--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Certitude is not the test of certainty." description: "\"Certitude is not the test of certainty.\" — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-1986_certainty_certitude-is-not-the-test-of-certainty-1_1529140.png" --- # Certitude is not the test of certainty. ![“Certitude is not the test of certainty.” quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-1986_certainty_certitude-is-not-the-test-of-certainty-1_1529140.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-1986_certainty_certitude-is-not-the-test-of-certainty-1_1529140.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-1986_certainty_certitude-is-not-the-test-of-certainty-1_1529140.png) > “Certitude is not the test of certainty.” [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Certainty is not a reliable test of truth; confidence can be misleading. **In simple terms:** Confidence doesn’t guarantee correctness. Key Takeaway Question assumptions despite confidence. Themes certainty critical thinking Mood cautious analytical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - court decisions - scientific research - personal judgments Key Concepts epistemology law philosophy Questions to Reflect On - When have you been overconfident? - How do you verify certainty? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can lead to errors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) ## Related quotes > [Certitude is not the test of certainty. We have been cocksure of many things that were not so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/certitude-is-not-the-test-of-certainty-we-have-been-cocksure-of-many/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [We have been cocksure of many things that were not so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/we-have-been-cocksure-of-many-things-that-were-not-so/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [What makes friendship indissolute and what doubles its charms is a feeling we find lacking in love: I mean certitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/what-makes-friendship-indissolute-and-what-doubles-its-charms-is-a/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [You have to test your hypothesis against other theories. Certainty in the face of complex situations is very dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holbrooke/you-have-to-test-your-hypothesis-against-other-theories-certainty-in/) [Richard Holbrooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holbrooke/) > [Everything's the same; I'm living with cancer and it's not going to stop me. But until you really test yourself and challenge yourself, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-roberts/everything-s-the-same-i-m-living-with-cancer-and-it-s-not-going-to/) [Robin Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-roberts/) > [It's kind of a test, Mary, and it's the only kind that amounts to anything. When something rotten like this happens, then you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/it-s-kind-of-a-test-mary-and-it-s-the-only-kind-that-amounts-to/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [What I know is that if you're going to play half-court, you'd better have the greatest executioners of half-court basketball. If you run, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-heinsohn/what-i-know-is-that-if-you-re-going-to-play-half-court-you-d-better/) [Tom Heinsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-heinsohn/) > [Physical courage is a great test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/physical-courage-is-a-great-test/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [Perhaps measuring animal intelligence by comparing it to human intelligence isn't the best litmus test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/perhaps-measuring-animal-intelligence-by-comparing-it-to-human/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [If you can't test it, don't build it. If you don't test it, rip it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-beizer/if-you-can-t-test-it-don-t-build-it-if-you-don-t-test-it-rip-it-out/) [Boris Beizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-beizer/) > [We like to test things... no matter how good an idea sounds, test it first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-w-bloch/we-like-to-test-things-no-matter-how-good-an-idea-sounds-test-it-first/) Henry W. Bloch > [The only way to pass a test is to take the test](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-morgan/the-only-way-to-pass-a-test-is-to-take-the-test/) [Marlo Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-morgan/) > [Your closest and your most dedicated fans will be your ultimate test. They will test you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/your-closest-and-your-most-dedicated-fans-will-be-your-ultimate-test/) [Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/) > [I do not say that, when brought to the test, I shall be invincible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-otis/i-do-not-say-that-when-brought-to-the-test-i-shall-be-invincible/) [James Otis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-otis/) > [Hard times may test me, they cannot destroy me,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-b-joshua/hard-times-may-test-me-they-cannot-destroy-me/) [T. B. Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-b-joshua/) ## More by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Blood is a destiny. One's genius descends in the stream from long lines of ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/blood-is-a-destiny-one-s-genius-descends-in-the-stream-from-long/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [If you don't know what you want, you will probably never get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/if-you-don-t-know-what-you-want-you-will-probably-never-get-it/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Any two philosophers can tell each other all they know in two hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/any-two-philosophers-can-tell-each-other-all-they-know-in-two-hours/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It is mere childishness to expect men to believe as their fathers did; that is, if they have any minds of their own. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/it-is-mere-childishness-to-expect-men-to-believe-as-their-fathers-did/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Longevity is having a chronic disease - and taking care of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/longevity-is-having-a-chronic-disease-and-taking-care-of-it/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [As for the excellent little wretches who grow up in what they are taught, with never a scruple or a query, ... they signify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/as-for-the-excellent-little-wretches-who-grow-up-in-what-they-are/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [On every stem, on every leaf,... and at the root of everything that grew, was a professional specialist in the shape of grub, caterpillar,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/on-every-stem-on-every-leaf-and-at-the-root-of-everything-that-grew/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Three generations of imbeciles are enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/three-generations-of-imbeciles-are-enough/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [A good soldier, like a good horse, cannot be of a bad color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/a-good-soldier-like-a-good-horse-cannot-be-of-a-bad-color/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Free competition is worth more to society than it costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/free-competition-is-worth-more-to-society-than-it-costs/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Systems die; instincts remain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/systems-die-instincts-remain/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [In my opinion, economists and sociologists are the people to whom we ought to turn more than we do for instruction in the grounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/in-my-opinion-economists-and-sociologists-are-the-people-to-whom-we/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [The great end of being is to harmonize man with the order of things, and the church has been a good pitch-pipe, and may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/the-great-end-of-being-is-to-harmonize-man-with-the-order-of-things/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Between two groups of people who want to make inconsistent kinds of worlds, I see no remedy but force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/between-two-groups-of-people-who-want-to-make-inconsistent-kinds-of/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) [Explore all 193 Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) ## More Certainty quotes > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [In the mental disturbance and effort of writing, what sustains you is the certainty that on every page there is something left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/in-the-mental-disturbance-and-effort-of-writing-what-sustains-you-is/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [Every single person who is a member of our party deserves to have certainty. They deserve to know that my attention and focus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/every-single-person-who-is-a-member-of-our-party-deserves-to-have/) [Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/) > [The significance and volume of repairs that are needed across the country demand that we give state and local governments the long-term certainty they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/the-significance-and-volume-of-repairs-that-are-needed-across-the/) [Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/) > [“Death is the one great certainty in life. That’s what my dad used to say. Nothing else is certain. Not love. Not happiness. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/death-is-the-one-great-certainty-in-life-that-s-what-my-dad-used-to/) [Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [Finding someone that trusted my vision helped me find certainty in who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/finding-someone-that-trusted-my-vision-helped-me-find-certainty-in/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) [Browse all 1,776 Certainty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Certitude is not the test of certainty.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/certitude-is-not-the-test-of-certainty/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certainty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/certitude-is-not-the-test-of-certainty/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-1986_certainty_certitude-is-not-the-test-of-certainty-1_1529140.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-1986_certainty_certitude-is-not-the-test-of-certainty-1_1529140.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-1986_certainty_certitude-is-not-the-test-of-certainty-1_1529140.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Certitude is not the test of certainty.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr", "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": "Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Certitude is not the test of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/certitude-is-not-the-test-of-certainty/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/certitude-is-not-the-test-of-certainty/#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 } } ] } ```