--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think people believe what they want to…" description: "\"“I think people believe what they want to believe.”\" — Mitch Albom" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14d/mitch-albom-187_believe_i-think-people-believe-what-they-want-to_1062355.png" --- # I think people believe what they want to believe. ![“I think people believe what they want to believe.” quote by Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14d/mitch-albom-187_believe_i-think-people-believe-what-they-want-to_1062355.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14d/mitch-albom-187_believe_i-think-people-believe-what-they-want-to_1062355.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14d/mitch-albom-187_believe_i-think-people-believe-what-they-want-to_1062355.png) > ““I think people believe what they want to believe.”” [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People tend to accept ideas that fit their desires, ignoring contradictory evidence. **In simple terms:** People accept what they want to believe. Key Takeaway Question your assumptions. Themes psychology belief perception Mood reflective inquisitive Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - media consumption - political discourse Key Concepts cognitive bias confirmation bias Questions to Reflect On - What belief do you hold that might be wishful? - How do you verify the truth of your assumptions? A Different Perspective Beliefs can be challenged by facts and open dialogue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) ## Related quotes > [People believe what they want to believe, and I want to believe you're a smart man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grim-fandango/people-believe-what-they-want-to-believe-and-i-want-to-believe-you-re/) Grim Fandango > [“People always believe what they want to believe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-always-believe-what-they-want-to-believe/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People believe what they want to believe. You have to run your race and be proud of the person you see in the mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-richman/people-believe-what-they-want-to-believe-you-have-to-run-your-race/) [Adam Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-richman/) > [“He laughed and said, I don't believe it either but i want to believe it!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyung-sook-shin/he-laughed-and-said-i-don-t-believe-it-either-but-i-want-to-believe-it/) [Kyung-sook Shin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyung-sook-shin/) > [People are going to believe what they want to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-bilzerian/people-are-going-to-believe-what-they-want-to-believe/) [Dan Bilzerian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-bilzerian/) > [“And so, let me repeat: who wants to believe - let them believe. But I do not want to believe, I want to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-borun-and-a-trepka/and-so-let-me-repeat-who-wants-to-believe-let-them-believe-but-i-do/) K. Borun and A. Trepka > [“Well, the question is, what do you want to believe? Do you want to live in a world where things are possible, or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-na-roy/well-the-question-is-what-do-you-want-to-believe-do-you-want-to-live/) Léna Roy > [People are gonna believe what they want to believe And like I said before, I really don't give a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-harding/people-are-gonna-believe-what-they-want-to-believe-and-like-i-said/) [Tonya Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-harding/) > [We believe whatever we want to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/we-believe-whatever-we-want-to-believe/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [We clearly see in God's Word that anything He tells us to do, He will give us the ability to do it. But do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/we-clearly-see-in-god-s-word-that-anything-he-tells-us-to-do-he-will/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“I believed, I believe, I want to believe, and I will believe”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/i-believed-i-believe-i-want-to-believe-and-i-will-believe/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [We believe what we want to believe, what we like to believe, what suits our prejudices and fuels our passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/we-believe-what-we-want-to-believe-what-we-like-to-believe-what-suits/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [To believe, it seemed, one had to want to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/to-believe-it-seemed-one-had-to-want-to-believe/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [We find ourselves in that situation where we want to believe, we want to think we're the exception, we want to think we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/we-find-ourselves-in-that-situation-where-we-want-to-believe-we-want/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/i-m-a-skeptic-not-because-i-do-not-want-to-believe-but-because-i-want/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) ## More by Mitch Albom > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“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/) > [the words people do not speak are louder than the ones they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-words-people-do-not-speak-are-louder-than-the-ones-they-do/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Once, lovers on faraway shores sat by candlelight and dipped ink to parchment, writing words that could not be erased. They took an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-lovers-on-faraway-shores-sat-by-candlelight-and-dipped-ink-to/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/giving-to-other-people-makes-me-feel-alive-not-my-car-or-my-house-not/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Life goes quickly, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-goes-quickly-doesn-t-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [As children grow, they gravitate to their fates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/as-children-grow-they-gravitate-to-their-fates/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“If the only thing wrong with Moses is that he's not yours; if the only thing wrong with Jesus is that he's not yours;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/if-the-only-thing-wrong-with-moses-is-that-he-s-not-yours-if-the-only/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“whisper their good-byes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/whisper-their-good-byes/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“I had also developed my own culture. Work. Over the years, I had taken labor as my companion and had moved everything else to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-had-also-developed-my-own-culture-work-over-the-years-i-had-taken/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [When we are most alone is when we embrace another's loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-we-are-most-alone-is-when-we-embrace-another-s-loneliness/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-didn-t-get-it-sacrifice-is-a-part-of-life-it-s-supposed-to-be-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on the good things still in my life. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-give-myself-a-good-cry-if-i-need-it-but-then-i-concentrate-on-the/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [It was sad, the imbalance of it all. Why do kids assume so much from one parent and hold the other to a lower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-was-sad-the-imbalance-of-it-all-why-do-kids-assume-so-much-from/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) [Explore all 962 Mitch Albom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [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/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I think people believe what they want to believe.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mitch Albom" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-think-people-believe-what-they-want-to-believe/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-think-people-believe-what-they-want-to-believe/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14d/mitch-albom-187_believe_i-think-people-believe-what-they-want-to_1062355.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14d/mitch-albom-187_believe_i-think-people-believe-what-they-want-to_1062355.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14d/mitch-albom-187_believe_i-think-people-believe-what-they-want-to_1062355.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think people believe what they want to believe.” — Mitch Albom", "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": "Mitch Albom", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I think people believe what they...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-think-people-believe-what-they-want-to-believe/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-think-people-believe-what-they-want-to-believe/#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 } } ] } ```