--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's very hard for all of us, when we've…" description: "\"It's very hard for all of us, when we've committed ourselves to a particular interpretation, to change our minds.\" — Donald Johanson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/donald-johanson-16932_change_it-s-very-hard-for-all-of-us-when-we-ve_921568.png" --- # It's very hard for all of us, when we've committed… ![“It's very hard for all of us, when we've committed ourselves to a particular interpretation, to change our minds.” quote by Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/donald-johanson-16932_change_it-s-very-hard-for-all-of-us-when-we-ve_921568.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/donald-johanson-16932_change_it-s-very-hard-for-all-of-us-when-we-ve_921568.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/donald-johanson-16932_change_it-s-very-hard-for-all-of-us-when-we-ve_921568.png) > “It's very hard for all of us, when we've committed ourselves to a particular interpretation, to change our minds.” [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People resist altering beliefs once they’ve committed to an interpretation, making mindset shifts difficult. **In simple terms:** Commitment to beliefs hinders change. Key Takeaway Stay open to revising views. Themes psychology belief cognition Mood thoughtful challenging Type psychological motivational When to use this quote - education - team meetings - personal growth - conflict resolution Key Concepts cognitive bias belief perseverance open‑mindedness Questions to Reflect On - What strategies help overcome belief rigidity? - When is it wise to hold firm? A Different Perspective Deeply held beliefs may be defended irrationally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Interpretation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interpretation/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [Only stupid people don't change their minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boutros-boutros-ghali/only-stupid-people-don-t-change-their-minds/) [Boutros Boutros-Ghali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boutros-boutros-ghali/) > [It's better to get smart than to get mad. I try not to get so insulted that I will not take advantage of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-johnson/it-s-better-to-get-smart-than-to-get-mad-i-try-not-to-get-so-insulted/) [John H. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-johnson/) > [What we need to change is our minds, that's the part that's doing us dirt and dragging us under. How can we change our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/what-we-need-to-change-is-our-minds-that-s-the-part-that-s-doing-us/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [It is not your duty or responsibility to change the minds of other people. The nature of their thinking is advanced or limited by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/it-is-not-your-duty-or-responsibility-to-change-the-minds-of-other/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [Those who cannot change their minds cannot cange anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/those-who-cannot-change-their-minds-cannot-cange-anything/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [You cannot change the minds of the mindless. But that doesn't mean you just admit that's the way we have to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/you-cannot-change-the-minds-of-the-mindless-but-that-doesn-t-mean-you/) [Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/) > [The people who are right a lot often change their minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/the-people-who-are-right-a-lot-often-change-their-minds/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [We can't change minds without knowing what's in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/we-can-t-change-minds-without-knowing-what-s-in-them/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [People who are right most of the time are people who change their minds often](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/people-who-are-right-most-of-the-time-are-people-who-change-their/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [My sense is that we're ready for another industrial revolution in this country. The great minds and innovators of Silicon Valley would come through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-huntsman-jr/my-sense-is-that-we-re-ready-for-another-industrial-revolution-in/) [Jon Huntsman, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-huntsman-jr/) > [We are more apt to change our minds when right than wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-clason/we-are-more-apt-to-change-our-minds-when-right-than-wrong/) [George S. Clason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-clason/) > [You don't change minds in Washington with sweet reason. You do it to the white light of public opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-forbes/you-don-t-change-minds-in-washington-with-sweet-reason-you-do-it-to/) [Steve Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-forbes/) > [“Once people get beliefs into their heads, it’s fucking hard to change their minds, no matter how many facts come knocking on the door.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/once-people-get-beliefs-into-their-heads-it-s-fucking-hard-to-change/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [We don't just change our minds, we change the way we see things. That's one reason I'm a better grandfather than I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/we-don-t-just-change-our-minds-we-change-the-way-we-see-things-that-s/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) > [The media can be an instrument of change. It can maintain the status quo and reflect the views of the society or it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-couric/the-media-can-be-an-instrument-of-change-it-can-maintain-the-status/) [Katie Couric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-couric/) ## More by Donald Johanson > [My real father died when I was two years old, so I never knew him. He was a barber in Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/my-real-father-died-when-i-was-two-years-old-so-i-never-knew-him-he/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [But what really excited me was the idea that humans had a tremendous pre-history that went back millions of years. I wanted to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/but-what-really-excited-me-was-the-idea-that-humans-had-a-tremendous/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [You don't just magically flip some evolutionary switch somewhere and transmute a quadruped into an upright-walking bipedal human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/you-don-t-just-magically-flip-some-evolutionary-switch-somewhere-and/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [We are placed in the genus of Homo, which is Latin for man - Homo sapiens: supposedly wise men. I sometimes think - wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/we-are-placed-in-the-genus-of-homo-which-is-latin-for-man-homo/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [When I realized, in 1978, that Lucy did represent a new species of human ancestor, and that I had an opportunity to name this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/when-i-realized-in-1978-that-lucy-did-represent-a-new-species-of/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [Journalists often ask me when I go to the field, 'What do you expect to find?' And my answer always is, 'The unexpected,' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/journalists-often-ask-me-when-i-go-to-the-field-what-do-you-expect-to/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [I find a tremendous receptivity among the public for the subject matter of, 'Where did we come from and how did we get here?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/i-find-a-tremendous-receptivity-among-the-public-for-the-subject/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [Evolution explains our biological evolution, but human beings are very unique creatures. As the Dobzhansky said, all animals are unique; humans are the uniquest.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/evolution-explains-our-biological-evolution-but-human-beings-are-very/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [In our case, finding a Lucy is unique. No one will ever find another Lucy. You can't order one from a biological supply house.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/in-our-case-finding-a-lucy-is-unique-no-one-will-ever-find-another/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [Most Achievers I Know Are People Who Have Made A Strong And Deep Dedication to Pursuing A Particular Goal. That Dedication Took A Tremendous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/most-achievers-i-know-are-people-who-have-made-a-strong-and-deep/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [Evolution is a fact. It is the best explanation of what is known from observations. It's a theory as powerful as the theory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/evolution-is-a-fact-it-is-the-best-explanation-of-what-is-known-from/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [This was the most important discovery I had ever made in my life. It was a discovery which has irrevocably changed my whole life's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/this-was-the-most-important-discovery-i-had-ever-made-in-my-life-it/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [What's changed is we now have good anatomical, geological, archaeological evidence that Neanderthals are not our ancestors. When I wrote 'Lucy,' I considered Neanderthals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/what-s-changed-is-we-now-have-good-anatomical-geological/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [What makes us human depends on what place on our evolutionary path we're talking about. If you go back six million years ago, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/what-makes-us-human-depends-on-what-place-on-our-evolutionary-path-we/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [When we look for the origins of all humanity today, let's not just look at Europe, because I think Africa was the cradle, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/when-we-look-for-the-origins-of-all-humanity-today-let-s-not-just/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) [Explore all 38 Donald Johanson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's very hard for all of us, when we've committed ourselves to a particular interpretation, to change our minds.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donald Johanson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/it-s-very-hard-for-all-of-us-when-we-ve-committed-ourselves-to-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/it-s-very-hard-for-all-of-us-when-we-ve-committed-ourselves-to-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/donald-johanson-16932_change_it-s-very-hard-for-all-of-us-when-we-ve_921568.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/donald-johanson-16932_change_it-s-very-hard-for-all-of-us-when-we-ve_921568.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/donald-johanson-16932_change_it-s-very-hard-for-all-of-us-when-we-ve_921568.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's very hard for all of us, when we've committed ourselves to a particular interpretation, to change our…” — Donald Johanson", "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": "Donald Johanson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's very hard for all of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/it-s-very-hard-for-all-of-us-when-we-ve-committed-ourselves-to-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/it-s-very-hard-for-all-of-us-when-we-ve-committed-ourselves-to-a/#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 } } ] } ```