--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My hypothesis is that for people who are…" description: "\"My hypothesis is that for people who are both trained and inclined to think in rigorously logical ways, it is particularly difficult to adapt to the So..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/masha-gessen-2322_adapt_my-hypothesis-is-that-for-people-who-are_3063207.png" --- # My hypothesis is that for people who are both trained and… ![“My hypothesis is that for people who are both trained and inclined to think in rigorously logical ways, it is particularly difficult to adapt to the Soviet system of doublethink.” quote by Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/masha-gessen-2322_adapt_my-hypothesis-is-that-for-people-who-are_3063207.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/masha-gessen-2322_adapt_my-hypothesis-is-that-for-people-who-are_3063207.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/masha-gessen-2322_adapt_my-hypothesis-is-that-for-people-who-are_3063207.png) > “My hypothesis is that for people who are both trained and inclined to think in rigorously logical ways, it is particularly difficult to adapt to the Soviet system of doublethink.” [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People trained in strict logical reasoning struggle with the contradictory demands of Soviet doublethink. **In simple terms:** Logical thinkers find Soviet contradictions hard. Key Takeaway Recognize cognitive limits in ideological systems. Themes politics psychology ideology Mood analytical critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - academic research - political activism - education reform - media analysis Key Concepts cognitive dissonance authoritarianism Questions to Reflect On - Can logical training be reconciled with contradictory ideologies? - What coping strategies help? A Different Perspective Some can adapt with training. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Soviet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet/) [System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/system/) ## Related quotes > [Learning to think rigorously, so as to act rightly and to serve humanity better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/learning-to-think-rigorously-so-as-to-act-rightly-and-to-serve/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [I find many of answers in the spiritual realm. That in no way compromises my ability to think rigorously as a scientist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-find-many-of-answers-in-the-spiritual-realm-that-in-no-way/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [For brain surgeons it's particularly difficult to deal with failure. It was fascinating to learn about that whole world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/for-brain-surgeons-it-s-particularly-difficult-to-deal-with-failure/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [My second year was particularly difficult because I had high expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-redick/my-second-year-was-particularly-difficult-because-i-had-high/) [J. J. Redick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-redick/) > [Producing a drama is particularly difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-reilly/producing-a-drama-is-particularly-difficult/) [Kevin Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-reilly/) > [“More and more, it was beginning to be borne in upon me what a particularly difficult chap Gussie was to help. He seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/more-and-more-it-was-beginning-to-be-borne-in-upon-me-what-a/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [For me, performing isn't really particularly difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jon-benjamin/for-me-performing-isn-t-really-particularly-difficult/) [H. Jon Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jon-benjamin/) > [I always find it particularly difficult to work in New York because there are so many things to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigourney-weaver/i-always-find-it-particularly-difficult-to-work-in-new-york-because/) [Sigourney Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigourney-weaver/) > [“Assimilate ubiquitously. Doublethink. To deliberately believe in lies, while knowing they're false. Examples of this in everyday life: "oh, I need to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-barthes/assimilate-ubiquitously-doublethink-to-deliberately-believe-in-lies/) Henry Barthes > [Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/doublethink-means-the-power-of-holding-two-contradictory-beliefs-in-2/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/to-know-and-not-to-know-to-be-conscious-of-complete-truthfulness/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Ow. Stop that. It hurts my brain. Isn't your brain distributed through your entire body? See why I want you to stop with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-tayler/ow-stop-that-it-hurts-my-brain-isn-t-your-brain-distributed-through/) [Howard Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-tayler/) > [“Sooner or later, all talk among foreigners in Pyongyang turns to one imponderable subject. Do the locals really believe what they are told, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/sooner-or-later-all-talk-among-foreigners-in-pyongyang-turns-to-one/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them. The Party intellectual knows in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/doublethink-means-the-power-of-holding-two-contradictory-beliefs-in/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Orwell could see that Burnham, was nothing but a naked power worshipper, and one of those annoying writers, typical of Marxists and former Marxists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-glover/orwell-could-see-that-burnham-was-nothing-but-a-naked-power/) Dennis Glover ## More by Masha Gessen > [There's this American pretense, which is the pretense of the journalist with the view from nowhere - which has somehow morphed into the journalist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/there-s-this-american-pretense-which-is-the-pretense-of-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Where incompetence is prized, it is ever-present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/where-incompetence-is-prized-it-is-ever-present/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Pussy Riot have certainly changed some people's assumptions about the role of political art and the relationship between the intelligentsia and the church. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/pussy-riot-have-certainly-changed-some-people-s-assumptions-about-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Trump, like Putin, has a demonstrably thin skin and short temper when it comes to being criticized by journalists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/trump-like-putin-has-a-demonstrably-thin-skin-and-short-temper-when/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [You risk everything if you so much as join a legal protest demonstration in Russia. It raises the stakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/you-risk-everything-if-you-so-much-as-join-a-legal-protest/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Donald Trump creates word salads. And that is awful to language, because we try to parse out what he's saying and try to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/donald-trump-creates-word-salads-and-that-is-awful-to-language/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [It is the first time since 1993 that Russians have come out into the streets without an explicit permission from the government to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/it-is-the-first-time-since-1993-that-russians-have-come-out-into-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I think Donald Trump was brought to power by Americans. They voted for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-think-donald-trump-was-brought-to-power-by-americans-they-voted-for/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [In the 1990s, there was a lot of reform, and there was a lot of forward movement on a lot of fronts in Russia.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/in-the-1990s-there-was-a-lot-of-reform-and-there-was-a-lot-of-forward/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Poverty and scarcity are actually very good for totalitarian societies. They maintain that sense of mobilization that's essential for totalitarian societies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/poverty-and-scarcity-are-actually-very-good-for-totalitarian/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I think that Putin's strategy has been throwing a lot of money, fairly haphazardly, at a lot of projects aimed at disrupting Western relations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-think-that-putin-s-strategy-has-been-throwing-a-lot-of-money-fairly/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Both Trump and Putin use language primarily to communicate not facts or opinions but power: it's not what the words mean that matters but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/both-trump-and-putin-use-language-primarily-to-communicate-not-facts/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I worked both as a Russian journalist and an American journalist and ran a bunch of magazines in Moscow over the course of about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-worked-both-as-a-russian-journalist-and-an-american-journalist-and/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I have no doubt that there are Russian efforts to disturb the fabric of American democracy, but they're disruption efforts. They're troublemaking efforts. They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-have-no-doubt-that-there-are-russian-efforts-to-disturb-the-fabric/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [For years I was the only publicly out gay person who was not a full-time gay activist: my position as a quasi-foreigner gave me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/for-years-i-was-the-only-publicly-out-gay-person-who-was-not-a-full/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) [Explore all 171 Masha Gessen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) ## More Adapt quotes > [Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-ryan/enjoying-success-requires-the-ability-to-adapt-only-by-being-open-to/) [Nolan Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-ryan/) > [Ancelotti immediately understood me and put me in the right situation to adapt quickly. I was 18 and, at that age, it is difficult.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-verratti/ancelotti-immediately-understood-me-and-put-me-in-the-right-situation/) [Marco Verratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-verratti/) > [Just watching people's ability to adapt, especially young people's, inspires me to accept more in life instead of wishing things were different all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhea-seehorn/just-watching-people-s-ability-to-adapt-especially-young-people-s/) [Rhea Seehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhea-seehorn/) > [You always can improve and I think that's the beauty of international cricket, particularly test cricket, is playing all around the world against different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-williamson/you-always-can-improve-and-i-think-that-s-the-beauty-of-international/) [Kane Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-williamson/) > [It's fun to see how other artists adapt my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/it-s-fun-to-see-how-other-artists-adapt-my-work/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [Floods, droughts, and natural disasters are a fact of life for farmers, ranchers, and foresters. They have persevered in the past, and they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-perdue/floods-droughts-and-natural-disasters-are-a-fact-of-life-for-farmers/) [Sonny Perdue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-perdue/) > [A career is about learning to adapt yourself to the new environment and learning to sink or swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-dutta/a-career-is-about-learning-to-adapt-yourself-to-the-new-environment/) [Lara Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-dutta/) > [I've learnt to adapt on the pitch and, when I think back, also in front of goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gervinho/i-ve-learnt-to-adapt-on-the-pitch-and-when-i-think-back-also-in-front/) [Gervinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gervinho/) > [On my end, I am still surprised that many media organizations are unable to adapt to new media formats and, more importantly, new network…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/on-my-end-i-am-still-surprised-that-many-media-organizations-are/) [Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/) > [“The more in tune we are with nature and the more we actually observe our surroundings, the easier it is for us to adapt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-cassell-jr/the-more-in-tune-we-are-with-nature-and-the-more-we-actually-observe/) [Warren Cassell Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-cassell-jr/) > [There is a sort of theory that you should adapt bad books because they always make more successful films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hampton/there-is-a-sort-of-theory-that-you-should-adapt-bad-books-because/) [Christopher Hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hampton/) > [It's strange to play outdoors, especially in the daytime. But we're figuring it out. The rules are different for festival shows - how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dost/it-s-strange-to-play-outdoors-especially-in-the-daytime-but-we-re/) [Andrew Dost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dost/) > [Whatever role I get told to play, I just have to adapt to it and play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-iwobi/whatever-role-i-get-told-to-play-i-just-have-to-adapt-to-it-and-play/) [Alex Iwobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-iwobi/) > [I'm able to mentally adapt to things very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cole/i-m-able-to-mentally-adapt-to-things-very-well/) [Justin Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cole/) > [If you change and adapt your persona, you are seen as inauthentic; if you stay the angry young man, you fade from attention or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/if-you-change-and-adapt-your-persona-you-are-seen-as-inauthentic-if/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) Browse all 767 Adapt quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My hypothesis is that for people who are both trained and inclined to think in rigorously logical ways, it is particularly difficult to adapt to the Soviet system of doublethink.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Masha Gessen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/my-hypothesis-is-that-for-people-who-are-both-trained-and-inclined-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adapt" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/my-hypothesis-is-that-for-people-who-are-both-trained-and-inclined-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/masha-gessen-2322_adapt_my-hypothesis-is-that-for-people-who-are_3063207.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/masha-gessen-2322_adapt_my-hypothesis-is-that-for-people-who-are_3063207.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/masha-gessen-2322_adapt_my-hypothesis-is-that-for-people-who-are_3063207.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My hypothesis is that for people who are both trained and inclined to think in rigorously logical ways, it…” — Masha Gessen", "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": "Masha Gessen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My hypothesis is that for people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/my-hypothesis-is-that-for-people-who-are-both-trained-and-inclined-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/my-hypothesis-is-that-for-people-who-are-both-trained-and-inclined-to/#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 } } ] } ```