--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most of us are going through life without…" description: "\"Most of us are going through life without interrogating whether our decision-making processes are fit for purpose. And that's something we need to chan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b11/noreena-hertz-8858_change_most-of-us-are-going-through-life-withou_1218002.jpg" --- # Most of us are going through life without interrogating… ![“Most of us are going through life without interrogating whether our decision-making processes are fit for purpose. And that's something we need to change - especially when the stakes are high and the decisions are of real import.” quote by Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b11/noreena-hertz-8858_change_most-of-us-are-going-through-life-withou_1218002.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b11/noreena-hertz-8858_change_most-of-us-are-going-through-life-withou_1218002.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b11/noreena-hertz-8858_change_most-of-us-are-going-through-life-withou_1218002.jpg) > “Most of us are going through life without interrogating whether our decision-making processes are fit for purpose. And that's something we need to change - especially when the stakes are high and the decisions are of real import.” [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often make choices without evaluating if their decision methods are effective, especially under high stakes. **In simple terms:** Unexamined decisions can be risky. Key Takeaway Assess your decision process regularly. Themes decision-making self-awareness risk management Mood concerned thoughtful Type advisory reflective When to use this quote - business strategy - personal finance - healthcare choices - public policy Key Concepts cognitive bias critical thinking systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do you test your decision framework? - What stakes are you ignoring? A Different Perspective Methods may not adapt to novel problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decisions/) [Decisions Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decisions-real-1475375/) [Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit/) [Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going/) [High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high/) [High Decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-decisions-3718974/) [Import](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/import/) [Interrogating Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interrogating-decision-3718975/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need/) [Need Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-change/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Processes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/processes/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Stakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stakes/) [Through](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/through/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) [Whether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whether/) [Without](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without/) ## Related quotes > [You will make bad decisions. The real test is not to make the same ones twice.You will make bad decisions. The real test is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-make-bad-decisions-the-real-test-is-not-to-make-the-same/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Decisions made in real time are never perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-strathairn/decisions-made-in-real-time-are-never-perfect/) [David Strathairn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-strathairn/) > [“If I think that I and I alone make the majority of my decisions, my real decision has been to be ignorant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/if-i-think-that-i-and-i-alone-make-the-majority-of-my-decisions-my/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [You do not need to import greatness from another; you just need to act on your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/you-do-not-need-to-import-greatness-from-another-you-just-need-to-act/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Right now I just want to play good roles, and if the role happens to be a gay man, that's not of any import…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/right-now-i-just-want-to-play-good-roles-and-if-the-role-happens-to/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [Religious freedom, often referred to as the first freedom, is of central import to the American experiment. As such it should feature prominently in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-wolf/religious-freedom-often-referred-to-as-the-first-freedom-is-of/) [Frank Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-wolf/) > [China is not looking for a trade surplus but wants to import more French goods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-keqiang/china-is-not-looking-for-a-trade-surplus-but-wants-to-import-more/) [Li Keqiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-keqiang/) > [I think we'd be very foolish to expect that we can just import everything from somewhere else and imagine that that's going to last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-charles/i-think-we-d-be-very-foolish-to-expect-that-we-can-just-import/) [Prince Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-charles/) > [The food system is not a free market. In this country, we impose reasonably high standards of animal welfare - but we haven't applied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-goldsmith/the-food-system-is-not-a-free-market-in-this-country-we-impose/) [Zac Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-goldsmith/) > [One thing I have been banging on about, we have a dessert deficit in the U.K. We still import a very large proportion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-paterson/one-thing-i-have-been-banging-on-about-we-have-a-dessert-deficit-in/) [Owen Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-paterson/) > [America wins when we trade and export and import.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/america-wins-when-we-trade-and-export-and-import/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [If in the after life there is not music, we will have to import it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domenico-cieri/if-in-the-after-life-there-is-not-music-we-will-have-to-import-it/) [Domenico Cieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domenico-cieri/) > [My mom told me to stay away from gangs. But if you're asking me about immigration reform, it must accomplish two objectives: Border security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-salmon/my-mom-told-me-to-stay-away-from-gangs-but-if-you-re-asking-me-about/) [Matt Salmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-salmon/) > [You cannot import anything from outside your country regarding the future of your country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/you-cannot-import-anything-from-outside-your-country-regarding-the/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [Argentina is a marvelous place. Argentines are great bankers of information. They import information; if someone sneezes in Milan or in New York, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-ambasz/argentina-is-a-marvelous-place-argentines-are-great-bankers-of/) [Emilio Ambasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilio-ambasz/) ## More by Noreena Hertz > [When Apple introduced its game-changing iPhone in 2007, Nokia was caught sleeping on the job. Although it had actually developed an iPhone-style device -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/when-apple-introduced-its-game-changing-iphone-in-2007-nokia-was/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [I've become increasingly fascinated with social media to improve on traditional ways of preparing for and predicting the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/i-ve-become-increasingly-fascinated-with-social-media-to-improve-on/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [I grew up in a highly political home. My mother was the co-chair of the 300 Group, an organisation whose aim was to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/i-grew-up-in-a-highly-political-home-my-mother-was-the-co-chair-of/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [What about those who help growth indirectly, those who stay at home and look after others - mothers, carers of elderly parents or sick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/what-about-those-who-help-growth-indirectly-those-who-stay-at-home/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [We are living in a time in which movies such as 'Super Size Me' and 'An Inconvenient Truth' have made box-office history, and books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/we-are-living-in-a-time-in-which-movies-such-as-super-size-me-and-an/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [We live increasingly in a world of haves and have-nots, of gated communities next to ghettos, of extreme poverty and unbelievable riches. Some enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/we-live-increasingly-in-a-world-of-haves-and-have-nots-of-gated/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [With consumers having ever more choice, corporations must invest more and more in courting public opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/with-consumers-having-ever-more-choice-corporations-must-invest-more/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [I was really interested to see whether we could make predictions or forecasts by listening in on what people were saying on social media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/i-was-really-interested-to-see-whether-we-could-make-predictions-or/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [Things do go wrong. Not everyone benefits from the capitalist dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/things-do-go-wrong-not-everyone-benefits-from-the-capitalist-dream/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [It's actually very surprising how little we think about the quality of our decision-making and how we could improve it. How absent decision-making classes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/it-s-actually-very-surprising-how-little-we-think-about-the-quality/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [Get into the habit of imagining an alternate scenario. By posing such 'imagine if' questions... we can distance ourselves from the frames, cues, anchors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/get-into-the-habit-of-imagining-an-alternate-scenario-by-posing-such/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [I really believe in a globalist agenda, but globalization isn't just allowing companies to trade freely all over the world. It's about what types…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/i-really-believe-in-a-globalist-agenda-but-globalization-isn-t-just/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [Surely in a world of email, video conferencing and virtual assistants, isn't being expected to show up at the office extremely anachronistic? Yet to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/surely-in-a-world-of-email-video-conferencing-and-virtual-assistants/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [My parents decided - because they were not going to teach us anything Jewish at home - to send both me and my sister…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/my-parents-decided-because-they-were-not-going-to-teach-us-anything/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [People are looking for certainty. The more complex the world becomes, the more people look for people to give them certainty and tell them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/people-are-looking-for-certainty-the-more-complex-the-world-becomes/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) [Explore all 77 Noreena Hertz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Most of us are going through life without interrogating whether our decision-making processes are fit for purpose. 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