--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A whole lot of us go through life…" description: "\"“A whole lot of us go through life assuming that we are basically right, basically all the time, about basically everything: about our political and in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/kathryn-schulz-7782_absurd_a-whole-lot-of-us-go-through-life-assumi_1474595.png" --- # A whole lot of us go through life assuming that we are… ![“A whole lot of us go through life assuming that we are basically right, basically all the time, about basically everything: about our political and intellectual convictions, our religious and moral beliefs, our assessment of other people, our memories, our grasp of facts. As absurd as it sounds…” quote by Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/kathryn-schulz-7782_absurd_a-whole-lot-of-us-go-through-life-assumi_1474595.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/kathryn-schulz-7782_absurd_a-whole-lot-of-us-go-through-life-assumi_1474595.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/kathryn-schulz-7782_absurd_a-whole-lot-of-us-go-through-life-assumi_1474595.png) > ““A whole lot of us go through life assuming that we are basically right, basically all the time, about basically everything: about our political and intellectual convictions, our religious and moral beliefs, our assessment of other people, our memories, our grasp of facts. As absurd as it sounds when we stop to think about it, our steady state seems to be one of unconsciously assuming that we are very close to omniscient.”” [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People tend to overestimate their knowledge and moral certainty, believing they are nearly omniscient across politics, religion, and personal judgments. **In simple terms:** We think we’re almost always right. Key Takeaway Question your assumptions regularly. Themes cognition humility bias confidence Mood reflective critical introspective Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - political debates - religious discussions - personal relationships - memory recall Key Concepts DunningKrruger overconfidence bias self‑deception Questions to Reflect On - How often do you challenge your own beliefs? - What evidence would change your view? A Different Perspective Assumptions can be deeply entrenched, making self‑correction difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) [Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) [Assessment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assessment/) [Assuming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming/) [Assuming Basically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming-basically-5358946/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Convictions Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convictions-religious-5358947/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intellectual Convictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual-convictions-1458939/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Assuming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-assuming-1125915/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-beliefs-124990/) [Omniscient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/omniscient/) [Our memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-memories/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Steady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steady/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [“What could be more rational than the decision to use my gifts in a way which would most clearly manifest my moral and intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-howatch/what-could-be-more-rational-than-the-decision-to-use-my-gifts-in-a/) [Susan Howatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-howatch/) > [“Everything may evaporate at any instant. 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