--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most people believe they have a clear…" description: "\"Most people believe they have a clear idea of what's right and wrong. Many say they know how they'll act, or how they'll handle an extreme situation. B..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81c/lurlene-mcdaniel-9790_being-honest_most-people-believe-they-have-a-clear-id_361600.png" --- # Most people believe they have a clear idea of what's right… ![“Most people believe they have a clear idea of what's right and wrong. Many say they know how they'll act, or how they'll handle an extreme situation. But to be honest, no one knows. Not reallyBecause none of us truly knows what we'll do when the circumstances become so overwhelming and complex…” quote by Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81c/lurlene-mcdaniel-9790_being-honest_most-people-believe-they-have-a-clear-id_361600.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81c/lurlene-mcdaniel-9790_being-honest_most-people-believe-they-have-a-clear-id_361600.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81c/lurlene-mcdaniel-9790_being-honest_most-people-believe-they-have-a-clear-id_361600.png) > “Most people believe they have a clear idea of what's right and wrong. Many say they know how they'll act, or how they'll handle an extreme situation. But to be honest, no one knows. Not reallyBecause none of us truly knows what we'll do when the circumstances become so overwhelming and complex that we can't even tell right from wrong.” [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People claim moral certainty, but extreme pressure reveals true uncertainty about right and wrong. **In simple terms:** Moral certainty fades under extreme stress. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty and seek humility. Themes morality uncertainty stress self‑awareness Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - emergency response - legal dilemmas - personal crises - leadership decisions Key Concepts ethical philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt unsure of the right choice? - How do you navigate moral ambiguity? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can blind judgment before crises. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Right and wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-and-wrong/) [Right From Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-from-wrong/) ## Related quotes > [None of us truly knows what we'll do when the circumstances become so overwhelming and complex that we can't even tell right from wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/none-of-us-truly-knows-what-we-ll-do-when-the-circumstances-become-so/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [Second thoughts have aborted more dreams than all the difficult circumstances, overwhelming obstacles, and dangerous detours fate ever could throw at you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/second-thoughts-have-aborted-more-dreams-than-all-the-difficult/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [When you go into a situation, and you're honest and straight-up about something, you put all your cards on the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bonamassa/when-you-go-into-a-situation-and-you-re-honest-and-straight-up-about/) [Joe Bonamassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bonamassa/) > [A good friend means someone you can trust no matter what , you will tell them everything because you know they'll help you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra/a-good-friend-means-someone-you-can-trust-no-matter-what-you-will/) [Sandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra/) > [I just wanted to be a guy on the radio and I wanted to succeed, and I wanted a situation where I could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-just-wanted-to-be-a-guy-on-the-radio-and-i-wanted-to-succeed-and-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“Gods are like people. They believe anything if you tell them right way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clavell/gods-are-like-people-they-believe-anything-if-you-tell-them-right-way/) [James Clavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clavell/) > [It may be an extreme example brought about by abnormal circumstances - but the criteria of human rights kick in, surely, precisely when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breyten-breytenbach/it-may-be-an-extreme-example-brought-about-by-abnormal-circumstances/) [Breyten Breytenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breyten-breytenbach/) > [Being in a war situation is probably the most extreme situation for a human being to be in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boaz-lavie/being-in-a-war-situation-is-probably-the-most-extreme-situation-for-a/) Boaz Lavie > [“When you're in an extreme situation you tend to avoid facing it by getting caught up in little details. Like a guy who's decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/when-you-re-in-an-extreme-situation-you-tend-to-avoid-facing-it-by/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [I just couldn't imagine hitting a child. But in 'The Slap' it's an extreme situation. You have to ask yourself - would you step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lapaglia/i-just-couldn-t-imagine-hitting-a-child-but-in-the-slap-it-s-an/) [Jonathan LaPaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lapaglia/) > [I like the fact that when you're put into a really extreme situation, you put everything else aside. You put your ego aside and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maisie-williams/i-like-the-fact-that-when-you-re-put-into-a-really-extreme-situation/) [Maisie Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maisie-williams/) > [I've learned our soldiers are so much like everybody else. They're just put into an extreme situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gauthier/i-ve-learned-our-soldiers-are-so-much-like-everybody-else-they-re/) [Mary Gauthier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gauthier/) > [“Most people believe they have a clear idea of what's right and wrong. Many say they know how they'll act, or how they'll handle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/most-people-believe-they-have-a-clear-idea-of-what-s-right-and-wrong-2/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [“Dad?' 'Yeah?' 'Could you tell me a story?' 'Sure.' 'A good one.' 'As opposed to all the boring ones I tell.' 'Right.' I tucked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/dad-yeah-could-you-tell-me-a-story-sure-a-good-one-as-opposed-to-all/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Obviously people don't want other people to tell them how to think or what to believe, or to tell them what's right politically and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/obviously-people-don-t-want-other-people-to-tell-them-how-to-think-or/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) ## More by Lurlene McDaniel > [If I can't wait for you at the end of an aisle on your wedding day, I'll wait for you in heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/if-i-can-t-wait-for-you-at-the-end-of-an-aisle-on-your-wedding-day-i/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [On TV, stories and events are finalized in 30 or 60 minutes, or neatly tied up after a season or two. The best stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/on-tv-stories-and-events-are-finalized-in-30-or-60-minutes-or-neatly/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [Old characters never die, but I do need to take a break from them in order to create new ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/old-characters-never-die-but-i-do-need-to-take-a-break-from-them-in/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [Pain and suffering are the soil of strength and courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/pain-and-suffering-are-the-soil-of-strength-and-courage/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [“He doesn't teach you what to think. He teaches you how to think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/he-doesn-t-teach-you-what-to-think-he-teaches-you-how-to-think/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [You want to attach emotionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/you-want-to-attach-emotionally/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [Well, in Angel of Hope, Amber ends up going in her sister's stead. The focus of that book and the next one coming out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/well-in-angel-of-hope-amber-ends-up-going-in-her-sister-s-stead-the/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [She did know that the journey to happiness was laborious and strewn with seeds of suffering. She guessed that it was probably a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/she-did-know-that-the-journey-to-happiness-was-laborious-and-strewn/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [You know not every book has to have a happy ending, but it has to have a satisfying ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/you-know-not-every-book-has-to-have-a-happy-ending-but-it-has-to-have/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [“Life went on whether people participated in it or not”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/life-went-on-whether-people-participated-in-it-or-not/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [From every ending comes a new beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/from-every-ending-comes-a-new-beginning/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [The stems stood tall and straight, one series arranged in a single line, the other in a crudely shaped heart, the final one in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/the-stems-stood-tall-and-straight-one-series-arranged-in-a-single/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [I'll cover you in flowers someday, Julie-girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/i-ll-cover-you-in-flowers-someday-julie-girl/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [None of us truly knows what we'll do when the circumstances become so overwhelming and complex that we can't even tell right from wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/none-of-us-truly-knows-what-we-ll-do-when-the-circumstances-become-so/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [“It may be a lifetime before I see you again on the far side of time. Wait for me. Look for me. Please don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/it-may-be-a-lifetime-before-i-see-you-again-on-the-far-side-of-time/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) [Explore all 66 Lurlene McDaniel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) ## More Being honest quotes > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I think what saved me is me being honest. I think I somewhow had the courage to do something and say something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-think-what-saved-me-is-me-being-honest-i-think-i-somewhow-had-the/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [An actor has to evaluate his own abilities and be honest with himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/an-actor-has-to-evaluate-his-own-abilities-and-be-honest-with-himself/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/) [Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/) > [I'm a person of change and I must be honest to my artistry and my creativity. That's part of the word 'jazz'... it's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-ferguson/i-m-a-person-of-change-and-i-must-be-honest-to-my-artistry-and-my/) Maynard Ferguson > [I'm going to be honest, I would love for Flava Flav to be president. It would bring a lot of excitement to the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-khaled/i-m-going-to-be-honest-i-would-love-for-flava-flav-to-be-president-it/) [DJ Khaled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-khaled/) > [The buildings that were in question, they said in the same report, which was - actually, it wasn't even a bad story, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-buildings-that-were-in-question-they-said-in-the-same-report/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I guess it has to be healthy, you have to be honest with yourself and I think that's when ego is okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/i-guess-it-has-to-be-healthy-you-have-to-be-honest-with-yourself-and/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [ The opening for solid waste is very small \[in the space ship\]. It's not toilet-bowl size. And aim is critical. To be honest with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/the-opening-for-solid-waste-is-very-small-in-the-space-ship-it-s-not/) [Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/) > [We had 90 percent rates, but nobody paid them. And so you had all these exemptions, exclusions, shelters, all this kind of stuff. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-had-90-percent-rates-but-nobody-paid-them-and-so-you-had-all-these/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [I think, as a filmmaker, it's important to be honest with yourself at all times in terms of what's working and what's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-wingard/i-think-as-a-filmmaker-it-s-important-to-be-honest-with-yourself-at/) [Adam Wingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-wingard/) > [We live in a world in which the only utopian visions arrive in commercial breaks: magical visions of an impossibly hospitable world, peopled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/we-live-in-a-world-in-which-the-only-utopian-visions-arrive-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Browse all 1,333 Being honest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most people believe they have a clear idea of what's right and wrong. 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