Common sense Quote by Rene Descartes
“Common sense is the best distributed thing in the world, for everyone thinks he is so well-endowed with it that even those who are hardest to satisfy in all other matters are not in the habit of desiring more of it than they already have”
About This Quote
Common sense is widely assumed to be abundant, yet many people overestimate their own rational capacity, leading to complacency and lack of deeper inquiry.
In simple terms: People overestimate their common sense.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions about rationality.
Themes
philosophy
humility
critical thinking
Mood
reflective
skeptical
Type
philosophical
advice
When to use this quote
- decision making
- education
- public discourse
- personal growth
Key Concepts
cognitive bias
overconfidence
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we improve beyond common sense?
- What role does humility play in learning?
A Different Perspective
Common sense may be insufficient for complex problems.
![“[About Pierre de Fermat] It cannot be denied that he has had many exceptional ideas, and that he is a highly intelligent man. For my part, however, I have always been taught to take a broad overview of things, in order to be able to deduce from them general rules, which might be applicable…” quote by Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/588/ren-descartes-1376_able_about-pierre-de-fermat-it-cannot-be-deni_89929.jpg)
![“And what more am I? I look for aid to the imagination. [But how mistakenly!] I am not that assemblage of limbs we call the human body; I am not a subtle penetrating air distributed throughout all these members; I am not a wind, a fire, a vapor, a breath or anything at all that I can image. I am…” quote by René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/207/ren-descartes-1376_human-body_and-what-more-am-i-i-look-for-aid-to-the_115493.jpg)
