--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't prove it, but I'm pretty sure…" description: "\"I can't prove it, but I'm pretty sure that people gain a selective advantage from believing in things they can't prove.\" — Randolph M. Nesse" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3d/randolph-m-nesse-24802_advantage_i-can-t-prove-it-but-i-m-pretty-sure-tha_451254.jpg" --- # I can't prove it, but I'm pretty sure that people gain a… ![“I can't prove it, but I'm pretty sure that people gain a selective advantage from believing in things they can't prove.” quote by Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3d/randolph-m-nesse-24802_advantage_i-can-t-prove-it-but-i-m-pretty-sure-tha_451254.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3d/randolph-m-nesse-24802_advantage_i-can-t-prove-it-but-i-m-pretty-sure-tha_451254.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3d/randolph-m-nesse-24802_advantage_i-can-t-prove-it-but-i-m-pretty-sure-tha_451254.jpg) > “I can't prove it, but I'm pretty sure that people gain a selective advantage from believing in things they can't prove.” [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Believing unprovable things can give people a psychological edge. **In simple terms:** Faith gives advantage. Key Takeaway Consider benefits of belief. Themes psychology belief evolution advantage Mood reflective curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - decision making - health coping - social cohesion Key Concepts cognitive bias motivational belief Questions to Reflect On - Why do we cling to unprovable ideas? - When does belief become harmful? A Different Perspective Belief can also lead to misinformation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advantage/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [The biggest advantage to believing in God is you don't have to understand anything, no physics, no biology. I wanted to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-watson/the-biggest-advantage-to-believing-in-god-is-you-don-t-have-to/) [James D. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-watson/) > [ “\[ When asked by a student if he believes in any gods \] Oh, no. Absolutely not... The biggest advantage to believing in God… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-watson/when-asked-by-a-student-if-he-believes-in-any-gods-oh-no-absolutely/) [James D. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-watson/) > [“As for believing things, I can believe anything, provided that it is quite incredible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/as-for-believing-things-i-can-believe-anything-provided-that-it-is/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Sometimes we may seem to be resisting letting go, when really, we just can't see a way to move forward — believing things can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/sometimes-we-may-seem-to-be-resisting-letting-go-when-really-we-just/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“I guess I have a hard time believing in things I can't see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-rhodes/i-guess-i-have-a-hard-time-believing-in-things-i-can-t-see/) [Morgan Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-rhodes/) > [“When it comes to religion, we have a funny habit of believing things that make us feel better about ourselves." "What do you mean?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-wilde/when-it-comes-to-religion-we-have-a-funny-habit-of-believing-things/) [Jerome Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-wilde/) > [“I am quite sure I shall understand it, and as for believing things, I can believe anything provided that it is quite incredible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-am-quite-sure-i-shall-understand-it-and-as-for-believing-things-i/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-seaton/faith-is-believing-in-things-when-common-sense-tells-you-not-to/) [George Seaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-seaton/) > [Not that believing such things has anything to do with whether they are true. You see that, don't you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/not-that-believing-such-things-has-anything-to-do-with-whether-they/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [I found out I'd spent my whole life believing things that weren't necessarily accurate. My sisters' memories of certain events are entirely different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/i-found-out-i-d-spent-my-whole-life-believing-things-that-weren-t/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [“...to have true faith means believing in things you cannot see just as true love sometimes means making choices you never thought you'd have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-watts/to-have-true-faith-means-believing-in-things-you-cannot-see-just-as/) J.D. Watts > [We're lying ourselves into believing things are untrue, like organic food will solve all our problems, or vitamins will make us healthy, or we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/we-re-lying-ourselves-into-believing-things-are-untrue-like-organic/) [Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/) > [Things aren't always as they appear. I've been believing things to be a certain way because I want them to be that way. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-dennen/things-aren-t-always-as-they-appear-i-ve-been-believing-things-to-be/) [Brett Dennen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-dennen/) > [I'm still a woman of color in this business and there are times when you still have to walk through extra doors and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-cephas-jones/i-m-still-a-woman-of-color-in-this-business-and-there-are-times-when/) [Jasmine Cephas Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-cephas-jones/) > [Actions speak louder than words. It's not the things you say that are important, it's the things you do that prove everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moores/actions-speak-louder-than-words-it-s-not-the-things-you-say-that-are/) [Sarah Moores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moores/) ## More by Randolph M. Nesse > [ “\[Mood allocates\] investments of time, effort, resources, and risk taking to maximize Darwinian fitness in situations of varying propitiousness. High and low moods adjust… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/mood-allocates-investments-of-time-effort-resources-and-risk-taking/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) > [“The current danger for most of us is not the deprivation suffered by our ancestors but an excess of nutrition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/the-current-danger-for-most-of-us-is-not-the-deprivation-suffered-by/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) > [“The current danger for most of us is not the deprivation suffered bu our ancestors but an excess of nutrition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/the-current-danger-for-most-of-us-is-not-the-deprivation-suffered-bu/) [Randolph M. 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When something terrible happens-and serious disease is always terrible-people want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/long-before-there-were-effective-treatments-physicians-dispensed/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) > [“Thanks to subsequent years of conversations with evolutionists, especially Williams, and with medical school residents and faculty, he has found that an evolutionary perspective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/thanks-to-subsequent-years-of-conversations-with-evolutionists/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) > [“Emotional capacities are shaped by situations that occurred repeatedly in the course of evolution and that were important to fitness. Attacks by predators, threats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/emotional-capacities-are-shaped-by-situations-that-occurred/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) > [“Every textbook description of a disease should have, in our opinion, a section devoted to its evolutionary aspects. This section should address the following…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/every-textbook-description-of-a-disease-should-have-in-our-opinion-a/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) > [Natural selection involves no plan, no goal, and no direction — just genes increasing and decreasing in frequency depending on whether individuals with those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/natural-selection-involves-no-plan-no-goal-and-no-direction-just/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) > [“Even our behavior and emotions seem to have been shaped by a prankster. Why do we crave the very foods that are bad for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/even-our-behavior-and-emotions-seem-to-have-been-shaped-by-a/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) > [The body is a bundle of careful compromises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/the-body-is-a-bundle-of-careful-compromises/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) > [“Our dietary problems arise from a mismatch between the tastes evolved for Stone Age conditions and their likely effects today. Fat, sugar, and salt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/our-dietary-problems-arise-from-a-mismatch-between-the-tastes-evolved/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) [Explore all 24 Randolph M. 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