--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is the obvious which is so difficult…" description: "\"It is the obvious which is so difficult to see most of the time. People say 'It's as plain as the nose on your face.' But how much of the nose on your ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/402/isaac-asimov-309_common-sense_it-is-the-obvious-which-is-so-difficult_690762.jpg" --- # It is the obvious which is so difficult to see most of the… ![“It is the obvious which is so difficult to see most of the time. People say 'It's as plain as the nose on your face.' But how much of the nose on your face can you see, unless someone holds a mirror up to you?” quote by Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/402/isaac-asimov-309_common-sense_it-is-the-obvious-which-is-so-difficult_690762.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/402/isaac-asimov-309_common-sense_it-is-the-obvious-which-is-so-difficult_690762.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/402/isaac-asimov-309_common-sense_it-is-the-obvious-which-is-so-difficult_690762.jpg) > “It is the obvious which is so difficult to see most of the time. People say 'It's as plain as the nose on your face.' But how much of the nose on your face can you see, unless someone holds a mirror up to you?” [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Often the most evident truths are overlooked because they seem too obvious to merit attention, requiring deliberate reflection to recognize them. **In simple terms:** Obvious truths are often missed. Key Takeaway Pause to notice what seems obvious. Themes perception awareness truth Mood contemplative curious Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - daily decisions - team meetings - personal relationships - learning new skills Key Concepts cognitive bias mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What obvious truth are you missing today? - How can you train yourself to notice the obvious? A Different Perspective Even obvious facts can be ignored due to habit or distraction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Face Nose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-nose-402891/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Holds Mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holds-mirror-2303452/) [Mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirror/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Nose Face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nose-face-2353275/) [Noses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noses/) [Obvious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Plain Nose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plain-nose-2770491/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Your face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-face/) ## Related quotes > [A lie keeps growing and growing until it's as plain as the nose on your face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/a-lie-keeps-growing-and-growing-until-it-s-as-plain-as-the-nose-on/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [“You’re as plain as the nose on your face,” said Mr. Pennyworth. “And your nose is remarkably obvious. As is the rest of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-re-as-plain-as-the-nose-on-your-face-said-mr-pennyworth-and-your/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I see a schoolboy when I think of him, With face and nose pressed to a sweet-shop window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/i-see-a-schoolboy-when-i-think-of-him-with-face-and-nose-pressed-to-a/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [Go away. I told you, I'm not interested." She looked from his lap to his face. "Your nose is growing too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/go-away-i-told-you-i-m-not-interested-she-looked-from-his-lap-to-his/) [Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/) > [Plain as a nose in a man's face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/plain-as-a-nose-in-a-man-s-face/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [“The person you fall in love with only holds a mirror for you to see the pieces of yourself that you have lost, given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu-ph-d/the-person-you-fall-in-love-with-only-holds-a-mirror-for-you-to-see/) [Dragos Bratasanu, Ph.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu-ph-d/) > [I think art, at best, holds up a mirror to humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-spencer/i-think-art-at-best-holds-up-a-mirror-to-humanity/) [John Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-spencer/) > [The best kind of art or writing holds up a mirror to society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-cunningham/the-best-kind-of-art-or-writing-holds-up-a-mirror-to-society/) [Liam Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-cunningham/) > [I would say my flow is Aboriginal. Look at my face, nose, lips, and eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/i-would-say-my-flow-is-aboriginal-look-at-my-face-nose-lips-and-eyes/) [KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/) > [At moments I dislike having a face, a nose, lips, because he has them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/at-moments-i-dislike-having-a-face-a-nose-lips-because-he-has-them/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Chong said, 'Do yourself a favor, Morg. Next time you're staring at a girl's boobs, look up. You'll be shocked to learn it, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-maberry/chong-said-do-yourself-a-favor-morg-next-time-you-re-staring-at-a-2/) [Jonathan Maberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-maberry/) > [“Who were they, to take her fight away from her and turn it into some sort of understanding between themselves? He should’ve taken more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/who-were-they-to-take-her-fight-away-from-her-and-turn-it-into-some/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [“Our cultural lens is so much a part of us that we are not even aware of how obvious it is to others. Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/our-cultural-lens-is-so-much-a-part-of-us-that-we-are-not-even-aware/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [You have no nose on your face. Where it is I can't say, but in your face it is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoidberg/you-have-no-nose-on-your-face-where-it-is-i-can-t-say-but-in-your/) [Zoidberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoidberg/) > [“Nice job denuding your face, by the way," she said, waggling her fingers under her chin to indicate his shave. "I'd forgotten what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/nice-job-denuding-your-face-by-the-way-she-said-waggling-her-fingers/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) ## More by Isaac Asimov > [The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-strain-of-anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know-and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Uncertainty that comes from knowledge (knowing what you don't know) is different from uncertainty coming from ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/uncertainty-that-comes-from-knowledge-knowing-what-you-don-t-know-is/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Don't you see? It's Galaxy-wide. It's a worship of the past. It's a deterioration - a stagnation!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/don-t-you-see-it-s-galaxy-wide-it-s-a-worship-of-the-past-it-s-a/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You'd better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can't rearrange the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/so-the-universe-is-not-quite-as-you-thought-it-was-you-d-better/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [It is in meeting the great tests that mankind can most successfully rise to great heights. Out of danger and restless insecurity comes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-is-in-meeting-the-great-tests-that-mankind-can-most-successfully/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“It might seem to you, Peter, that a truck driver, one step above an ape in your view, can't remember. But truck drivers can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-might-seem-to-you-peter-that-a-truck-driver-one-step-above-an-ape/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [When life is so harsh that a man loses all hope in himself, then he raises his eyes to a shining rock, worshipping it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/when-life-is-so-harsh-that-a-man-loses-all-hope-in-himself-then-he/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“You are a military man and should know better. If there is one science into which man has probed continuously and successfully, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/you-are-a-military-man-and-should-know-better-if-there-is-one-science/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“temperatura constante de mais ou menos 21 graus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/temperatura-constante-de-mais-ou-menos-21-graus/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Human beings can tolerate an immortal robot, for it doesn't matter how long a machine lasts, but they cannot tolerate an immortal human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/human-beings-can-tolerate-an-immortal-robot-for-it-doesn-t-matter-how/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“if people believe this, they would act on that belief. Many a prophecy, by the mere force of its being believed, is transmuted”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/if-people-believe-this-they-would-act-on-that-belief-many-a-prophecy/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [There are many aspects of the universe that still cannot be explained satisfactorily by science; but ignorance implies only ignorance that may someday be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/there-are-many-aspects-of-the-universe-that-still-cannot-be-explained/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. \[The Second Law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/a-robot-must-obey-the-orders-given-it-by-human-beings-except-where/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) [Explore all 671 Isaac Asimov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## More Common sense quotes > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [Common sense is the guy who tells you that you ought to have had your brakes relined last week before you smashed a front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/common-sense-is-the-guy-who-tells-you-that-you-ought-to-have-had-your/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [Below the 40th latitude there is no law; below the 50th no god; below the 60th no common sense and below the 70th no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley/below-the-40th-latitude-there-is-no-law-below-the-50th-no-god-below/) [Kim Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley/) > [I have never seen either a drop of piety or a grain of truth or ingenuousness - nay, I have never found common sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/i-have-never-seen-either-a-drop-of-piety-or-a-grain-of-truth-or/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [How is it that labels like 'centrist' and 'moderate,' which common sense tells us should reflect the views of a majority of Americans, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehdi-hasan/how-is-it-that-labels-like-centrist-and-moderate-which-common-sense/) [Mehdi Hasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehdi-hasan/) > [“It was true that common sense wasn’t her forte. It wasn’t that she was silly or stupid, but she heard so many more voices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/it-was-true-that-common-sense-wasn-t-her-forte-it-wasn-t-that-she-was/) [Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/) > [“The accident in your rearview mirror already happened. The one in front of you is still preventable. Pay attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nakia-r-laushaul/the-accident-in-your-rearview-mirror-already-happened-the-one-in/) [Nakia R. Laushaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nakia-r-laushaul/) > [In Raleigh, partisan battles, power struggles and lawsuits might grab the headlines, but we have to work together where we can. To look beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-cooper/in-raleigh-partisan-battles-power-struggles-and-lawsuits-might-grab/) [Roy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-cooper/) > [“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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-thompson/) > [“when people’s brains are in defensive mode, it becomes harder to see common sense. Small disagreements can end up holding back progress beyond reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-webb/when-people-s-brains-are-in-defensive-mode-it-becomes-harder-to-see/) [Caroline Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-webb/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [ As we have seen after every other \[Donald\] Trump controversy, this one only increased their enthusiasm for him. His supporters thought the idea of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-inskeep/as-we-have-seen-after-every-other-donald-trump-controversy-this-one/) [Steve Inskeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-inskeep/) > [Using, as an excuse, others' failure of common sense is in itself a failure of common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/using-as-an-excuse-others-failure-of-common-sense-is-in-itself-a/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Browse all 1,942 Common sense quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is the obvious which is so difficult to see most of the time. People say 'It's as plain as the nose on your face.' 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