--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Complete objectivity is not an option. We…" description: "\"Complete objectivity is not an option. We are all subjective about the way we respond to 'what is,' whether it's the people we encounter, the circumsta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/elizabeth-thornton-23967_circumstances_complete-objectivity-is-not-an-option-we_2664857.jpg" --- # Complete objectivity is not an option. We are all… ![“Complete objectivity is not an option. We are all subjective about the way we respond to 'what is,' whether it's the people we encounter, the circumstances in our lives, or ourselves. What we can do is reduce our subjectivity - what I call 'I see, therefore it is.'” quote by Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/elizabeth-thornton-23967_circumstances_complete-objectivity-is-not-an-option-we_2664857.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/elizabeth-thornton-23967_circumstances_complete-objectivity-is-not-an-option-we_2664857.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/elizabeth-thornton-23967_circumstances_complete-objectivity-is-not-an-option-we_2664857.jpg) > “Complete objectivity is not an option. We are all subjective about the way we respond to 'what is,' whether it's the people we encounter, the circumstances in our lives, or ourselves. What we can do is reduce our subjectivity - what I call 'I see, therefore it is.'” [Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Complete objectivity is impossible; we can aim to reduce personal bias by acknowledging perception. **In simple terms:** True objectivity can't be achieved. Key Takeaway Strive for awareness of personal bias. Themes philosophy subjectivity self-awareness Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - decision making - conflict resolution - personal development Key Concepts cognitive bias epistemology Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to recognize your own biases? - How does acknowledging subjectivity affect your judgments? A Different Perspective Reducing bias never eliminates it entirely. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances/) [Complete Objectivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complete-objectivity-2456759/) [Objectivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objectivity/) [Objectivity Option](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objectivity-option-2456758/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Subjective Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjective-way-2421731/) [Subjectivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjectivity/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Sound is often talked about in a very subjective way, as if it had a colour. This is a bright sound, this is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-barenboim/sound-is-often-talked-about-in-a-very-subjective-way-as-if-it-had-a/) [Daniel Barenboim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-barenboim/) > [Love is an interesting thing. Perhaps I've never been in love before - I don't really know? I think I have. I guess it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/love-is-an-interesting-thing-perhaps-i-ve-never-been-in-love-before-i/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [What music can do so well is tell the truth in a subjective way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-longstreth/what-music-can-do-so-well-is-tell-the-truth-in-a-subjective-way/) [David Longstreth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-longstreth/) > [You’ve never reacted to someone else. You project meaning onto nothing. And you react to the meaning you’ve projected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/you-ve-never-reacted-to-someone-else-you-project-meaning-onto-nothing/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [“Well, it all comes to this, there's no use trying to live in other people's opinions. 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Where modernism was about objectivity, postmodernism was about subjectivity. Where modernism sought a singular truth, postmodernism sought the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-syjuco/postmodernism-was-a-reaction-to-modernism-where-modernism-was-about/) [Miguel Syjuco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-syjuco/) > [“It's not objective. It's subjective.” Katya hooks her bra behind her back. “It's just what you think, not the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/it-s-not-objective-it-s-subjective-katya-hooks-her-bra-behind-her/) [E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/) > [“Objectivity is a subjective fantasy implanted in us by an external will seeking to curtail our creativity by limiting our minds to our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/objectivity-is-a-subjective-fantasy-implanted-in-us-by-an-external/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“We were in separate realities, fast and slow. There is no fixed reality, only objects in contrast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/we-were-in-separate-realities-fast-and-slow-there-is-no-fixed-reality/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [“Daisuke was of course equipped with conversation that, even if they went further, would allow him to retreat as if nothing had happened. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsume-s-seki/daisuke-was-of-course-equipped-with-conversation-that-even-if-they/) [Natsume Sōseki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsume-s-seki/) ## More by Elizabeth Thornton > [We perceive through our senses a person, a situation or an event, and in an instant, we project our mental models - our fears,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-thornton/we-perceive-through-our-senses-a-person-a-situation-or-an-event-and/) [Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) > [The truth is many of us have been socialized to think that if we are not the very best, if we are not at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-thornton/the-truth-is-many-of-us-have-been-socialized-to-think-that-if-we-are/) [Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) > [Our brains have the ability to reorganize themselves by forming new neural connections throughout our lives. This ability is called neuroplasticity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-thornton/our-brains-have-the-ability-to-reorganize-themselves-by-forming-new/) [Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) > [To be an effective leader and make sound decisions, you must be able to gather data by seeking out diverse perspectives and be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-thornton/to-be-an-effective-leader-and-make-sound-decisions-you-must-be-able/) [Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) > [We are not a victim of our emotions or thoughts. 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Mindfulness is a way of being present: paying attention to and accepting what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-thornton/the-key-to-creating-the-mental-space-before-responding-is-mindfulness/) [Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) > [Objective leaders identify their unproductive mental models and tweak them for greater effectiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-thornton/objective-leaders-identify-their-unproductive-mental-models-and-tweak/) [Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) > [The key to transforming mental models is to interrupt the automatic responses that are driven by the old model and respond differently based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-thornton/the-key-to-transforming-mental-models-is-to-interrupt-the-automatic/) [Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) > [Sometimes our childhood experiences are emotionally intense, which can create strong mental models. These experiences and our assumptions about them are then reinforced in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-thornton/sometimes-our-childhood-experiences-are-emotionally-intense-which-can/) [Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) > [There are times when we are just not very kind to ourselves. The problem with our negative thoughts is that the latest science has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-thornton/there-are-times-when-we-are-just-not-very-kind-to-ourselves-the/) [Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) > [We all have mental models: the lens through which we see the world that drive our responses to everything we experience. Being aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-thornton/we-all-have-mental-models-the-lens-through-which-we-see-the-world/) [Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) > [To be an objective leader means aligning your models with the needs of the organization. There is no question anymore that collaboration, seeking out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-thornton/to-be-an-objective-leader-means-aligning-your-models-with-the-needs/) [Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) > [New Year's Resolutions come and go. Some we keep, some we don't. In order to make lasting changes in our lives, we must first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-thornton/new-year-s-resolutions-come-and-go-some-we-keep-some-we-don-t-in/) [Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) > [One of the most powerful transformational catalysts is knowledge, new information, or logic that defies old mental models and ways of thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-thornton/one-of-the-most-powerful-transformational-catalysts-is-knowledge-new/) [Elizabeth Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) [Explore all 25 Elizabeth Thornton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-thornton/) ## More Circumstances quotes > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. 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She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [It's impossible to know who Donald might have been under different circumstances and with different parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-l-trump/it-s-impossible-to-know-who-donald-might-have-been-under-different/) [Mary L. Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-l-trump/) > [When we watch a play under the standard circumstances, we've lost volition and time is passing. A still play feels like an existential threat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-greenberg/when-we-watch-a-play-under-the-standard-circumstances-we-ve-lost/) [Richard Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-greenberg/) > [Being positive helps you to keep away negative thoughts. And helps you to stand in adverse circumstances with the hope that in the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/being-positive-helps-you-to-keep-away-negative-thoughts-and-helps-you/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [It seemed to me that the human beings I met reacted pretty much the same to the same stimuli. Different idioms,yes. 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You either suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-complaining-about-your-circumstances-get-busy-creating-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 4,560 Circumstances quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Complete objectivity is not an option. We are all subjective about the way we respond to 'what is,' whether it's the people we encounter, the circumstances in our lives, or ourselves. 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