---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You cannot change the minds of the…"
description: "\"You cannot change the minds of the mindless. But that doesn't mean you just admit that's the way we have to live.\" — Fergus McCann"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/fergus-mccann-35420_mean_you-cannot-change-the-minds-of-the-mindl_717535.jpg"
---

#  You cannot change the minds of the mindless. But that…

![“You cannot change the minds of the mindless. But that doesn't mean you just admit that's the way we have to live.” quote by Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/fergus-mccann-35420_mean_you-cannot-change-the-minds-of-the-mindl_717535.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/fergus-mccann-35420_mean_you-cannot-change-the-minds-of-the-mindl_717535.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/fergus-mccann-35420_mean_you-cannot-change-the-minds-of-the-mindl_717535.jpg)

> “You cannot change the minds of the mindless. But that doesn't mean you just admit that's the way we have to live.”

[Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/)

## About This Quote

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

Notes the difficulty of changing entrenched, irrational beliefs.

**In simple terms:** Changing minds is hard.

Key Takeaway

Seek open dialogue.

Themes

beliefs mindset change

Mood

skeptical empathetic

Type

philosophical psychological

When to use this quote

- politics
- education
- family discussions
- marketing

Key Concepts

cognitive bias critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do people cling to irrational ideas?
- How can you respectfully challenge them?

A Different Perspective

Some may resist any challenge to core beliefs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Change Minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-minds/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mindless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mindless/) [Mindless Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mindless-doesn-5646001/) [Minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minds/) [Minds Mindless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minds-mindless-5646002/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

## 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/)

> [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/)

> [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's very hard for all of us, when we've committed ourselves to a particular interpretation, to change our minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/it-s-very-hard-for-all-of-us-when-we-ve-committed-ourselves-to-a/)

[Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [Some people have facts; these can be proven. Some people have theories; these can be disproven. But people with opinions are mindless and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/some-people-have-facts-these-can-be-proven-some-people-have-theories/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [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 Fergus McCann

> [Over the four years we have made massive progress: winning the League Championship (97/98); building the largest club stadium in the UK (60,000 seats);…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/over-the-four-years-we-have-made-massive-progress-winning-the-league/)

[Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/)

> [Being a Celtic supporter is not always easy, but it is always worthwhile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/being-a-celtic-supporter-is-not-always-easy-but-it-is-always/)

[Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/)

> [It would've cost less, and left the previous owners with nothing, to go into liquidation. But it would also be humiliating for Celtic. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/it-would-ve-cost-less-and-left-the-previous-owners-with-nothing-to-go/)

[Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/)

> [I want people to judge me on what we have achieved after five years. I will go back to my home in Bermuda, play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/i-want-people-to-judge-me-on-what-we-have-achieved-after-five-years-i/)

[Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/)

> [When we score a sublime goal I'm as happy as anyone but you don't get to enjoy a game. You can't possibly. The game's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/when-we-score-a-sublime-goal-i-m-as-happy-as-anyone-but-you-don-t-get/)

[Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/)

> [You can't live on the hope of a television contract and play in a stadium with nobody there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/you-can-t-live-on-the-hope-of-a-television-contract-and-play-in-a/)

[Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/)

> [Celtic is a community institution the supporters are entitled to be proud of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/celtic-is-a-community-institution-the-supporters-are-entitled-to-be/)

[Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/)

> [Celtic supporters want to be proud of their Club. That's all they want. It is what they deserve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/celtic-supporters-want-to-be-proud-of-their-club-that-s-all-they-want/)

[Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/)

> [That charity fund, inside and outside Scotland is a very important identity of Celtic Football Club.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/that-charity-fund-inside-and-outside-scotland-is-a-very-important/)

[Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/)

> [As I have indicated some time ago, I intend to divest my shareholding when I leave the Club. In doing so, my overriding principle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/as-i-have-indicated-some-time-ago-i-intend-to-divest-my-shareholding/)

[Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/)

> [It's not just a football club. Celtic means so much to so many people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/it-s-not-just-a-football-club-celtic-means-so-much-to-so-many-people/)

[Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/)

> [I'm just a footnote in the grand scheme of things. Brother Walfrid was the visionary who started things and his is a name that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/i-m-just-a-footnote-in-the-grand-scheme-of-things-brother-walfrid-was/)

[Fergus McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/)

[Explore all 13 Fergus McCann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/)

## More Mean quotes

> [That we have the vote means nothing. That we use it in the right way means everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-henry-hoover/that-we-have-the-vote-means-nothing-that-we-use-it-in-the-right-way/)

[Lou Henry Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-henry-hoover/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/)

[Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/)

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [Being blonde, for me, means never having to say: 'I'll have the honey-striped half-head of highlights for £200,' to a bored colourist in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-johnson/being-blonde-for-me-means-never-having-to-say-i-ll-have-the-honey/)

[Rachel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-johnson/)

> [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [What is a moderate interpretation of the text? Halfway between what it really means and what you'd like it to mean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/what-is-a-moderate-interpretation-of-the-text-halfway-between-what-it/)

[Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/)

> [You have expressive nationalism, I mean very identity driven, which shaped each other a lot of that in the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subrahmanyam-jaishankar/you-have-expressive-nationalism-i-mean-very-identity-driven-which/)

[Subrahmanyam Jaishankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subrahmanyam-jaishankar/)

> [The one means that wins the easiest victory over reason is terror and force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-one-means-that-wins-the-easiest-victory-over-reason-is-terror-and/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/)

[Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/)

[Browse all 33,959 Mean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You cannot change the minds of the mindless. But that doesn't mean you just admit that's the way we have to live.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Fergus McCann"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/you-cannot-change-the-minds-of-the-mindless-but-that-doesn-t-mean-you/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Mean"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/you-cannot-change-the-minds-of-the-mindless-but-that-doesn-t-mean-you/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/fergus-mccann-35420_mean_you-cannot-change-the-minds-of-the-mindl_717535.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/fergus-mccann-35420_mean_you-cannot-change-the-minds-of-the-mindl_717535.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/fergus-mccann-35420_mean_you-cannot-change-the-minds-of-the-mindl_717535.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You cannot change the minds of the mindless. But that doesn't mean you just admit that's the way we have to…” — Fergus McCann",
                "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": "Fergus McCann",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-mccann/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You cannot change the minds of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/you-cannot-change-the-minds-of-the-mindless-but-that-doesn-t-mean-you/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-mccann/you-cannot-change-the-minds-of-the-mindless-but-that-doesn-t-mean-you/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
