--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Common sense is the best distributed…" description: "\"Common sense is the best distributed thing in the world, for we all think we possess a good share of it.\" — Rene Descartes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/ren-descartes-1376_common_common-sense-is-the-best-distributed-thi_3076244.png" --- # Common sense is the best distributed thing in the world… ![“Common sense is the best distributed thing in the world, for we all think we possess a good share of it.” quote by Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/ren-descartes-1376_common_common-sense-is-the-best-distributed-thi_3076244.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/ren-descartes-1376_common_common-sense-is-the-best-distributed-thi_3076244.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/ren-descartes-1376_common_common-sense-is-the-best-distributed-thi_3076244.png) > “Common sense is the best distributed thing in the world, for we all think we possess a good share of it.” [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Common sense is widely shared, yet individuals overestimate their own portion of it. **In simple terms:** People think they have more common sense than they actually do. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of personal judgment. Themes humility knowledge perception Mood reflective critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - decision making - team projects - public policy - education Key Concepts cognitive bias epistemology Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify your own assumptions? - When does common sense mislead? A Different Perspective Assumes common sense is uniformly accurate, which may not hold. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Good Share](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-share-257780/) [Possess Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possess-good-926528/) [Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense/) [Sense Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-best-531508/) [Share](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/share/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-think/) ## Related quotes > [Science is simply common sense at its best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/science-is-simply-common-sense-at-its-best/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Common sense is the best sense I know of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/common-sense-is-the-best-sense-i-know-of/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Common sense is the best prophet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/common-sense-is-the-best-prophet/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [“Representations that do not make sense are the best Trade Marks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalyan-c-kankanala/representations-that-do-not-make-sense-are-the-best-trade-marks/) [Kalyan C. Kankanala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalyan-c-kankanala/) > [“Common sense is the best distributed commodity in the world, for every man is convinced that he is well supplied with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/common-sense-is-the-best-distributed-commodity-in-the-world-for-every/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [“Use your common sense." "Now that's the best damn order I ever had.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/admiral-husband-e-kimmel-and-vice-admiral-william-f-halsey-jr/use-your-common-sense-now-that-s-the-best-damn-order-i-ever-had/) [Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and Vice Admiral William F. Halsey Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/admiral-husband-e-kimmel-and-vice-admiral-william-f-halsey-jr/) > [“Sex is sharing, you see, and it's good to share with everyone. But the sharing has to be real and meaningful. That creates problems.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/sex-is-sharing-you-see-and-it-s-good-to-share-with-everyone-but-the/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [I can't expect others to share my virtues. It's good enough for me if they share my vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/i-can-t-expect-others-to-share-my-virtues-it-s-good-enough-for-me-if/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [For you to be able to take a picture of yourself that you feel good enough about to share with the world - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-koenig/for-you-to-be-able-to-take-a-picture-of-yourself-that-you-feel-good/) [Ezra Koenig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-koenig/) > [And I saw then and there you take a man half-bad and a women half-bad and put their two good halves together and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/and-i-saw-then-and-there-you-take-a-man-half-bad-and-a-women-half-bad/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Democracy is too good to share with just anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-rees/democracy-is-too-good-to-share-with-just-anybody/) [Nigel Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-rees/) > [“Do you not see that? That's what being family is - that's the best part - it's not tit for tat or who owes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/do-you-not-see-that-that-s-what-being-family-is-that-s-the-best-part/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [A man must have a good share of wit himself to endure a great share in another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/a-man-must-have-a-good-share-of-wit-himself-to-endure-a-great-share/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Oh, I don't talk about Jack and me. Some things are too good to share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-flynn-boyle/oh-i-don-t-talk-about-jack-and-me-some-things-are-too-good-to-share/) [Lara Flynn Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-flynn-boyle/) > [“What does it avail, one will say, that this man has so much talent, that he is so active therewith, and that he exerts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/what-does-it-avail-one-will-say-that-this-man-has-so-much-talent-that/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) ## More by Rene Descartes > [“My third maxim was to endeavour always to conquer myself rather than fortune, and change my desires rather than the order of the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/my-third-maxim-was-to-endeavour-always-to-conquer-myself-rather-than/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the self-same well from which your laughter rises was often-times filled with your tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/your-joy-is-your-sorrow-unmasked-and-the-self-same-well-from-which/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [So blind is the curiosity by which mortals are possessed, that they often conduct their minds along unexplored routes, having no reason to hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/so-blind-is-the-curiosity-by-which-mortals-are-possessed-that-they/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [“For to be possessed of a vigorous mind is not enough; the prime requisite is rightly to apply it. The greatest minds, as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/for-to-be-possessed-of-a-vigorous-mind-is-not-enough-the-prime/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [“It is useful to know something of the manners of different nations, that we may be enabled to form a more correct judgment regarding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/it-is-useful-to-know-something-of-the-manners-of-different-nations/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [A state is better governed which has few laws, and those laws strictly observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/a-state-is-better-governed-which-has-few-laws-and-those-laws-strictly/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [ \[About Pierre de Fermat\] It cannot be denied that he has had many exceptional ideas, and that he is a highly intelligent man. For… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/about-pierre-de-fermat-it-cannot-be-denied-that-he-has-had-many/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Science is practical philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/science-is-practical-philosophy/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [ “And what more am I? I look for aid to the imagination. \[But how mistakenly!\] I am not that assemblage of limbs we call… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/and-what-more-am-i-i-look-for-aid-to-the-imagination-but-how/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [“And, in fine, of false sciences I thought I knew the worth sufficiently to escape being deceived by the professions of an alchemist, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/and-in-fine-of-false-sciences-i-thought-i-knew-the-worth-sufficiently/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/nothing-is-more-fairly-distributed-than-common-sense-no-one-thinks-he/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [If I go for the alternative which is false, then obviously I shall be in error; if I take the other side, then it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/if-i-go-for-the-alternative-which-is-false-then-obviously-i-shall-be/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Everything is self-evident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/everything-is-self-evident/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Neither the true nor the false roots are always real; sometimes they are imaginary; that is, while we can always imagine as many roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/neither-the-true-nor-the-false-roots-are-always-real-sometimes-they/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [It is only intelligence that is divided equally between people because everybody thinks he/she is enough wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/it-is-only-intelligence-that-is-divided-equally-between-people/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) [Explore all 232 Rene Descartes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) ## More Common quotes > [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [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/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-is-a-tragedy-that-we-live-in-a-world-where-physical-courage-is-so/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) [Browse all 7,866 Common quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Common sense is the best distributed thing in the world, for we all think we possess a good share of it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rene Descartes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/common-sense-is-the-best-distributed-thing-in-the-world-for-we-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Common" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/common-sense-is-the-best-distributed-thing-in-the-world-for-we-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/ren-descartes-1376_common_common-sense-is-the-best-distributed-thi_3076244.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/ren-descartes-1376_common_common-sense-is-the-best-distributed-thi_3076244.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/ren-descartes-1376_common_common-sense-is-the-best-distributed-thi_3076244.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Common sense is the best distributed thing in the world, for we all think we possess a good share of it.” — Rene Descartes", "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": "Rene Descartes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Common sense is the best distributed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/common-sense-is-the-best-distributed-thing-in-the-world-for-we-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/common-sense-is-the-best-distributed-thing-in-the-world-for-we-all/#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 } } ] } ```