--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Docility is the observable half of reason." description: "\"Docility is the observable half of reason.\" — George Santayana" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/george-santayana-478_docility_docility-is-the-observable-half-of-reaso_479345.png" --- # Docility is the observable half of reason. ![“Docility is the observable half of reason.” quote by George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/george-santayana-478_docility_docility-is-the-observable-half-of-reaso_479345.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/george-santayana-478_docility_docility-is-the-observable-half-of-reaso_479345.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/george-santayana-478_docility_docility-is-the-observable-half-of-reaso_479345.png) > “Docility is the observable half of reason.” [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Docility reflects the observable aspect of reason, indicating that rational thought manifests as compliant behavior. **In simple terms:** Docility is what reason looks like in action. Key Takeaway Recognize compliance as a sign of rational thought. Themes reason compliance philosophy Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - education - leadership - negotiation - team dynamics Key Concepts human behavior cognitive expression Questions to Reflect On - When does compliance hinder progress? - How to balance reason with independent thought? A Different Perspective Docility can also suppress critical thinking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Docility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/docility-48911/) [Docility Observable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/docility-observable-4124797/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Half Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half-reason-2988470/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Observable Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observable-half-4124798/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [That's probably half the reason I wanted to be in a band - I wanted to see the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-ament/that-s-probably-half-the-reason-i-wanted-to-be-in-a-band-i-wanted-to/) [Jeff Ament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-ament/) > [I am risking my life for my work, and half my reason has gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-am-risking-my-life-for-my-work-and-half-my-reason-has-gone/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Half the reason I turned into a writer is you didn't have to show up anywhere. You could work naked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/half-the-reason-i-turned-into-a-writer-is-you-didn-t-have-to-show-up/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [Cyrus was observed to have more docility than any of his years and to show more submission to those of an advanced age than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xenophon/cyrus-was-observed-to-have-more-docility-than-any-of-his-years-and-to/) [Xenophon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xenophon/) > [If you want to move beyond hive-docility, you must become God the Moralist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/if-you-want-to-move-beyond-hive-docility-you-must-become-god-the/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [“And the looks on the faces of my countrymenpassive heads bent arms at their trousers everyone guilty of not being their best of not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/and-the-looks-on-the-faces-of-my-countrymenpassive-heads-bent-arms-at/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [A man who is good from docility, and not from stern self-control, has no character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/a-man-who-is-good-from-docility-and-not-from-stern-self-control-has/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [“In addition to selecting for infantile physical features in many of our pet breeds, we have carefully cultivated an infant-like dependency in many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-danten/in-addition-to-selecting-for-infantile-physical-features-in-many-of/) [Charles Danten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-danten/) > [“A man in trouble laments that he did not listen to his teachers, and thus he finds himself in a sad state, utter ruin.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-in-trouble-laments-that-he-did-not-listen-to-his-teachers-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our true wisdom is to embrace with meek docility, and without reservation, whatever the holy scriptures have delivered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/our-true-wisdom-is-to-embrace-with-meek-docility-and-without/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Widespread intellectual and moral docility may be convenient for leaders in the short term, but it is suicidal for nations in the long term.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/widespread-intellectual-and-moral-docility-may-be-convenient-for/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [In my opinion, sexiness comes down to three things: chemistry, sense of humor, and treatment of waitstaff at restaurants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhoda-janzen/in-my-opinion-sexiness-comes-down-to-three-things-chemistry-sense-of/) [Rhoda Janzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhoda-janzen/) > [If you want to edit your photos and make yourself look different, go for it. That is up to you, but in my opinion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-list/if-you-want-to-edit-your-photos-and-make-yourself-look-different-go/) [Peyton List](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-list/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) ## More by George Santayana > [Perhaps the universe is nothing but an equilibrium of idiocies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/perhaps-the-universe-is-nothing-but-an-equilibrium-of-idiocies/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [The combative instinct is a savage prompting by which one man's good is found in another's evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-combative-instinct-is-a-savage-prompting-by-which-one-man-s-good/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Sanctity and genius are as rebellious as vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/sanctity-and-genius-are-as-rebellious-as-vice/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [To attempt to be religious without practicing a specific religion is as possible as attempting to speak without a specific language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/to-attempt-to-be-religious-without-practicing-a-specific-religion-is/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [“The contemporary world has turned its back on the attempt and even on the desire to live reasonably.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-contemporary-world-has-turned-its-back-on-the-attempt-and-even-on/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [The pride of the artisan in his art and its uses is pride in himself...It is in his skill and ability to make things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-pride-of-the-artisan-in-his-art-and-its-uses-is-pride-in-himself/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [If pain could have cured us we should long ago have been saved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/if-pain-could-have-cured-us-we-should-long-ago-have-been-saved/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Towers in a modern town are a frill and a survival; they seem like the raised hands of the various churches, afraid of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/towers-in-a-modern-town-are-a-frill-and-a-survival-they-seem-like-the/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Wealth, religion, military victory have more rhetorical than efficacious worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/wealth-religion-military-victory-have-more-rhetorical-than/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Whoever it was who searched the heavens with a telescope and found no God would not have found the human mind if he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/whoever-it-was-who-searched-the-heavens-with-a-telescope-and-found-no/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [It is easier to make a saint out of a libertine than out of a prig.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/it-is-easier-to-make-a-saint-out-of-a-libertine-than-out-of-a-prig/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Experience is a mere whiff or rumble, produced by enormously complex and ill-deciphered causes of experience; and in the other direction, experience is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/experience-is-a-mere-whiff-or-rumble-produced-by-enormously-complex/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Miracles are propitious accidents, the natural causes of which are too complicated to be readily understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/miracles-are-propitious-accidents-the-natural-causes-of-which-are-too/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Memory itself is an internal rumour; and when to this hearsay within the mind we add the falsified echoes that reach us from others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/memory-itself-is-an-internal-rumour-and-when-to-this-hearsay-within/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Familiarity breeds contempt only when it breeds inattention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/familiarity-breeds-contempt-only-when-it-breeds-inattention/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) [Explore all 530 George Santayana quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) ## More Docility quotes > [Widespread intellectual and moral docility may be convenient for leaders in the short term, but it is suicidal for nations in the long term.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/widespread-intellectual-and-moral-docility-may-be-convenient-for/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Our true wisdom is to embrace with meek docility, and without reservation, whatever the holy scriptures have delivered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/our-true-wisdom-is-to-embrace-with-meek-docility-and-without/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [“A man in trouble laments that he did not listen to his teachers, and thus he finds himself in a sad state, utter ruin.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-in-trouble-laments-that-he-did-not-listen-to-his-teachers-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In addition to selecting for infantile physical features in many of our pet breeds, we have carefully cultivated an infant-like dependency in many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-danten/in-addition-to-selecting-for-infantile-physical-features-in-many-of/) [Charles Danten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-danten/) > [A man who is good from docility, and not from stern self-control, has no character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/a-man-who-is-good-from-docility-and-not-from-stern-self-control-has/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [“And the looks on the faces of my countrymenpassive heads bent arms at their trousers everyone guilty of not being their best of not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/and-the-looks-on-the-faces-of-my-countrymenpassive-heads-bent-arms-at/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [If you want to move beyond hive-docility, you must become God the Moralist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/if-you-want-to-move-beyond-hive-docility-you-must-become-god-the/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [Cyrus was observed to have more docility than any of his years and to show more submission to those of an advanced age than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xenophon/cyrus-was-observed-to-have-more-docility-than-any-of-his-years-and-to/) [Xenophon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xenophon/) [Browse all 9 Docility quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/docility-48911/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Docility is the observable half of reason.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Santayana" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/docility-is-the-observable-half-of-reason/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Docility" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/docility-is-the-observable-half-of-reason/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/george-santayana-478_docility_docility-is-the-observable-half-of-reaso_479345.png", "contentUrl": 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