---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first opinion that occurs to us when…"
description: "\"The first opinion that occurs to us when we are suddenly asked about something is usually not our own but only the current one pertaining to our class,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/friedrich-nietzsche-15_class_the-first-opinion-that-occurs-to-us-when_1810438.jpg"
---

#  The first opinion that occurs to us when we are suddenly…

![“The first opinion that occurs to us when we are suddenly asked about something is usually not our own but only the current one pertaining to our class, position, or parentage; our own opinions seldom swim on the surface.” quote by Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/friedrich-nietzsche-15_class_the-first-opinion-that-occurs-to-us-when_1810438.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/friedrich-nietzsche-15_class_the-first-opinion-that-occurs-to-us-when_1810438.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/friedrich-nietzsche-15_class_the-first-opinion-that-occurs-to-us-when_1810438.jpg)

> “The first opinion that occurs to us when we are suddenly asked about something is usually not our own but only the current one pertaining to our class, position, or parentage; our own opinions seldom swim on the surface.”

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

## About This Quote

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

Our immediate social context often dictates our expressed opinions, obscuring true personal beliefs.

**In simple terms:** Social roles shape what we say.

Key Takeaway

Question your true opinions.

Themes

social influence authenticity identity

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- political debate
- family discussions
- academic work

Key Concepts

sociology psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- Whose voice are you hearing?
- How can you uncover your own view?

A Different Perspective

True opinions may be suppressed by fear.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/)

## Related quotes

> [“When we believe that the difference of opinion occurs due to only our own mistake; then we will reach the end of the worldly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/when-we-believe-that-the-difference-of-opinion-occurs-due-to-only-our/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [“Do you do this too sometimes?” the grandmother suddenly asked. “Check on old photos to see whether the faces of the deceased show any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-george/do-you-do-this-too-sometimes-the-grandmother-suddenly-asked-check-on/)

[Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/)

> [“Did the princess smell odd to you?" I suddenly asked. "That is not the point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-bridges/did-the-princess-smell-odd-to-you-i-suddenly-asked-that-is-not-the/)

[Robin Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-bridges/)

> [It felt good to actually have a decent swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lochte/it-felt-good-to-actually-have-a-decent-swim/)

[Ryan Lochte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lochte/)

> [I started at a 'learn to swim' scheme when I was about five-years-old. I did it to learn water safety, but it was fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-tancock/i-started-at-a-learn-to-swim-scheme-when-i-was-about-five-years-old-i/)

[Liam Tancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-tancock/)

> [In my retirement I go for a short swim at least once or twice every day. It's either that or buy a new golf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-perret/in-my-retirement-i-go-for-a-short-swim-at-least-once-or-twice-every/)

[Gene Perret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-perret/)

> [Writing is a bit like swimming. You learn writing by doing it and you learn swimming by doing it. Nobody learns how to swim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-munsch/writing-is-a-bit-like-swimming-you-learn-writing-by-doing-it-and-you/)

[Robert Munsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-munsch/)

> [I love putting myself in sink-or-swim situations. You realize the human spirit is built to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabelle-wallis/i-love-putting-myself-in-sink-or-swim-situations-you-realize-the/)

[Annabelle Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-wallis/)

> [The proverb says, "Born lucky, always lucky," and I am very superstitious. As a small boy I was notoriously lucky. It was usual for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-proverb-says-born-lucky-always-lucky-and-i-am-very-superstitious/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [I know April, May and June are a few unbearable months, and working out in a gym and sweating in such dirty hot, sticky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashish-sharma/i-know-april-may-and-june-are-a-few-unbearable-months-and-working-out/)

[Ashish Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashish-sharma/)

> [I had a lot of ear infections when I was younger, so I didn't learn to swim until I was about 14.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-konta/i-had-a-lot-of-ear-infections-when-i-was-younger-so-i-didn-t-learn-to/)

[Johanna Konta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-konta/)

> [My dad was my swim coach growing up, and I tried to get kicked out of practice every day. I was a little devil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lochte/my-dad-was-my-swim-coach-growing-up-and-i-tried-to-get-kicked-out-of/)

[Ryan Lochte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lochte/)

> [My mother had been adamant that I learn how to swim properly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/my-mother-had-been-adamant-that-i-learn-how-to-swim-properly/)

[Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/)

> [Outdoors, I have a pool, so I usually swim and stuff. It's usually superhot in California, so we swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsai-martin/outdoors-i-have-a-pool-so-i-usually-swim-and-stuff-it-s-usually/)

[Marsai Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsai-martin/)

> [Today, let us swim wildly, joyously in gratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/today-let-us-swim-wildly-joyously-in-gratitude/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

## More by Friedrich Nietzsche

> [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Every select man strives instinctively for a citadel and a privacy, where he is FREE from the crowd, the many, the majority-- where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-select-man-strives-instinctively-for-a-citadel-and-a-privacy/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“79. A soul which knows that it is loved, but does not itself love, betrays its sediment: its dregs come up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/79-a-soul-which-knows-that-it-is-loved-but-does-not-itself-love/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“The great periods of our life occur when we gain the courage to rechristen what is bad about us as what is best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-periods-of-our-life-occur-when-we-gain-the-courage-to/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“What is life? Life - that is: continually shedding something that wants to die. Life - that is: being cruel and inexorable against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-life-life-that-is-continually-shedding-something-that-wants/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“he does not wear a twitching, mobile, human face, but rather a mask, as it were, with its features in dignified equilibrium; he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-does-not-wear-a-twitching-mobile-human-face-but-rather-a-mask-as/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [The earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-is-like-the-breasts-of-a-woman-useful-as-well-as-pleasing/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Of all that is written I love only what a man has written in his own blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-man-has-written-in-his-own/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Pain makes hens and poets cackle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/pain-makes-hens-and-poets-cackle/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

[Explore all 3,486 Friedrich Nietzsche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

## More Class quotes

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/)

[David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/)

> [I grew up in the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-grew-up-in-the-middle-class/)

[Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/)

> [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/)

[Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/)

> [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/)

[H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/)

> [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/)

[Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/)

> [“Poor people do not go on holiday; they go home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/poor-people-do-not-go-on-holiday-they-go-home/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [Right now, for many Americans, class is being foregrounded like never before because of the economic situation. It doesn't mean that race doesn't matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/right-now-for-many-americans-class-is-being-foregrounded-like-never/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [But I don't think the Democratic Party is at eye level with the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-don-t-think-the-democratic-party-is-at-eye-level-with-the/)

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

> [I'm not a dancer. Never took a dance class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrishell-stause/i-m-not-a-dancer-never-took-a-dance-class/)

[Chrishell Stause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrishell-stause/)

> [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/)

[Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/)

> [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/)

[Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/)

> [We are not going back to the failed policies of the past. We are fighting for the middle class!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/we-are-not-going-back-to-the-failed-policies-of-the-past-we-are/)

[Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/)

[Browse all 7,637 Class quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The first opinion that occurs to us when we are suddenly asked about something is usually not our own but only the current one pertaining to our class, position, or parentage; our own opinions seldom swim on the surface.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Friedrich Nietzsche"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-first-opinion-that-occurs-to-us-when-we-are-suddenly-asked-about/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Class"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-first-opinion-that-occurs-to-us-when-we-are-suddenly-asked-about/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/friedrich-nietzsche-15_class_the-first-opinion-that-occurs-to-us-when_1810438.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/friedrich-nietzsche-15_class_the-first-opinion-that-occurs-to-us-when_1810438.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/friedrich-nietzsche-15_class_the-first-opinion-that-occurs-to-us-when_1810438.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The first opinion that occurs to us when we are suddenly asked about something is usually not our own but…” — Friedrich Nietzsche",
                "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": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The first opinion that occurs to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-first-opinion-that-occurs-to-us-when-we-are-suddenly-asked-about/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-first-opinion-that-occurs-to-us-when-we-are-suddenly-asked-about/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
