--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We like to think we're superior to the…" description: "\"We like to think we're superior to the people who, centuries ago, burned 'witches' for no better reason than a neighbor's belief that his crop failure ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/john-stossel-5146_action_we-like-to-think-we-re-superior-to-the-p_585939.png" --- # We like to think we're superior to the people who… ![“We like to think we're superior to the people who, centuries ago, burned 'witches' for no better reason than a neighbor's belief that his crop failure or impotence was caused by that woman's action. But reporters are still prone to the same mental errors that caused these killings: seeing patterns…” quote by John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/john-stossel-5146_action_we-like-to-think-we-re-superior-to-the-p_585939.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/john-stossel-5146_action_we-like-to-think-we-re-superior-to-the-p_585939.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/john-stossel-5146_action_we-like-to-think-we-re-superior-to-the-p_585939.png) > “We like to think we're superior to the people who, centuries ago, burned 'witches' for no better reason than a neighbor's belief that his crop failure or impotence was caused by that woman's action. But reporters are still prone to the same mental errors that caused these killings: seeing patterns where there are none, finding causes where there is only coincidence, ignoring our sources' political agendas and turning scanty evidence into panic.” [John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People repeat past errors by seeing false patterns, attributing causation to coincidence, and ignoring agendas, leading to panic. **In simple terms:** We repeat old mistakes by seeing patterns where none exist and ignoring motives. Key Takeaway Question assumptions and seek evidence before reacting. Themes cognitive bias history media critical thinking Mood skeptical reflective Type analytical cautionary When to use this quote - journalism - public policy - education - personal decision making Key Concepts pattern recognition causation fallacy agenda awareness Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify the source of a claim? - What steps can you take to avoid pattern‑seeing in daily life? A Different Perspective Biases can be reinforced by echo chambers and selective exposure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Agendas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agendas/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Coincidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coincidence/) [Crops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crops/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Panic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/panic/) [Patterns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patterns/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political agendas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-agendas/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reporters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reporters/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Witch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witch/) ## Related quotes > [“The people who burned witches at the stake never for one moment thought of their act as violence; rather they thought of it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-bailie/the-people-who-burned-witches-at-the-stake-never-for-one-moment/) [Gil Bailie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-bailie/) > [I've had mental errors before while not shooting the ball well and while shooting the ball well, and vice versa. 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