--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sadly the very thing that strikes us as…" description: "\"Sadly the very thing that strikes us as obvious always defeats our thinking about it in more penetrating ways: just as the Romans said that \"the good i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/kenny-smith-2406_clarification_sadly-the-very-thing-that-strikes-us-as_2566589.png" --- # Sadly the very thing that strikes us as obvious always… ![“Sadly the very thing that strikes us as obvious always defeats our thinking about it in more penetrating ways: just as the Romans said that "the good is the enemy of the better," so too "the self-evident is the enemy of the very process of clarification or understanding," not to mention the enemy…” quote by Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/kenny-smith-2406_clarification_sadly-the-very-thing-that-strikes-us-as_2566589.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/kenny-smith-2406_clarification_sadly-the-very-thing-that-strikes-us-as_2566589.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/kenny-smith-2406_clarification_sadly-the-very-thing-that-strikes-us-as_2566589.png) > “Sadly the very thing that strikes us as obvious always defeats our thinking about it in more penetrating ways: just as the Romans said that "the good is the enemy of the better," so too "the self-evident is the enemy of the very process of clarification or understanding," not to mention the enemy of the "transcendent or ultimate."” [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Obvious truths can hinder deeper understanding; clarity requires questioning the self‑evident. **In simple terms:** Obvious can block insight. Key Takeaway Question the obvious. Themes knowledge clarity critical thinking Mood inquisitive serious Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - education - research - problem solving Key Concepts epistemology philosophical skepticism Questions to Reflect On - How do you confront obvious assumptions? - When does clarity become limiting? A Different Perspective May cause over‑analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clarification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarification/) [Defeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat/) [Defeats Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeats-thinking-1653851/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Enemy Transcendent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy-transcendent-1653854/) [Evident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evident/) [Evident Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evident-enemy-1653852/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Obvious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self Evident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-evident-358729/) [Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strikes/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinking Penetrating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-penetrating-1653853/) [Transcendent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transcendent/) [Ultimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > ["Playing" the resources of characterology for the sake of clarification and insight into the structures of actual existence is many times more daunting than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/playing-the-resources-of-characterology-for-the-sake-of-clarification/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [“I rather be a stupid person wanting clarification and answers, in order to be wiser, than be a stupid person that blindly believes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/i-rather-be-a-stupid-person-wanting-clarification-and-answers-in/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Choice of aim is clearly a matter of clarification of values, especially on the choice between possible options.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/choice-of-aim-is-clearly-a-matter-of-clarification-of-values/) [W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) > [“Any expectation always needs to be clarified in detail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/any-expectation-always-needs-to-be-clarified-in-detail/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom... in a clarification of life - not necessarily a great clarification,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-figure-a-poem-makes-it-begins-in-delight-and-ends-in-wisdom-in-a/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [This is reverent. This is Star Wars, damn it. You don't screw around with it. The things that were improv'd or added that developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-tudyk/this-is-reverent-this-is-star-wars-damn-it-you-don-t-screw-around/) [Alan Tudyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-tudyk/) > [Since only an individual man can possess rights, the expression "individual rights"? is a redundancy (which one has to use for purposes of clarification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/since-only-an-individual-man-can-possess-rights-the-expression/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [One of the main tasks of adolescence is to achieve an identity--not necessarily a knowledge of who we are, but a clarification ofthe range…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-main-tasks-of-adolescence-is-to-achieve-an-identity-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Philosophy aims at the logical clarification of thoughts. Philosophy is not a body of doctrine but an activity. A philosophical work consists essentially of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/philosophy-aims-at-the-logical-clarification-of-thoughts-philosophy/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [“Hey—let’s get something straight. It’s a vampire/alien/zombie/warlock hybrid flick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-james/hey-let-s-get-something-straight-it-s-a-vampire-alien-zombie-warlock/) [Julie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-james/) > [“QUESTIONS FOR CLARIFICATION What do you mean by…? What is your main point? How does \_\_\_\_\_\_ relate to \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_? Could you put that another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brock/questions-for-clarification-what-do-you-mean-by-what-is-your-main/) [David Brock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brock/) > [“An extraordinary claim requires extraordinary proof. ('On the Extraordinary: An Attempt at Clarification", Zetetic Scholar, Vol. 1, No. 1, p. 11, 1978)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcello-truzzi/an-extraordinary-claim-requires-extraordinary-proof-on-the/) [Marcello Truzzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcello-truzzi/) > [“If you have feelings for someone, let them know. It doesn’t matter if they can be in your life or not. Maybe, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/if-you-have-feelings-for-someone-let-them-know-it-doesn-t-matter-if/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [If there is something I don't know and I suspect that I need clarification and so does the viewer, I just ask for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harris-faulkner/if-there-is-something-i-don-t-know-and-i-suspect-that-i-need/) [Harris Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harris-faulkner/) > [“Payne sought clarification. “Vertical or horizontal?” “Horizontal, of course.” “Sorry but I can’t help you.” “Will you pipe down for a minute? Naturally she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-lynskey/payne-sought-clarification-vertical-or-horizontal-horizontal-of/) [Ed Lynskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-lynskey/) ## More by Kenny Smith > [The approach of intellect or noesis will forever be an effete and limited sort of thing by contrast with the vigor and color of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/the-approach-of-intellect-or-noesis-will-forever-be-an-effete-and/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [One can hardly appreciate how academia has perverted its highest tasks and "ideals" without pondering long and hard the implications of Jacques Barzun's House…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/one-can-hardly-appreciate-how-academia-has-perverted-its-highest/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [When academics claim a topic is obsolete, they mean merely they are tired of flogging it with their cliches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/when-academics-claim-a-topic-is-obsolete-they-mean-merely-they-are/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [If you look at the NBA, it's the richest and wealthiest group of African-American men in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/if-you-look-at-the-nba-it-s-the-richest-and-wealthiest-group-of/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [In late modernity we grow more and more accustomed to politicians and public figures who are indebted to their appetites for their "values," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/in-late-modernity-we-grow-more-and-more-accustomed-to-politicians-and/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [How infinitely happier and more grateful is the whole personality or spirit when it finds something nourishing in art or writing or thinking, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/how-infinitely-happier-and-more-grateful-is-the-whole-personality-or/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [There are a lot more famous fathers out there than me with daughters who wouldn't mind singing careers... but the talent and the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/there-are-a-lot-more-famous-fathers-out-there-than-me-with-daughters/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [Games like 'Call of Duty' and 'NBA Baller Beats' have so much to them. I was more of the 'Pac-Man' generation where we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/games-like-call-of-duty-and-nba-baller-beats-have-so-much-to-them-i/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [The Rockets have a philosophy of what they think their coach should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/the-rockets-have-a-philosophy-of-what-they-think-their-coach-should-be/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [I've played more park games than NBA games, and I had a 10-year NBA career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/i-ve-played-more-park-games-than-nba-games-and-i-had-a-10-year-nba/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [I'm always the neutral guy, man. I'm able to bring people together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/i-m-always-the-neutral-guy-man-i-m-able-to-bring-people-together/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [People compose the schedules they do out of the priorities they have; and someone who says otherwise is deceiving himself about what he really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/people-compose-the-schedules-they-do-out-of-the-priorities-they-have/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [There's hasn't been a day in my life since I was 9 years old that I haven't touched a basketball or done something connected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/there-s-hasn-t-been-a-day-in-my-life-since-i-was-9-years-old-that-i/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [You can have your own thought process about things, but you still need to include and co-exist with other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/you-can-have-your-own-thought-process-about-things-but-you-still-need/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [NCAA is looking at how to do a better job enforcing their rules instead of looking at why the predatorial environment is created. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/ncaa-is-looking-at-how-to-do-a-better-job-enforcing-their-rules/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) [Explore all 168 Kenny Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) ## More Clarification quotes > [“Payne sought clarification. “Vertical or horizontal?” “Horizontal, of course.” “Sorry but I can’t help you.” “Will you pipe down for a minute? Naturally she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-lynskey/payne-sought-clarification-vertical-or-horizontal-horizontal-of/) [Ed Lynskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-lynskey/) > [If there is something I don't know and I suspect that I need clarification and so does the viewer, I just ask for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harris-faulkner/if-there-is-something-i-don-t-know-and-i-suspect-that-i-need/) [Harris Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harris-faulkner/) > [“If you have feelings for someone, let them know. It doesn’t matter if they can be in your life or not. Maybe, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/if-you-have-feelings-for-someone-let-them-know-it-doesn-t-matter-if/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“An extraordinary claim requires extraordinary proof. ('On the Extraordinary: An Attempt at Clarification", Zetetic Scholar, Vol. 1, No. 1, p. 11, 1978)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcello-truzzi/an-extraordinary-claim-requires-extraordinary-proof-on-the/) [Marcello Truzzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcello-truzzi/) > [“QUESTIONS FOR CLARIFICATION What do you mean by…? What is your main point? How does \_\_\_\_\_\_ relate to \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_? Could you put that another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brock/questions-for-clarification-what-do-you-mean-by-what-is-your-main/) [David Brock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brock/) > [“Hey—let’s get something straight. It’s a vampire/alien/zombie/warlock hybrid flick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-james/hey-let-s-get-something-straight-it-s-a-vampire-alien-zombie-warlock/) [Julie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-james/) > [Philosophy aims at the logical clarification of thoughts. Philosophy is not a body of doctrine but an activity. A philosophical work consists essentially of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/philosophy-aims-at-the-logical-clarification-of-thoughts-philosophy/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [One of the main tasks of adolescence is to achieve an identity--not necessarily a knowledge of who we are, but a clarification ofthe range…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-main-tasks-of-adolescence-is-to-achieve-an-identity-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Since only an individual man can possess rights, the expression "individual rights"? is a redundancy (which one has to use for purposes of clarification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/since-only-an-individual-man-can-possess-rights-the-expression/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [This is reverent. This is Star Wars, damn it. You don't screw around with it. The things that were improv'd or added that developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-tudyk/this-is-reverent-this-is-star-wars-damn-it-you-don-t-screw-around/) [Alan Tudyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-tudyk/) > [The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom... in a clarification of life - not necessarily a great clarification,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-figure-a-poem-makes-it-begins-in-delight-and-ends-in-wisdom-in-a/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“Any expectation always needs to be clarified in detail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/any-expectation-always-needs-to-be-clarified-in-detail/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [Choice of aim is clearly a matter of clarification of values, especially on the choice between possible options.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/choice-of-aim-is-clearly-a-matter-of-clarification-of-values/) [W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) > [“I rather be a stupid person wanting clarification and answers, in order to be wiser, than be a stupid person that blindly believes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/i-rather-be-a-stupid-person-wanting-clarification-and-answers-in/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Our ability to make a decision about the declaration is hampered by the British government being reluctant to give us the clarification which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mcguinness/our-ability-to-make-a-decision-about-the-declaration-is-hampered-by/) [Martin McGuinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mcguinness/) [Browse all 53 Clarification quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarification/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sadly the very thing that strikes us as obvious always defeats our thinking about it in more penetrating ways: just as the Romans said that \"the good is the enemy of the better,\" so too \"the self-evident is the enemy of the very process of clarification or understanding,\" not to mention the enemy of the \"transcendent or ultimate.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kenny Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/sadly-the-very-thing-that-strikes-us-as-obvious-always-defeats-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clarification" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/sadly-the-very-thing-that-strikes-us-as-obvious-always-defeats-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/kenny-smith-2406_clarification_sadly-the-very-thing-that-strikes-us-as_2566589.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/kenny-smith-2406_clarification_sadly-the-very-thing-that-strikes-us-as_2566589.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/kenny-smith-2406_clarification_sadly-the-very-thing-that-strikes-us-as_2566589.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sadly the very thing that strikes us as obvious always defeats our thinking about it in more penetrating…” — Kenny Smith", "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": "Kenny Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sadly the very thing that strikes...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/sadly-the-very-thing-that-strikes-us-as-obvious-always-defeats-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/sadly-the-very-thing-that-strikes-us-as-obvious-always-defeats-our/#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 } } ] } ```