--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem of brute sanity was…" description: "\"“The problem of brute sanity was identified by George Bernard Shaw when he observed that ‘reformers have the idea that change can be achieved by brute ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/eve-bearne-236870_change_the-problem-of-brute-sanity-was-identifi_3234914.jpg" --- # The problem of brute sanity was identified by George… ![“The problem of brute sanity was identified by George Bernard Shaw when he observed that ‘reformers have the idea that change can be achieved by brute sanity’ … Brute sanity is the tendency to overlook the complexity and detailed processes and procedures required, in favour of the more obvious…” quote by Eve Bearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/eve-bearne-236870_change_the-problem-of-brute-sanity-was-identifi_3234914.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/eve-bearne-236870_change_the-problem-of-brute-sanity-was-identifi_3234914.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/eve-bearne-236870_change_the-problem-of-brute-sanity-was-identifi_3234914.jpg) > ““The problem of brute sanity was identified by George Bernard Shaw when he observed that ‘reformers have the idea that change can be achieved by brute sanity’ … Brute sanity is the tendency to overlook the complexity and detailed processes and procedures required, in favour of the more obvious matters of stressing goals, the importance of the problem and the grand plan. Brute sanity overpromises, overrationalises and consequently results in unfulfilled dreams and frustrations which discourage people from sustaining their efforts and from taking on future change projects.”” [Eve Bearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bearne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. “Brute sanity” refers to oversimplifying complex problems, leading to unrealistic expectations and frustration. **In simple terms:** Oversimplify problems, cause disappointment. Key Takeaway Seek nuanced solutions. Themes change psychology complexity expectations Mood reflective analytical Type explanatory critical insightful When to use this quote - organizational change - personal growth - policy design - team leadership Key Concepts critical thinking project management human behavior Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance simplicity with depth? - What safeguards prevent over‑optimism? A Different Perspective Simplification may ignore essential details. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brute Sanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brute-sanity-2284195/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george-bernard-shaw/) [Sanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanity/) [Sanity Brute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanity-brute-6134104/) [Sanity Identified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanity-identified-6134106/) [Sanity Tendency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanity-tendency-6134105/) [Unfulfilled dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfulfilled-dreams/) ## Related quotes > [Reformers have the idea that change can be achieved by brute sanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/reformers-have-the-idea-that-change-can-be-achieved-by-brute-sanity/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-e-mays/the-tragedy-lies-in-having-no-goal-to-reach/) [Benjamin E. Mays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-e-mays/) > [I dare to dream greatly; I dare to fail greatly. I dare to tolerate the ashes of my unfulfilled dreams, for I may dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippos-syrigos/i-dare-to-dream-greatly-i-dare-to-fail-greatly-i-dare-to-tolerate-the/) [Philippos Syrigos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippos-syrigos/) > [“We live for our unfulfilled dreams when we are alive. Our fulfilled dreams live for us when we are gone!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/we-live-for-our-unfulfilled-dreams-when-we-are-alive-our-fulfilled/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Cemeteries are full of unfulfilled dreams... countless echoes of 'could have' and 'should have'… countless books unwritten… countless songs unsung... I want to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/cemeteries-are-full-of-unfulfilled-dreams-countless-echoes-of-could/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [“Secure your dreams for they are the wings of your soul, and, when vulnerable, flight is inconceivable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-g-bowers/secure-your-dreams-for-they-are-the-wings-of-your-soul-and-when/) [B.G. Bowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-g-bowers/) > [“The cemetery is the “richest or wealthiest prison of undiscovered, untapped, undeveloped and unfulfilled dreams of presidents that never presided, great orators that never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ikechukwu-joseph/the-cemetery-is-the-richest-or-wealthiest-prison-of-undiscovered/) [Ikechukwu Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ikechukwu-joseph/) > [“Even Colin - the golden boy, the man with the easy smile and devilish humor - had raw spots of his own. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/even-colin-the-golden-boy-the-man-with-the-easy-smile-and-devilish/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [“Some of the streets are, however, genuinely narrow. These same streets may not be filled with machine-gun fire and the dramatic screech of violins,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dolan/some-of-the-streets-are-however-genuinely-narrow-these-same-streets/) [John Dolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dolan/) > [“unfulfilled dreams only become unnecessary regrets!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-oy/unfulfilled-dreams-only-become-unnecessary-regrets/) [Andrew Oyé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-oy/) > [Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfullfilled potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-xxiii/think-not-about-your-frustrations-but-about-your-unfullfilled/) [Pope John XXIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-xxiii/) > [The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn't a calamity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-e-mays/the-tragedy-of-life-doesn-t-lie-in-not-reaching-your-goal-the-tragedy/) [Benjamin E. Mays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-e-mays/) > [This will be the day when we shall bring into full realization the dream of American democracy -- a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/this-will-be-the-day-when-we-shall-bring-into-full-realization-the/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [All those promises Unfulfilled dreams They all left with you Nothing is left here except Grey skies, dying trees Poor disabled time Darkness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-kler/all-those-promises-unfulfilled-dreams-they-all-left-with-you-nothing/) [Nick Kler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-kler/) > [My name is Nwori Joshua and I am the world's most sorrowful young man on earth and the world's biggest Jerk. I sought for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nwori-joshua/my-name-is-nwori-joshua-and-i-am-the-world-s-most-sorrowful-young-man/) [Nwori Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nwori-joshua/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“The problem of brute sanity was identified by George Bernard Shaw when he observed that ‘reformers have the idea that change can be achieved by brute sanity’ … Brute sanity is the tendency to overlook the complexity and detailed processes and procedures required, in favour of the more obvious matters of stressing goals, the importance of the problem and the grand plan. Brute sanity overpromises, overrationalises and consequently results in unfulfilled dreams and frustrations which discourage people from sustaining their efforts and from taking on future change projects.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eve Bearne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bearne/the-problem-of-brute-sanity-was-identified-by-george-bernard-shaw/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bearne/the-problem-of-brute-sanity-was-identified-by-george-bernard-shaw/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/eve-bearne-236870_change_the-problem-of-brute-sanity-was-identifi_3234914.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/eve-bearne-236870_change_the-problem-of-brute-sanity-was-identifi_3234914.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/eve-bearne-236870_change_the-problem-of-brute-sanity-was-identifi_3234914.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The problem of brute sanity was identified by George Bernard Shaw when he observed that ‘reformers have the…” — Eve Bearne", "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": "Eve Bearne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bearne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The problem of brute sanity was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bearne/the-problem-of-brute-sanity-was-identified-by-george-bernard-shaw/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bearne/the-problem-of-brute-sanity-was-identified-by-george-bernard-shaw/#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 } } ] } ```