---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the long history of human affairs…"
description: "\"In the long history of human affairs, common sense doesn’t have the greatest track record.\" — Gavin Extence"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/gavin-extence-17798_affair_in-the-long-history-of-human-affairs-com_324097.jpg"
---

#  In the long history of human affairs, common sense doesn’t…

![“In the long history of human affairs, common sense doesn’t have the greatest track record.” quote by Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/gavin-extence-17798_affair_in-the-long-history-of-human-affairs-com_324097.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/gavin-extence-17798_affair_in-the-long-history-of-human-affairs-com_324097.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/gavin-extence-17798_affair_in-the-long-history-of-human-affairs-com_324097.jpg)

> “In the long history of human affairs, common sense doesn’t have the greatest track record.”

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

## About This Quote

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

Common sense often fails because it relies on intuition rather than evidence, leading to poor judgments over time.

**In simple terms:** Common sense isn’t always reliable.

Key Takeaway

Rely on data, not just intuition.

Themes

critical thinking history reasoning decision making intuition

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- education reform
- personal finance
- scientific research

Key Concepts

cognitive bias epistemology

Questions to Reflect On

- When has common sense served you well?
- What evidence challenges your intuition?

A Different Perspective

It ignores situations where common sense aligns with successful outcomes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Human affairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-affairs/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Long history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-history/) [Track record](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/track-record/)

## Related quotes

> [“Listen: Common sense doesn't mean what it used to mean." -Matthias Chalmers, STAIRWAY2 HEAVEN”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-thompson/listen-common-sense-doesn-t-mean-what-it-used-to-mean-matthias/)

Chaz Thompson

> [Just because it's common sense, doesn't mean it's common practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/just-because-it-s-common-sense-doesn-t-mean-it-s-common-practice/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [“There are places on planet earth, where common sense doesn't apply.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/there-are-places-on-planet-earth-where-common-sense-doesn-t-apply/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [“Just because it makes no sense doesn't mean it's not good advice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-farren/just-because-it-makes-no-sense-doesn-t-mean-it-s-not-good-advice/)

[Mick Farren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-farren/)

> [“Everything here that makes sense doesn't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-pracht/everything-here-that-makes-sense-doesn-t/)

Erin Pracht

> [When I look back on everything I've done, it all somehow makes sense to me. But it doesn't make sense when you're actually doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/when-i-look-back-on-everything-i-ve-done-it-all-somehow-makes-sense/)

[Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/)

> [“Just because it doesn't make sense 'to me' doesn't mean it doesn't make sense 'at all'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-p-freeman/just-because-it-doesn-t-make-sense-to-me-doesn-t-mean-it-doesn-t-make/)

[Emily P. Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-p-freeman/)

> [“Lying is such a central characteristic of life that better understanding of it is relevant to almost all human affairs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ekman/lying-is-such-a-central-characteristic-of-life-that-better/)

[Paul Ekman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ekman/)

> [“Encounters taking the form of challenge-and-response are the most illuminating kind of events a for student of human affairs if he believes, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/encounters-taking-the-form-of-challenge-and-response-are-the-most/)

[Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/)

> [Few, if any, forces in human affairs are as powerful as shared vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/few-if-any-forces-in-human-affairs-are-as-powerful-as-shared-vision/)

[Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/)

> [In all crises of human affairs there are two broad courses open to a man. He can stay where he is or he can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse-2/in-all-crises-of-human-affairs-there-are-two-broad-courses-open-to-a/)

[P. G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse-2/)

> [If the course of human affairs be considered, it will be seen that many things arise against which heaven does not allow us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/if-the-course-of-human-affairs-be-considered-it-will-be-seen-that/)

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

> [Human affairs are like a chess game. Only those who do not take it seriously can be called good players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zicheng-hong/human-affairs-are-like-a-chess-game-only-those-who-do-not-take-it/)

[Zicheng Hong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zicheng-hong/)

> [In the whole round of human affairs little is so fatal to peace as misunderstanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-elizabeth-sangster/in-the-whole-round-of-human-affairs-little-is-so-fatal-to-peace-as/)

[Margaret Elizabeth Sangster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-elizabeth-sangster/)

> [Public opinion shapes our destinies and guides the progress of human affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-kellogg/public-opinion-shapes-our-destinies-and-guides-the-progress-of-human/)

[Frank B. Kellogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-kellogg/)

## More by Gavin Extence

> [ The most important thing I learned \[...\] was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-most-important-thing-i-learned-was-that-when-a-person-dies-he/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [“The first thing I learned that day was this: what you think you know about a person is only a fraction of the story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-first-thing-i-learned-that-day-was-this-what-you-think-you-know/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [“Well, for each of us the brain creates a whole, unique universe. It contains everything we know. Everything we see or touch. Everything we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/well-for-each-of-us-the-brain-creates-a-whole-unique-universe-it/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [“Funerals aren't for the dead. They're for the living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/funerals-aren-t-for-the-dead-they-re-for-the-living/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [“They called our arrangement a 'Death Pact' - but, really, that's not a phrase that tells you anything important. It's just the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/they-called-our-arrangement-a-death-pact-but-really-that-s-not-a/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [I knew how many zeroes there were in a quintillion, but I thought that algebra lived in ponds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/i-knew-how-many-zeroes-there-were-in-a-quintillion-but-i-thought-that/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [“It was a uniquely human problem, something no other animal had to put up with, this ability to suffer in multiple tenses – simultaneously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/it-was-a-uniquely-human-problem-something-no-other-animal-had-to-put/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [“The more I thought about Jocelyn's theory, the less bizarre it seemed. Yes, there were things about it that were absolutely cuckoo - Mrs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-more-i-thought-about-jocelyn-s-theory-the-less-bizarre-it-seemed/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [“It's possible to find order in chaos, and it's equally possible to find chaos underlying apparent order. Order and chaos are slippery concepts. They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/it-s-possible-to-find-order-in-chaos-and-it-s-equally-possible-to/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [“Acknowledging reality for myself was one thing. Having to explain what as happening - and what was going to happen - to another person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/acknowledging-reality-for-myself-was-one-thing-having-to-explain-what/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [“In life, there are no true beginnings or endings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/in-life-there-are-no-true-beginnings-or-endings/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [“... The Sirens of Titan …. … ‘That’s a funny name for a book,’ I said with a gulp. ‘Are those women going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-sirens-of-titan-that-s-a-funny-name-for-a-book-i-said-with-a-gulp/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [“Don't you think it's good to serve your country?' I asked. 'No, I don't,' Mr Peterson said. 'I think it's good to serve your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/don-t-you-think-it-s-good-to-serve-your-country-i-asked-no-i-don-t-mr/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [“People talk about dark moods, black moods, all the time. But depression isn’t a dark mood. It’s an ash-grey mood, or possibly some type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/people-talk-about-dark-moods-black-moods-all-the-time-but-depression/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

> [“... not all scars are bad, Alex. Some are worth hanging on to ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/not-all-scars-are-bad-alex-some-are-worth-hanging-on-to/)

[Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

[Explore all 36 Gavin Extence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/)

## More Affair quotes

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/)

[Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/)

> [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/)

[Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/)

> [Love is mainly an affair of short spasms. If these spasms disappoint us, love dies. It is very seldom that it weathers the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/love-is-mainly-an-affair-of-short-spasms-if-these-spasms-disappoint/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [My hope does not rest in the affairs of this world. It rests in Christ who is coming again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/my-hope-does-not-rest-in-the-affairs-of-this-world-it-rests-in-christ/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/)

[Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/)

> [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/)

Michael Atherton

> [“I ripped the sketch from the wall. "Liar." Edward looked more ravaged than usual. "That is a terrible word, coming from you." "Yup." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-ripped-the-sketch-from-the-wall-liar-edward-looked-more-ravaged/)

[Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/)

> [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/)

[Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/)

> [And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-what-is-literature-rabo-he-said-but-an-insider-s-newsletter-about/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

[Browse all 2,218 Affair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In the long history of human affairs, common sense doesn’t have the greatest track record.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gavin Extence"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/in-the-long-history-of-human-affairs-common-sense-doesn-t-have-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Affair"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/in-the-long-history-of-human-affairs-common-sense-doesn-t-have-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/gavin-extence-17798_affair_in-the-long-history-of-human-affairs-com_324097.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/gavin-extence-17798_affair_in-the-long-history-of-human-affairs-com_324097.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/gavin-extence-17798_affair_in-the-long-history-of-human-affairs-com_324097.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In the long history of human affairs, common sense doesn’t have the greatest track record.” — Gavin Extence",
                "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": "Gavin Extence",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In the long history of human...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/in-the-long-history-of-human-affairs-common-sense-doesn-t-have-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/in-the-long-history-of-human-affairs-common-sense-doesn-t-have-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```