--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How do we know what we believe we know?" description: "\"“How do we know what we believe we know?”\" — Paul Watzlawick" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/paul-watzlawick-17394_believe_how-do-we-know-what-we-believe-we-know-2_2670416.png" --- # How do we know what we believe we know? ![“How do we know what we believe we know?” quote by Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/paul-watzlawick-17394_believe_how-do-we-know-what-we-believe-we-know-2_2670416.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/paul-watzlawick-17394_believe_how-do-we-know-what-we-believe-we-know-2_2670416.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/paul-watzlawick-17394_believe_how-do-we-know-what-we-believe-we-know-2_2670416.png) > ““How do we know what we believe we know?”” [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It questions epistemology, urging us to examine the foundations of our knowledge and belief. **In simple terms:** Question how we know what we think we know. Key Takeaway Critically assess your assumptions. Themes knowledge epistemology critical thinking Mood inquisitive thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - academic research - personal reflection - decision making Key Concepts philosophy skepticism Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports your beliefs? - How do you verify what you claim to know? A Different Perspective Assumes rational introspection is possible for everyone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-know/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Know Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-believe/) ## Related quotes > [He who does not know how to believe, should not know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-porchia/he-who-does-not-know-how-to-believe-should-not-know/) [Antonio Porchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-porchia/) > [That's important when you are running an organization so that the people who work with you know what you believe in and know those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/that-s-important-when-you-are-running-an-organization-so-that-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I know what I believe, I know what I want to do, and I'm just comfortable saying it, and laying it out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/i-know-what-i-believe-i-know-what-i-want-to-do-and-i-m-just/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [To believe is to know you believe, and to know you believe is not to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/to-believe-is-to-know-you-believe-and-to-know-you-believe-is-not-to/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I believe in myself and I know what I can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-barkley/i-believe-in-myself-and-i-know-what-i-can-do/) [Ross Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-barkley/) > [“Love what you do, Know what you do, Believe in what you do, and Success and Money will always come to You”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-g-sandru/love-what-you-do-know-what-you-do-believe-in-what-you-do-and-success/) [D.G. Sandru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-g-sandru/) > [Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/believe-in-yourself-and-all-that-you-are-know-that-there-is-something/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Followers of the occult believe in only what they already know, and in those things that confirm what they have already learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/followers-of-the-occult-believe-in-only-what-they-already-know-and-in/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [You might at least believe that I know honor- honor and debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/you-might-at-least-believe-that-i-know-honor-honor-and-debt/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“It is arrogance to believe you can know all things. Perhaps you are right. But perhaps you are not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-golden/it-is-arrogance-to-believe-you-can-know-all-things-perhaps-you-are/) [Christie Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-golden/) > [Believe only what you know and all of what you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-ruiter/believe-only-what-you-know-and-all-of-what-you-know/) [John de Ruiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-ruiter/) > [Believe you know all the answers, and you know all the answers. Believe you're a master, and you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/believe-you-know-all-the-answers-and-you-know-all-the-answers-believe/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [I believe that we do not know anything for certain, but everything probably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-huygens/i-believe-that-we-do-not-know-anything-for-certain-but-everything/) [Christiaan Huygens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-huygens/) > [Give advice to your children while they're young enough to believe you know what you're talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/give-advice-to-your-children-while-they-re-young-enough-to-believe/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [What do I believe? I do not know; I do not know; I do not know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/what-do-i-believe-i-do-not-know-i-do-not-know-i-do-not-know/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) ## More by Paul Watzlawick > [This is the secret of propaganda: To totally saturate the person, whom the propaganda wants to lay hold of, with the ideas of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/this-is-the-secret-of-propaganda-to-totally-saturate-the-person-whom/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [“In fact, it seems that the more spontaneous and "healthy" a relationship, the more the relationship aspect of communication recedes into the background.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/in-fact-it-seems-that-the-more-spontaneous-and-healthy-a-relationship/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [“It is not the issue here wether punctuation of communicational sequence is, in general, good or bad, as it should be immediately obvious that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/it-is-not-the-issue-here-wether-punctuation-of-communicational/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [The suicide arrives at the conclusion that what he is seeking does not exist; the seeker concludes that what he has not yet looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/the-suicide-arrives-at-the-conclusion-that-what-he-is-seeking-does/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [It is difficult to imagine how any behavior in the presence of another person can avoid being a communication of one's own view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/it-is-difficult-to-imagine-how-any-behavior-in-the-presence-of/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [Frank Farrelly. . .must be thought of with respect (perhaps even delight?) by his clients who have so far played the game of therapy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/frank-farrelly-must-be-thought-of-with-respect-perhaps-even-delight/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [A self-fulfilling prophecy is an assumption or prediction that, purely as a result of having been made, cause the expected or predicted event to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/a-self-fulfilling-prophecy-is-an-assumption-or-prediction-that-purely/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [Radical constructivism, thus, is radical because it breaks with convention and develops a theory of knowledge in which knowledge does not reflect an 'objective'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/radical-constructivism-thus-is-radical-because-it-breaks-with/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [Man never ceases to seek knowledge about the objects of his experiences, to understand their meaning for his existence and to react to them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/man-never-ceases-to-seek-knowledge-about-the-objects-of-his/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [Maturity is doing what you think is best, even when your mother thinks it's a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/maturity-is-doing-what-you-think-is-best-even-when-your-mother-thinks/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [“The trouble is that everybody, myself included, has a brain in which the centers concerned with reason and logic are sitting on top of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/the-trouble-is-that-everybody-myself-included-has-a-brain-in-which/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [If we have dwelled on Godel's work at some length, is it because we see it in the mathematical analogy of what we would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/if-we-have-dwelled-on-godel-s-work-at-some-length-is-it-because-we/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [For an answer which cannot be expressed the question too cannot be expressed. The riddle does not exist...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/for-an-answer-which-cannot-be-expressed-the-question-too-cannot-be/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [You cannot not communicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/you-cannot-not-communicate/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [“In human relations, all prediction is connected in one way or another with the phenomenon of trust.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/in-human-relations-all-prediction-is-connected-in-one-way-or-another/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) [Explore all 37 Paul Watzlawick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) ## 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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How do we know what we believe we know?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Watzlawick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/how-do-we-know-what-we-believe-we-know/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/how-do-we-know-what-we-believe-we-know/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/paul-watzlawick-17394_believe_how-do-we-know-what-we-believe-we-know-2_2670416.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/paul-watzlawick-17394_believe_how-do-we-know-what-we-believe-we-know-2_2670416.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/paul-watzlawick-17394_believe_how-do-we-know-what-we-believe-we-know-2_2670416.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How do we know what we believe we know?” — Paul Watzlawick", "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": "Paul Watzlawick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“How do we know what we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/how-do-we-know-what-we-believe-we-know/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/how-do-we-know-what-we-believe-we-know/#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 } } ] } ```