--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're terrified of not having the…" description: "\"We're terrified of not having the answers, and we would sometimes rather assert an incorrect answer than make our peace with the fact that we really do..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/kathryn-schulz-7782_answers_we-re-terrified-of-not-having-the-answer_265190.jpg" --- # We're terrified of not having the answers, and we would… ![“We're terrified of not having the answers, and we would sometimes rather assert an incorrect answer than make our peace with the fact that we really don't know.” quote by Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/kathryn-schulz-7782_answers_we-re-terrified-of-not-having-the-answer_265190.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/kathryn-schulz-7782_answers_we-re-terrified-of-not-having-the-answer_265190.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/kathryn-schulz-7782_answers_we-re-terrified-of-not-having-the-answer_265190.jpg) > “We're terrified of not having the answers, and we would sometimes rather assert an incorrect answer than make our peace with the fact that we really don't know.” [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. Humans often prefer confident falsehoods over uncomfortable uncertainty, choosing to assert wrong answers rather than accept not knowing. **In simple terms:** People choose false certainty over admitting ignorance. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty instead of defending wrong answers. Themes uncertainty confidence truth human behavior Mood anxious reflective Type philosophical psychological motivational When to use this quote - decision making - academic research - personal relationships - public discourse Key Concepts cognitive bias epistemic humility psychology Questions to Reflect On - When have you chosen certainty over truth? - How can you practice admitting not knowing? A Different Perspective False confidence can erode trust and hinder learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified/) ## Related quotes > [I'm terrified of having a little girl. Girls are more evil than boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-stone/i-m-terrified-of-having-a-little-girl-girls-are-more-evil-than-boys/) [Lara Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-stone/) > [I'm terrified of having to go back to a day job. And that's why I'm training like a man possessed. 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Before I got pregnant, my visions of child rearing--reading stories about cabooses with smiley faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-having-a-child-before-i-got/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [I've just always been terrified of having to speak in front of people. 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Having all the answers kills the question itself, renders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/never-stop-doubting-never-stop-questioning-never-ever-assume-you-have/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [We should not be ashamed of not having answers to all questions yet...I'm perfectly happy staring somebody in the face saying, I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/we-should-not-be-ashamed-of-not-having-answers-to-all-questions-yet-i/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Instead of having "answers" on a math test, they should just call them "impressions," and if you got a different "impression," so what, can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/instead-of-having-answers-on-a-math-test-they-should-just-call-them/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) ## More by Kathryn Schulz > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [Error ... is less an intellectual problem than an existential one - a crisis not in what we know, but in who we are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/error-is-less-an-intellectual-problem-than-an-existential-one-a/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [“Even a committed realist will concede that there are many situations where an absolute standard of truth is unavailable. And yet, confronted with such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/even-a-committed-realist-will-concede-that-there-are-many-situations/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [We need to learn to love the flawed, imperfect things that we create, and to forgive ourselves for creating them. 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Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [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/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. 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