love-there-s-period-of-up-to-three-years-during/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [The majority of human beings live their whole lives unaware that they are only seeing a limited cone of vision at any moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/the-majority-of-human-beings-live-their-whole-lives-unaware-that-they/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [Our ignorance of the cosmos is too vast to commit to atheism, and yet we know too much to commit to a particular religion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/our-ignorance-of-the-cosmos-is-too-vast-to-commit-to-atheism-and-yet/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [“As Gazzaniga put it, "these findings all suggest that the interpretive mechanism of the left hemisphere is always hard at work, seeking the meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/as-gazzaniga-put-it-these-findings-all-suggest-that-the-interpretive/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [I spent my adult life as a scientist, and science is, essentially, the most successful approach we have to try and understand the vast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/i-spent-my-adult-life-as-a-scientist-and-science-is-essentially-the/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [When the brain activity is kindled in the right spot, people hear voices. If a physician prescribes an anti-epileptic medication, the seizures go away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/when-the-brain-activity-is-kindled-in-the-right-spot-people-hear/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [“Platoons and plays and stores and congresses do not end - they simply move on to a different dimension.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/platoons-and-plays-and-stores-and-congresses-do-not-end-they-simply/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [Awareness of your surroundings occurs only when sensory inputs violate expectations. When the world is successfully predicted away, awareness is not needed because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/awareness-of-your-surroundings-occurs-only-when-sensory-inputs/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

[Explore all 183 David Eagleman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

## More Brain quotes

> [The brain abhors discrepancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-brain-abhors-discrepancies/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [down with ought with because with every brain that thinks it thinks nor dares to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/down-with-ought-with-because-with-every-brain-that-thinks-it-thinks/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/)

[Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/)

> [I prefer the word 'musician.' I'm a musician and a composer. I have a problem with the word 'artist.' I don't know if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-prefer-the-word-musician-i-m-a-musician-and-a-composer-i-have-a/)

[Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/)

> [Thinking of sex provides enough mental stimulation to reduce risk of diseases that damage the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thinking-of-sex-provides-enough-mental-stimulation-to-reduce-risk-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/)

[Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/)

> [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/)

[Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/)

> [Without illusions. I love you because you are fallible and because your poor misguided testosterone-corrupted brain has you doing cartwheels trying not to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/without-illusions-i-love-you-because-you-are-fallible-and-because/)

[Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/)

> [being asked to decide between your passion for work and your passion for children was like being asked by your doctor whether you preferred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-bevington/being-asked-to-decide-between-your-passion-for-work-and-your-passion/)

[Helen Bevington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-bevington/)

> [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-boyle/i-was-told-i-had-brain-damage-i-always-knew-it-was-an-unfair-label/)

[Susan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-boyle/)

> [The act of learning to read added an entirely new circuit to our hominid brain's repertoire. The long developmental process of learning to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryanne-wolf/the-act-of-learning-to-read-added-an-entirely-new-circuit-to-our/)

[Maryanne Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryanne-wolf/)

> [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/)

[Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/)

> [I am the way I am. If you like me because I'm glamorous, so be it. If you like me, because I speak well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malaika-arora-khan/i-am-the-way-i-am-if-you-like-me-because-i-m-glamorous-so-be-it-if/)

[Malaika Arora Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malaika-arora-khan/)

[Browse all 8,465 Brain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It turns out your conscious mind — the part you think of as you — is really the smallest part of what's happening in your brain, and usually the last one in line to find out any information.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Eagleman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/it-turns-out-your-conscious-mind-the-part-you-think-of-as-you-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Brain"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/it-turns-out-your-conscious-mind-the-part-you-think-of-as-you-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/david-eagleman-2079_brain_it-turns-out-your-conscious-mind-the-par_1672080.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/david-eagleman-2079_brain_it-turns-out-your-conscious-mind-the-par_1672080.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/david-eagleman-2079_brain_it-turns-out-your-conscious-mind-the-par_1672080.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It turns out your conscious mind — the part you think of as you — is really the smallest part of what's…” — David Eagleman",
                "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": "David Eagleman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It turns out your conscious mind...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/it-turns-out-your-conscious-mind-the-part-you-think-of-as-you-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/it-turns-out-your-conscious-mind-the-part-you-think-of-as-you-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
