--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: it is important to assume that the…" description: "\"“it is important to assume that the speaker shares the same human nature as yourself and that, even though your belief systems may differ, you both hav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/karen-armstrong-1053_faith_it-is-important-to-assume-that-the-speak_1458261.jpg" --- # it is important to assume that the speaker shares the same… ![“it is important to assume that the speaker shares the same human nature as yourself and that, even though your belief systems may differ, you both have the same idea of what constitutes truth.” quote by Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/karen-armstrong-1053_faith_it-is-important-to-assume-that-the-speak_1458261.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/karen-armstrong-1053_faith_it-is-important-to-assume-that-the-speak_1458261.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/karen-armstrong-1053_faith_it-is-important-to-assume-that-the-speak_1458261.jpg) > ““it is important to assume that the speaker shares the same human nature as yourself and that, even though your belief systems may differ, you both have the same idea of what constitutes truth.”” [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding that others share a common human nature helps bridge belief differences and focus on shared truth. **In simple terms:** People share basic humanity despite differing beliefs. Key Takeaway Seek common ground in truth. Themes empathy truth beliefs Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - interfaith discussions - conflict resolution - education - media analysis Key Concepts human nature epistemology dialogue Questions to Reflect On - How can you recognize shared humanity in disagreement? - What limits arise when assuming common truth? A Different Perspective Assuming shared nature may overlook cultural specifics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-systems/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“The agreement or disagreement or its sense with reality constitutes its truth or falsity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/the-agreement-or-disagreement-or-its-sense-with-reality-constitutes/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [The belief in God is not therefore based on the perception of design in nature. Belief in design in nature is based upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chapman-cohen/the-belief-in-god-is-not-therefore-based-on-the-perception-of-design/) [Chapman Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chapman-cohen/) > [The natural pattern of current astronomy is provided by the cryptic unity of nature itself (belief in which is the chief act of faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-calder/the-natural-pattern-of-current-astronomy-is-provided-by-the-cryptic/) [Nigel Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-calder/) > [One of the most powerful forces in human nature is our belief that change is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-achor/one-of-the-most-powerful-forces-in-human-nature-is-our-belief-that/) [Shawn Achor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-achor/) > [Religion is not about accepting twenty impossible propositions before breakfast, but about doing things that change you. It is a moral aesthetic, an ethical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/religion-is-not-about-accepting-twenty-impossible-propositions-before/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [While 'Buddhism' suggests another belief system, 'dharma practice' suggests a course of action. The four ennobling truths are not propositions to believe; they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/while-buddhism-suggests-another-belief-system-dharma-practice/) [Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/) > [I've got this theory that human beings are innately religious; we have a belief system. It doesn't have to be a theist form, necessarily.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/i-ve-got-this-theory-that-human-beings-are-innately-religious-we-have/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [Inside we are all Golden Buddha's, but we grew to believe we were made of clay. Our ego's false perceptions led us to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/inside-we-are-all-golden-buddha-s-but-we-grew-to-believe-we-were-made/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [“All belief systems are elaborate fabrications, if logic is followed out to the end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/all-belief-systems-are-elaborate-fabrications-if-logic-is-followed/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [We find that alchemy has to do with magicians or magic and may even have roots in the Chaldean people who lived in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-alan-wolf/we-find-that-alchemy-has-to-do-with-magicians-or-magic-and-may-even/) [Fred Alan Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-alan-wolf/) > [The issue is that if you hold onto the resentment against yourself, you're just going to recreate that destructive pattern in different forms because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/the-issue-is-that-if-you-hold-onto-the-resentment-against-yourself/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [I think that things like curses or whatever - those labels - come from belief systems, universal belief systems. So when you get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariel-hemingway/i-think-that-things-like-curses-or-whatever-those-labels-come-from/) [Mariel Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariel-hemingway/) > [I'm very, very suspicious of anybody that finds a belief system that they feel can explain it all, for themselves or for anybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/i-m-very-very-suspicious-of-anybody-that-finds-a-belief-system-that/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [Everyone thinks they've won the Magical Belief Lottery. Everyone thinks they more or less have a handle on things, that they, as opposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/everyone-thinks-they-ve-won-the-magical-belief-lottery-everyone/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) ## More by Karen Armstrong > [If it is written and read with serious attention, a novel, like a myth or any great work of art, can become an initiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/if-it-is-written-and-read-with-serious-attention-a-novel-like-a-myth/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [A gentleman is not born but crafted. He had to work on himself in the same way as a sculptor shaped a rough stone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/a-gentleman-is-not-born-but-crafted-he-had-to-work-on-himself-in-the/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [I was a lousy nun. I couldn't do it. I couldn't find God. It wasn't suitable for me. It is suitable for very few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-was-a-lousy-nun-i-couldn-t-do-it-i-couldn-t-find-god-it-wasn-t/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [I have become convinced, through my studies, that the only way to achieve a safe, just and viable world is to live by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-have-become-convinced-through-my-studies-that-the-only-way-to/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [In the past some of the most influential Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologians, such as Maimonides, Aquinas and Ibn Sina, made it clear that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/in-the-past-some-of-the-most-influential-jewish-christian-and-muslim/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [The great task of our time is to build a global society, where people can live together in peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/the-great-task-of-our-time-is-to-build-a-global-society-where-people/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [We want to create, never mind the leaders or the bishops or chief rabbis or imams, or Popes. We want to create a grassroots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-want-to-create-never-mind-the-leaders-or-the-bishops-or-chief/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [If we don't manage to implement the Golden Rule globally, so that we treat all peoples, wherever and whoever they may be, as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/if-we-don-t-manage-to-implement-the-golden-rule-globally-so-that-we/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [After I left the convent, for 15 years I was worn out with religion, I wanted nothing whatever to do with it. I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/after-i-left-the-convent-for-15-years-i-was-worn-out-with-religion-i/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“As we have seen, so many of the things we once took for granted have proved unreliable that we may have to “forget” old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/as-we-have-seen-so-many-of-the-things-we-once-took-for-granted-have/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Yet a personal God can become a grave liability. He can be a mere idol carved in our own image, a projection of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/yet-a-personal-god-can-become-a-grave-liability-he-can-be-a-mere-idol/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“I discovered that I felt at home and alive in the silence, which compelled me to enter my interior world and around there. Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-discovered-that-i-felt-at-home-and-alive-in-the-silence-which/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Each of the world religions has its own particular genius, its own special insight into the nature and requirements of compassion, and has something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/each-of-the-world-religions-has-its-own-particular-genius-its-own/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“all rightly guided religion that submitted wholly to God, refused to worship man-made deities and preached that justice and equality came from the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/all-rightly-guided-religion-that-submitted-wholly-to-god-refused-to/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“advocates of evolutionary theory since Thomas H. Huxley (1825–95) have found altruism problematic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/advocates-of-evolutionary-theory-since-thomas-h-huxley-1825-95-have/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) [Explore all 296 Karen Armstrong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) ## More Belief systems quotes > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Everyone thinks they've won the Magical Belief Lottery. Everyone thinks they more or less have a handle on things, that they, as opposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/everyone-thinks-they-ve-won-the-magical-belief-lottery-everyone/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [I'm very, very suspicious of anybody that finds a belief system that they feel can explain it all, for themselves or for anybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/i-m-very-very-suspicious-of-anybody-that-finds-a-belief-system-that/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [I think that things like curses or whatever - those labels - come from belief systems, universal belief systems. So when you get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariel-hemingway/i-think-that-things-like-curses-or-whatever-those-labels-come-from/) [Mariel Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariel-hemingway/) > [The issue is that if you hold onto the resentment against yourself, you're just going to recreate that destructive pattern in different forms because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/the-issue-is-that-if-you-hold-onto-the-resentment-against-yourself/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [We find that alchemy has to do with magicians or magic and may even have roots in the Chaldean people who lived in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-alan-wolf/we-find-that-alchemy-has-to-do-with-magicians-or-magic-and-may-even/) [Fred Alan Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-alan-wolf/) > [“All belief systems are elaborate fabrications, if logic is followed out to the end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/all-belief-systems-are-elaborate-fabrications-if-logic-is-followed/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [Inside we are all Golden Buddha's, but we grew to believe we were made of clay. Our ego's false perceptions led us to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/inside-we-are-all-golden-buddha-s-but-we-grew-to-believe-we-were-made/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [I've got this theory that human beings are innately religious; we have a belief system. It doesn't have to be a theist form, necessarily.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/i-ve-got-this-theory-that-human-beings-are-innately-religious-we-have/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [While 'Buddhism' suggests another belief system, 'dharma practice' suggests a course of action. The four ennobling truths are not propositions to believe; they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/while-buddhism-suggests-another-belief-system-dharma-practice/) [Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/) > [My father is an atheist. My mother is Buddhist. They encouraged my siblings and me to take the best part of other religions to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/my-father-is-an-atheist-my-mother-is-buddhist-they-encouraged-my/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [I don't believe anything I write or say. I regard belief as a form of brain damage, the death of intelligence, the fracture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-don-t-believe-anything-i-write-or-say-i-regard-belief-as-a-form-of/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [“And the people believe, because Julian lets them believe... he does not force, suggest, tease, prod -- he lets them believe, he draws margins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-macewen/and-the-people-believe-because-julian-lets-them-believe-he-does-not/) [Gwendolyn MacEwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-macewen/) > [A genuinely persuasive argument does not merely tell you that you are wrong about everything. It doesn't just beat on you from the outside.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/a-genuinely-persuasive-argument-does-not-merely-tell-you-that-you-are/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [It is impossible to park a Ferrari (healthy new belief systems) in a space that is taken up by an old wreck (negative old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie/it-is-impossible-to-park-a-ferrari-healthy-new-belief-systems-in-a/) [Melanie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie/) [Browse all 229 Belief systems quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-systems/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“it is important to assume that the speaker shares the same human nature as yourself and that, even though your belief systems may differ, you both have the same idea of what constitutes truth.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karen Armstrong" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/it-is-important-to-assume-that-the-speaker-shares-the-same-human/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Belief systems" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/it-is-important-to-assume-that-the-speaker-shares-the-same-human/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/karen-armstrong-1053_faith_it-is-important-to-assume-that-the-speak_1458261.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/karen-armstrong-1053_faith_it-is-important-to-assume-that-the-speak_1458261.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/karen-armstrong-1053_faith_it-is-important-to-assume-that-the-speak_1458261.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“it is important to assume that the speaker shares the same human nature as yourself and that, even though…” — Karen Armstrong", "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": "Karen Armstrong", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“it is important to assume that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/it-is-important-to-assume-that-the-speaker-shares-the-same-human/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/it-is-important-to-assume-that-the-speaker-shares-the-same-human/#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 } } ] } ```