---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Common sense (which, in truth, is very…"
description: "\"Common sense (which, in truth, is very uncommon) is the best sense I know of: abide by it; it will counsel you best.\" — Lord Chesterfield"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/lord-chesterfield-757_common_common-sense-which-in-truth-is-very-unco_1481967.jpg"
---

#  Common sense (which, in truth, is very uncommon) is the…

![“Common sense (which, in truth, is very uncommon) is the best sense I know of: abide by it; it will counsel you best.” quote by Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/lord-chesterfield-757_common_common-sense-which-in-truth-is-very-unco_1481967.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/lord-chesterfield-757_common_common-sense-which-in-truth-is-very-unco_1481967.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/lord-chesterfield-757_common_common-sense-which-in-truth-is-very-unco_1481967.jpg)

> “Common sense (which, in truth, is very uncommon) is the best sense I know of: abide by it; it will counsel you best.”

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Common sense is rare but reliable; following it leads to sound decisions and guidance.

**In simple terms:** Common sense is rare but reliable; follow it.

Key Takeaway

Trust and practice common sense.

Themes

wisdom practicality decision‑making

Mood

thoughtful cautious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal advice
- business strategy

Key Concepts

critical thinking judgment everyday life

Questions to Reflect On

- When have you ignored common sense?
- How can you improve your judgment?

A Different Perspective

Common sense can be biased by personal experience.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [Common sense is the best sense I know of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/common-sense-is-the-best-sense-i-know-of/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [The most excellent and divine counsel, the best and most profitable advertisement of all others, but the least practised, is to study and learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-charron/the-most-excellent-and-divine-counsel-the-best-and-most-profitable-2/)

[Pierre Charron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-charron/)

> [The most excellent and divine counsel, the best and most profitable advertisement of all others, but the least practiced, is to study and learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-charron/the-most-excellent-and-divine-counsel-the-best-and-most-profitable/)

[Pierre Charron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-charron/)

> [“in the best sense of the word—as if, for a hundred years, people had”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/in-the-best-sense-of-the-word-as-if-for-a-hundred-years-people-had/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [I'm a lapsed Catholic in the best sense of the word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-m-a-lapsed-catholic-in-the-best-sense-of-the-word/)

[Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/)

> [“Let me assure you, you are an ass in the best sense of the word. You don't take shit from people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-alexander/let-me-assure-you-you-are-an-ass-in-the-best-sense-of-the-word-you/)

[Dani Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-alexander/)

> [You must labour to acquire that great and uncommon talent of hating with good breeding, and loving with prudence; to make no quarrel irreconcilable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/you-must-labour-to-acquire-that-great-and-uncommon-talent-of-hating/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [“The sense of truth goes to the strong and the victor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/the-sense-of-truth-goes-to-the-strong-and-the-victor/)

[Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/)

> [Prayer has not been a part of my life in the sense that truth has been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/prayer-has-not-been-a-part-of-my-life-in-the-sense-that-truth-has-been/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [Our lives are based on what is reasonable and common sense; Truth is apt to be neither.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christmas-humphreys/our-lives-are-based-on-what-is-reasonable-and-common-sense-truth-is/)

[Christmas Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christmas-humphreys/)

> [I understood that centuries of chains and lashes will not kill the spirit of man nor the sense of truth within him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-understood-that-centuries-of-chains-and-lashes-will-not-kill-the/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“Why are you so anxious to destroy in the name of a vulgar, commonplace sense of truth, this reality which comes to birth attracted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-pirandello/why-are-you-so-anxious-to-destroy-in-the-name-of-a-vulgar-commonplace/)

[Luigi Pirandello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-pirandello/)

> [“I know that you are wise. When you hear a true story, there is a part of you that responds to it regardless of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-know-that-you-are-wise-when-you-hear-a-true-story-there-is-a-part/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“I trust my inner sense of the truth. I am right with God because I am right with myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-trust-my-inner-sense-of-the-truth-i-am-right-with-god-because-i-am/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Sometimes you get a sense of when the truth of things will not be revealed by microscopes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/sometimes-you-get-a-sense-of-when-the-truth-of-things-will-not-be/)

[Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/)

## More by Lord Chesterfield

> [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [No woman ever yet either reasoned or acted long together consequentially; but some little thing, some love, some resentment, somepresent momentary interest, some supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/no-woman-ever-yet-either-reasoned-or-acted-long-together/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [I am in the pitiable situation of feeling all the force of temptation without having the strength to succumb to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/i-am-in-the-pitiable-situation-of-feeling-all-the-force-of-temptation/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Mankind is made up of inconsistencies, and no man acts invariably up to his predominant character. The wisest man sometimes acts weakly, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/mankind-is-made-up-of-inconsistencies-and-no-man-acts-invariably-up/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Compliments of congratulation are always kindly taken, and cost nothing but pen, ink and paper. I consider them as draughts upon good breeding, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/compliments-of-congratulation-are-always-kindly-taken-and-cost/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [The insolent civility of a proud man is, if possible, more shocking than his rudeness could be; because he shows you, by his manner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/the-insolent-civility-of-a-proud-man-is-if-possible-more-shocking/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [“Secret thoughts and an open countenance will take you safely the world over”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/secret-thoughts-and-an-open-countenance-will-take-you-safely-the/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Virtue and learning, like gold, have their intrinsic value: but if they are not polished, they certainly lose a great deal of their luster:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/virtue-and-learning-like-gold-have-their-intrinsic-value-but-if-they/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Knowledge is a comfortable and necessary retreat and shelter for us in an advanced age; and if we do not plant it while young,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/knowledge-is-a-comfortable-and-necessary-retreat-and-shelter-for-us/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Promptness is the soul of business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/promptness-is-the-soul-of-business/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Style is the dress of thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/style-is-the-dress-of-thoughts/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [It is commonly said that ridicule is the best test of truth; for that it will not stick where it is not just. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/it-is-commonly-said-that-ridicule-is-the-best-test-of-truth-for-that/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [There is hardly any place or any company where you may not gain knowledge, if you please; almost everybody knows some one thing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/there-is-hardly-any-place-or-any-company-where-you-may-not-gain/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Assurance and intrepidity, under the white banner of seeming modesty, clear the way for merit, that would otherwise be discouraged by difficulties...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/assurance-and-intrepidity-under-the-white-banner-of-seeming-modesty/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [“Many a man would rather you heard his story than grant his request.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/many-a-man-would-rather-you-heard-his-story-than-grant-his-request/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

[Explore all 378 Lord Chesterfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

## More Common quotes

> [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/)

[Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/)

> [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/)

[Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/)

> [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/)

[Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/)

> [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/)

[Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/)

> [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/)

[Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/)

> [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/)

[Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/)

> [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-is-a-tragedy-that-we-live-in-a-world-where-physical-courage-is-so/)

[Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/)

> [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

Browse all 7,866 Common quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Common sense (which, in truth, is very uncommon) is the best sense I know of: abide by it; it will counsel you best.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lord Chesterfield"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/common-sense-which-in-truth-is-very-uncommon-is-the-best-sense-i-know/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Common"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/common-sense-which-in-truth-is-very-uncommon-is-the-best-sense-i-know/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/lord-chesterfield-757_common_common-sense-which-in-truth-is-very-unco_1481967.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/lord-chesterfield-757_common_common-sense-which-in-truth-is-very-unco_1481967.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/lord-chesterfield-757_common_common-sense-which-in-truth-is-very-unco_1481967.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Common sense (which, in truth, is very uncommon) is the best sense I know of: abide by it; it will counsel…” — Lord Chesterfield",
                "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": "Lord Chesterfield",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Common sense (which, in truth, is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/common-sense-which-in-truth-is-very-uncommon-is-the-best-sense-i-know/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/common-sense-which-in-truth-is-very-uncommon-is-the-best-sense-i-know/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
