--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: …It seems impossible to overestimate…" description: "\"“…It seems impossible to overestimate their capacity for irrationality. Somewhere in this world, with every blink of the eye, a fool is born.”\" — Irvin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c57/irvin-d-yalom-1519_irrationality_it-seems-impossible-to-overestimate-thei_394599.png" --- # …It seems impossible to overestimate their capacity for… ![“…It seems impossible to overestimate their capacity for irrationality. Somewhere in this world, with every blink of the eye, a fool is born.” quote by Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c57/irvin-d-yalom-1519_irrationality_it-seems-impossible-to-overestimate-thei_394599.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c57/irvin-d-yalom-1519_irrationality_it-seems-impossible-to-overestimate-thei_394599.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c57/irvin-d-yalom-1519_irrationality_it-seems-impossible-to-overestimate-thei_394599.png) > ““…It seems impossible to overestimate their capacity for irrationality. Somewhere in this world, with every blink of the eye, a fool is born.”” [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human beings often act irrationally, and our capacity for folly can appear limitless. **In simple terms:** People can be wildly irrational. Key Takeaway Recognize and manage irrational tendencies. Themes irrationality human nature foolishness Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - workplace - politics - personal conflicts Key Concepts psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What triggers irrational behavior in you? - How can you curb impulsive decisions? 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I rather pity their folly and indiscretion, than their loss of time and money; for these may be recovered by industry: but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/poor-wretches-i-rather-pity-their-folly-and-indiscretion-than-their/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [There is a fool born every minute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-t-barnum/there-is-a-fool-born-every-minute/) [P. T. Barnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-t-barnum/) > [The idea of Jewish settlements under Palestinian sovereignty, as was suggested by someone in the Prime Minister's office, is very dangerous and reflects an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naftali-bennett/the-idea-of-jewish-settlements-under-palestinian-sovereignty-as-was/) [Naftali Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naftali-bennett/) > [Power doesn't corrupt. It's neutral. Someone always wants to corrupt power. 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Other ideologies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-marcotte/the-point-is-that-religion-puts-a-value-on-irrationality-which-makes/) [Amanda Marcotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-marcotte/) > [A miracle entails a degree of irrationality-not because it shocks reason, but because it makes no appeal to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-levinas/a-miracle-entails-a-degree-of-irrationality-not-because-it-shocks/) [Emmanuel Levinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-levinas/) > [“All at once, because life’s too short and it’s always like magic when you find a good thing. All at once, because I’m much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nessie-q/all-at-once-because-life-s-too-short-and-it-s-always-like-magic-when/) [Nessie Q](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nessie-q/) > [But there are times when men have serious thoughts, and it is at such times, when they begin to think, that they begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/but-there-are-times-when-men-have-serious-thoughts-and-it-is-at-such/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [The search for truth is a cooperative, unending endeavor. We can, and should, engage in it to the extent we can and encourage others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-search-for-truth-is-a-cooperative-unending-endeavor-we-can-and/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. 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Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [Therapists need to have a long experience in personal therapy to see what it's like to be on the other side of the couch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/therapists-need-to-have-a-long-experience-in-personal-therapy-to-see/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“Beginning therapists must learn that there are times to sit in silence, sometimes in silent communion, sometimes simply while waiting for patients' thoughts to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/beginning-therapists-must-learn-that-there-are-times-to-sit-in/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [If one is to learn to live with the dead, one must first learn to live with the living!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/if-one-is-to-learn-to-live-with-the-dead-one-must-first-learn-to-live/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [Specialness as a primary mode of death transcendence takes a number of other maladaptive forms. The drive for power is not uncommonly motivated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/specialness-as-a-primary-mode-of-death-transcendence-takes-a-number/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“Exactly. We know that the great Goethe carried a copy of Spinoza’s Ethics in his pocket for a year. Imagine that—an entire year! And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/exactly-we-know-that-the-great-goethe-carried-a-copy-of-spinoza-s/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“Hope is the worst of evils because it protracts torment.” “Your”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/hope-is-the-worst-of-evils-because-it-protracts-torment-your/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [Mature love is loving, not being loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/mature-love-is-loving-not-being-loved/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [Absolute power, as we have always known, corrupts absolutely; it corrupts because it does not do the trick for the individual. Reality always creeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/absolute-power-as-we-have-always-known-corrupts-absolutely-it/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“Indeed, the capacity to tolerate uncertainty is a prerequisite for the profession. Though the public may believe that therapists guide patients systematically and sure-handedly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/indeed-the-capacity-to-tolerate-uncertainty-is-a-prerequisite-for-the/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“Rollo May quipped that anxiety about nothing tries to become anxiety about something. In other words, anxiety about nothingness quickly attaches itself to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/rollo-may-quipped-that-anxiety-about-nothing-tries-to-become-anxiety/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“I often urge patients to project themselves into the future and to consider how they can live now so that five years hence they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/i-often-urge-patients-to-project-themselves-into-the-future-and-to/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [When people don't have any curiosity about themselves, that is always a bad sign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/when-people-don-t-have-any-curiosity-about-themselves-that-is-always/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) [Explore all 184 Irvin D. Yalom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) ## More Irrationality quotes > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. Miller are doing lasting harm to our discourse by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-question-but-that-nominally-religious-scientists-like/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The search for truth is a cooperative, unending endeavor. We can, and should, engage in it to the extent we can and encourage others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-search-for-truth-is-a-cooperative-unending-endeavor-we-can-and/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [But there are times when men have serious thoughts, and it is at such times, when they begin to think, that they begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/but-there-are-times-when-men-have-serious-thoughts-and-it-is-at-such/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“All at once, because life’s too short and it’s always like magic when you find a good thing. All at once, because I’m much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nessie-q/all-at-once-because-life-s-too-short-and-it-s-always-like-magic-when/) [Nessie Q](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nessie-q/) > [A miracle entails a degree of irrationality-not because it shocks reason, but because it makes no appeal to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-levinas/a-miracle-entails-a-degree-of-irrationality-not-because-it-shocks/) [Emmanuel Levinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-levinas/) > [The point is that religion puts a value on irrationality, which makes it the perfect tool for promoting irrational beliefs like misogyny. Other ideologies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-marcotte/the-point-is-that-religion-puts-a-value-on-irrationality-which-makes/) [Amanda Marcotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-marcotte/) > [The experience of the irrationality of the world has been the driving force of all religious revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/the-experience-of-the-irrationality-of-the-world-has-been-the-driving/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [“Irrationality is part of everyday rationale”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/irrationality-is-part-of-everyday-rationale/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [Power doesn't corrupt. It's neutral. Someone always wants to corrupt power. It's the way a shotgun is not a deadly weapon until someone chooses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ditko/power-doesn-t-corrupt-it-s-neutral-someone-always-wants-to-corrupt/) [Steve Ditko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ditko/) > [The idea of Jewish settlements under Palestinian sovereignty, as was suggested by someone in the Prime Minister's office, is very dangerous and reflects an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naftali-bennett/the-idea-of-jewish-settlements-under-palestinian-sovereignty-as-was/) [Naftali Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naftali-bennett/) > [I suppose if you look back to your early childhood you accept everything people tell you, and that includes a heavy dose of irrationality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-suppose-if-you-look-back-to-your-early-childhood-you-accept/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Reason is the shepherd trying to corral life's vast flock of wild irrationalities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eldridge/reason-is-the-shepherd-trying-to-corral-life-s-vast-flock-of-wild/) [Paul Eldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eldridge/) > [What a mathematical proof actually does is show that certain conclusions, such as the irrationality of , follow from certain premises, such as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gowers/what-a-mathematical-proof-actually-does-is-show-that-certain/) [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) > [An engineer cannot participate in irrationality ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/an-engineer-cannot-participate-in-irrationality/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [There is not a more disgusting spectacle under the sun than our subserviency to British criticism. It is disgusting, first, because it is truckling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/there-is-not-a-more-disgusting-spectacle-under-the-sun-than-our/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) [Browse all 140 Irrationality quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrationality/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“…It seems impossible to overestimate their capacity for irrationality. Somewhere in this world, with every blink of the eye, a fool is born.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Irvin D. 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