--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I change my opinions often, but not my…" description: "\"I change my opinions often, but not my way of thinking.\" — Mason Cooley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/mason-cooley-92_change_i-change-my-opinions-often-but-not-my-wa_67076.png" --- # I change my opinions often, but not my way of thinking. ![“I change my opinions often, but not my way of thinking.” quote by Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/mason-cooley-92_change_i-change-my-opinions-often-but-not-my-wa_67076.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/mason-cooley-92_change_i-change-my-opinions-often-but-not-my-wa_67076.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/mason-cooley-92_change_i-change-my-opinions-often-but-not-my-wa_67076.png) > “I change my opinions often, but not my way of thinking.” [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One can revise specific opinions, yet retain a consistent underlying method of reasoning. **In simple terms:** Change views, keep the same thinking style. Key Takeaway Methodology matters more than individual opinions. Themes flexibility critical thinking consistency Mood reflective introspective Type aphorism philosophical observation When to use this quote - political debate - scientific research - personal growth Key Concepts cognitive flexibility epistemic humility Practical Applications - Reflect on reasoning patterns - Document decision criteria Questions to Reflect On - Do you separate method from content? - When have you changed an opinion without altering your reasoning? A Different Perspective Rigid methods can become dogmatic if not periodically examined. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Opinions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinions/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Way of thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“Mrs General had no opinions. Her way of forming a mind was to prevent it from forming opinions. She had a little circular set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/mrs-general-had-no-opinions-her-way-of-forming-a-mind-was-to-prevent/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“You can’t change the opinions of small-minded people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-grover-swank/you-can-t-change-the-opinions-of-small-minded-people/) [Denise Grover Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-grover-swank/) > [When you're quiet, others can form opinions that are way off the mark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moeen-ali/when-you-re-quiet-others-can-form-opinions-that-are-way-off-the-mark/) [Moeen Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moeen-ali/) > [On everything you need to hear other people's opinions. It's the only way to do things. You ask a friend's advice and then between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shmuel-yosef-agnon/on-everything-you-need-to-hear-other-people-s-opinions-it-s-the-only/) [Shmuel Yosef Agnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shmuel-yosef-agnon/) > [Everybody's got opinions on the way you're livin', But see, they can't fill your shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-benjamin/everybody-s-got-opinions-on-the-way-you-re-livin-but-see-they-can-t/) [Andre Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-benjamin/) > [I am not one to get into people's opinions, because if I were to be that way, I would not be where I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-covington/i-am-not-one-to-get-into-people-s-opinions-because-if-i-were-to-be/) [Robert Covington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-covington/) > [We've all got our own opinions, our own way of appreciating the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/we-ve-all-got-our-own-opinions-our-own-way-of-appreciating-the-game/) [Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/) > [To my way of thinking, there is every bit as much evidence for the existence of UFOs as there is for the existence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/to-my-way-of-thinking-there-is-every-bit-as-much-evidence-for-the/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [To my way of thinking and working, the greatest service a piece of fiction can do any reader is to force him to lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-stratton-porter/to-my-way-of-thinking-and-working-the-greatest-service-a-piece-of/) [Gene Stratton-Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-stratton-porter/) > [Nothing, to my way of thinking, is a better proof of a well-ordered mind than a man's ability to stop just where he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/nothing-to-my-way-of-thinking-is-a-better-proof-of-a-well-ordered/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [I was raised thinking that moral and ethical standards are universals that apply equally to everyone. And these values aren't easily compatible with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/i-was-raised-thinking-that-moral-and-ethical-standards-are-universals/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [I've never met a girl who thinks like you." "A lot of people tell me that," she said, digging at a cuticle. "But it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-ve-never-met-a-girl-who-thinks-like-you-a-lot-of-people-tell-me/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [We're just delighted that management has come around to my way of thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-zahn/we-re-just-delighted-that-management-has-come-around-to-my-way-of/) Paula Zahn > [To my way of thinking, the American family started to decline when parents began to communicate with their children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/to-my-way-of-thinking-the-american-family-started-to-decline-when/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [The fun, joy, and humor dry up in a relationship when one of the partners is swimming in gin. To my way of thinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginger-rogers/the-fun-joy-and-humor-dry-up-in-a-relationship-when-one-of-the/) [Ginger Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginger-rogers/) ## More by Mason Cooley > [Nostalgia keeps dissolving the ironic narratives in which I have contained my past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/nostalgia-keeps-dissolving-the-ironic-narratives-in-which-i-have/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The modernist writers found despair inspirational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-modernist-writers-found-despair-inspirational/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Even the most abject have a sense of superiority based on powerful though undefined merits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-abject-have-a-sense-of-superiority-based-on-powerful/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Money comes to life as it is spent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/money-comes-to-life-as-it-is-spent/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Even the most fickle are faithful to a few bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-fickle-are-faithful-to-a-few-bad-habits/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Rage is exciting, but leaves me confused and exhausted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/rage-is-exciting-but-leaves-me-confused-and-exhausted/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Literary tradition is full of lies about poverty-the jolly beggar, the poor but happy milkmaid, the wholesome diet of porridge, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/literary-tradition-is-full-of-lies-about-poverty-the-jolly-beggar-the/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Experience teaches us, but we scarcely know what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/experience-teaches-us-but-we-scarcely-know-what/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The body has a mind of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-body-has-a-mind-of-its-own/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [In retirement, I look for days off from my days off. Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/in-retirement-i-look-for-days-off-from-my-days-off-mason-cooley/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [My intentions go one way, my desires another. Thus I feel both self-indulgent and deprived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/my-intentions-go-one-way-my-desires-another-thus-i-feel-both-self/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The Puritan sours his pleasures by disguising them as duties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-puritan-sours-his-pleasures-by-disguising-them-as-duties/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Unlike the actual, the fictional explains itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/unlike-the-actual-the-fictional-explains-itself/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Vacations prove that a life of pleasure is overrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/vacations-prove-that-a-life-of-pleasure-is-overrated/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Outside literature, high-flown sentiments are merely exasperating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/outside-literature-high-flown-sentiments-are-merely-exasperating/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) [Explore all 1,401 Mason Cooley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I change my opinions often, but not my way of thinking.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mason Cooley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/i-change-my-opinions-often-but-not-my-way-of-thinking/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/i-change-my-opinions-often-but-not-my-way-of-thinking/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/mason-cooley-92_change_i-change-my-opinions-often-but-not-my-wa_67076.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/mason-cooley-92_change_i-change-my-opinions-often-but-not-my-wa_67076.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cff/mason-cooley-92_change_i-change-my-opinions-often-but-not-my-wa_67076.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I change my opinions often, but not my way of thinking.” — Mason Cooley", "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": "Mason Cooley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I change my opinions often, but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/i-change-my-opinions-often-but-not-my-way-of-thinking/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/i-change-my-opinions-often-but-not-my-way-of-thinking/#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 } } ] } ```