--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All Thinking is Wishful." description: "\"“All Thinking is Wishful.”\" — Jonathan Lethem" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/jonathan-lethem-1403_thinking_all-thinking-is-wishful-3236623_3236623.png" --- # All Thinking is Wishful. ![“All Thinking is Wishful.” quote by Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/jonathan-lethem-1403_thinking_all-thinking-is-wishful-3236623_3236623.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/jonathan-lethem-1403_thinking_all-thinking-is-wishful-3236623_3236623.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/jonathan-lethem-1403_thinking_all-thinking-is-wishful-3236623_3236623.png) > ““All Thinking is Wishful.”” [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Thinking without grounding in reality is merely wishful imagination, lacking practical basis. **In simple terms:** Wishful thinking lacks reality. Key Takeaway Ground ideas in evidence. Themes imagination reality criticism Mood reflective critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - creative brainstorming - decision making - goal setting - risk assessment Key Concepts philosophy cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate wishful ideas from realistic plans? - What evidence do you need before acting on a thought? A Different Perspective Wishful thinking can ignore constraints and lead to poor outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinking Wishful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-wishful-3166861/) [Wishful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wishful/) ## Related quotes > [The trouble with many religions, accused of wishful thinking, is that they are not wishful enough. They show a deplorable lack of imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-trouble-with-many-religions-accused-of-wishful-thinking-is-that/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Any belief in Creators or Purpose is wishful thinking. And when you point out that perhaps ALL thinking is wishful, reactions of intense irritation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/any-belief-in-creators-or-purpose-is-wishful-thinking-and-when-you/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [Where there is life there is wishful thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-f-lieberman/where-there-is-life-there-is-wishful-thinking/) [Gerald F. Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-f-lieberman/) > [“Our personal experiences and mental reasoning skills establish the range of our perception of reality. Our physical and mental abilities determine the outer perimeter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/our-personal-experiences-and-mental-reasoning-skills-establish-the/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Wishful thinking gives false gods to people who hunger for gods, but those who yearn for a world with no gods are no less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/wishful-thinking-gives-false-gods-to-people-who-hunger-for-gods-but/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Wishful speculation is a spirit's gluttony”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ozee/wishful-speculation-is-a-spirit-s-gluttony/) [Aaron Ozee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ozee/) > [This all was only wishful thinkin, this all was only wishful thinkin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taking-back-sunday/this-all-was-only-wishful-thinkin-this-all-was-only-wishful-thinkin/) [Taking Back Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taking-back-sunday/) > [Wishful thinking did not give Oregonians the bottle bill. Wishful thinking did not give the public access to beaches. Nor can we expect wishful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-wheeler/wishful-thinking-did-not-give-oregonians-the-bottle-bill-wishful/) [Ted Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-wheeler/) > [“It is only wishful thinking that makes a sheep seek that a lion feeds on grass just to make it comfortable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magnus-nwagu-amudi/it-is-only-wishful-thinking-that-makes-a-sheep-seek-that-a-lion-feeds/) [Magnus Nwagu Amudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magnus-nwagu-amudi/) > [“Despite my incessant desperation, I simply cannot paint the perfect picture within which I would wish to live out my life. And because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/despite-my-incessant-desperation-i-simply-cannot-paint-the-perfect/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [Wishful thinking is not sound public policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/wishful-thinking-is-not-sound-public-policy/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [ “\[H\]eavenly personality, or the perpetuation of human personality in heaven is nothing else than personality released from all earthly encumbrances and limitations\[.\] \[H\]ere we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-feuerbach/h-eavenly-personality-or-the-perpetuation-of-human-personality-in/) [Ludwig Feuerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-feuerbach/) > [There's a lot of wishful thinking that somehow we'll replace fossil fuels with alternative energy sources, but they remain far from reality. We're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/there-s-a-lot-of-wishful-thinking-that-somehow-we-ll-replace-fossil/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [We have hopes that we can see rational American presidents; fair, obey the international law, deal with other countries according to mutual respect, parity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/we-have-hopes-that-we-can-see-rational-american-presidents-fair-obey/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [“The only thing I can tell you is when it's there, you know it. And when it ain't, no amount of wishful thinking will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginny-baird/the-only-thing-i-can-tell-you-is-when-it-s-there-you-know-it-and-when/) [Ginny Baird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginny-baird/) ## More by Jonathan Lethem > [It was often this way, life consisted of a series of false beginnings, bluff declarations of arrival to destinations not even glimpsed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/it-was-often-this-way-life-consisted-of-a-series-of-false-beginnings/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [I've been an advocate against the view of the writer as a partitioned genius hanging in conceptual space, or up on a mountain, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/i-ve-been-an-advocate-against-the-view-of-the-writer-as-a-partitioned/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“I suppose there was never a reason for tearing down a cabin or scrapping a stopped automobile, if you had all those acres.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/i-suppose-there-was-never-a-reason-for-tearing-down-a-cabin-or/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [Life is fundamentally up for grabs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/life-is-fundamentally-up-for-grabs/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [My heart, to put it more simply, got nostalgic for the present. Always a bad sign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/my-heart-to-put-it-more-simply-got-nostalgic-for-the-present-always-a/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [It's impossible to overstate how my relationship to music forms a preserve for the esoteric or even spiritual aspect of my relationship to cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/it-s-impossible-to-overstate-how-my-relationship-to-music-forms-a/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“If. If Mingus Rude could be kept in this place, kept somehow in Dylan's pocket, in his stinging, smudgy hands, then summer wouldn't give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/if-if-mingus-rude-could-be-kept-in-this-place-kept-somehow-in-dylan-s/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [I had always wanted to be a writer who confused genre boundaries and who was read in multiple contexts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/i-had-always-wanted-to-be-a-writer-who-confused-genre-boundaries-and/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“Memory is a rehearsal for a show that never goes on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/memory-is-a-rehearsal-for-a-show-that-never-goes-on/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“There is nothing Tourettic about the New York City subways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/there-is-nothing-tourettic-about-the-new-york-city-subways/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“Mingus Rude, Arthur Lomb, Gabriel Stern and Tim Vandertooth, even Aaron K. Doily: Dylan never met anyone who wasn't about to change immediately into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/mingus-rude-arthur-lomb-gabriel-stern-and-tim-vandertooth-even-aaron/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [I try to write every day. I don't beat myself up about word counts, or how many hours are ticking by on the clock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/i-try-to-write-every-day-i-don-t-beat-myself-up-about-word-counts-or/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“Enough of this. Does every conversation with you have to be the director's cut? Get out of the car.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/enough-of-this-does-every-conversation-with-you-have-to-be-the/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“The stumbling block will turn out to be the traditional one for students of consciousness: the flashlight is incapable of shining on itself, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/the-stumbling-block-will-turn-out-to-be-the-traditional-one-for/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“May one plead, Your Honor, postmodernism as an involuntary condition?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/may-one-plead-your-honor-postmodernism-as-an-involuntary-condition/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) [Explore all 241 Jonathan Lethem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) ## More Thinking quotes > [When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-passed-the-chancellor-he-arose-waved-his-hand-at-me-and-i/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I have three words for you," EMT Guy said. "Possible internal bleeding." I turned back to him. "Don't you think if I was bleeding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/i-have-three-words-for-you-emt-guy-said-possible-internal-bleeding-i/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [I think the most famous person I've ever met is Brad Pitt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/i-think-the-most-famous-person-i-ve-ever-met-is-brad-pitt/) [Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/) > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [It is absolutely necessary... for me to have persons that can think for me, as well as execute orders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/it-is-absolutely-necessary-for-me-to-have-persons-that-can-think-for/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [If your life's at a juncture and you need to think about things, there's nowhere better than home. However old you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/if-your-life-s-at-a-juncture-and-you-need-to-think-about-things-there/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) [Browse all 112,137 Thinking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“All Thinking is Wishful.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Lethem" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/all-thinking-is-wishful/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Thinking" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/all-thinking-is-wishful/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/jonathan-lethem-1403_thinking_all-thinking-is-wishful-3236623_3236623.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/jonathan-lethem-1403_thinking_all-thinking-is-wishful-3236623_3236623.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/jonathan-lethem-1403_thinking_all-thinking-is-wishful-3236623_3236623.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All Thinking is Wishful.” — Jonathan Lethem", "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": "Jonathan Lethem", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“All Thinking is Wishful.”", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/all-thinking-is-wishful/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/all-thinking-is-wishful/#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 } } ] } ```