--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dubito ergo cogito; cogito ergo sum. (I…" description: "\"Dubito ergo cogito; cogito ergo sum. (I doubt, therefore I think; I think therefore I am)\" — Rene Descartes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/ren-descartes-1376_doubt_dubito-ergo-cogito-cogito-ergo-sum-i-dou_2561847.png" --- # Dubito ergo cogito; cogito ergo sum. (I doubt, therefore I… ![“Dubito ergo cogito; cogito ergo sum. (I doubt, therefore I think; I think therefore I am)” quote by Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/ren-descartes-1376_doubt_dubito-ergo-cogito-cogito-ergo-sum-i-dou_2561847.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/ren-descartes-1376_doubt_dubito-ergo-cogito-cogito-ergo-sum-i-dou_2561847.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/ren-descartes-1376_doubt_dubito-ergo-cogito-cogito-ergo-sum-i-dou_2561847.png) > “Dubito ergo cogito; cogito ergo sum. (I doubt, therefore I think; I think therefore I am)” [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. Doubt leads to thinking, which confirms existence; a foundational epistemic chain. **In simple terms:** Doubt proves thinking, which proves existence. Key Takeaway Question assumptions to find certainty. Themes philosophy epistemology existence self reason Mood introspective analytical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - Academic study - personal reflection - critical thinking - spiritual inquiry Key Concepts Cartesian doubt self‑awareness Questions to Reflect On - What doubts anchor your identity? - How does certainty emerge from questioning? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on doubt may cause paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cogito Ergo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cogito-ergo-516734/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Doubt Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt-think-545739/) [Ergo Cogito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ergo-cogito-545738/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Sum Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sum-doubt-1612705/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) ## Related quotes > [“Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum. (English: "I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am")”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-descartes-principles-of-philosophy/dubito-ergo-cogito-ergo-sum-english-i-doubt-therefore-i-think/) [Rene Descartes (Principles of Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-descartes-principles-of-philosophy/) > [Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum (I think that I think, therefore I think that I am.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose/cogito-cogito-ergo-cogito-sum-i-think-that-i-think-therefore-i-think-2/) [Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose/) > [CARTESIAN, adj. Relating to Descartes, author of 'Cogito ergo sum' to demonstrate the reality of human existence. The dictum might be improved 'Cogito cogito…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/cartesian-adj-relating-to-descartes-author-of-cogito-ergo-sum-to/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum -- "I think that I think, therefore I think that I am;" as close an approach to certainty as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/cogito-cogito-ergo-cogito-sum-i-think-that-i-think-therefore-i-think/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Doubt is what I see with a lot of women, we doubt ourselves. Whether it's because we think we're too fat or ugly or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mendoza/doubt-is-what-i-see-with-a-lot-of-women-we-doubt-ourselves-whether-it/) [Jessica Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mendoza/) > [“For the new year — I still live, I still think: I still have to live, for I still have to think. Sum, ergo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/for-the-new-year-i-still-live-i-still-think-i-still-have-to-live-for-2/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Descartes' immortal conclusion cogito ergo sum was recently subjected to destruction testing by a group of graduate researchers at Princeton led by Professors Montjuic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holt/descartes-immortal-conclusion-cogito-ergo-sum-was-recently-subjected/) [Tom Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holt/) > [“Cartesian,adj. Relating to Descartes, a famous philosopher, author of the celebrated dictum, Cogito ergo sum- whereby he was pleased to suppose he demonstrated the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/cartesian-adj-relating-to-descartes-a-famous-philosopher-author-of/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“Nothing could be more alien to contemplation than the cogito ergo sum of Descartes. “I think, therefore I am.” This is the declaration of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/nothing-could-be-more-alien-to-contemplation-than-the-cogito-ergo-sum/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“I am not much for philosophy, but that old Descartes, he got me thinking. And therefore being. Anyone? Anyone? Cogito ergo sum jokes? No?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-am-not-much-for-philosophy-but-that-old-descartes-he-got-me/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Cogito ergo sum. (I think, therefore I am.) ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/cogito-ergo-sum-i-think-therefore-i-am/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [“For the new year. -- I still live, I still think: I still have to live, for I still have to think. Sum, ergo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/for-the-new-year-i-still-live-i-still-think-i-still-have-to-live-for/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Life was a pleasure; he looked back at its moments, many of them as much shrouded in mist as the opposite bank of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-w-aldiss/life-was-a-pleasure-he-looked-back-at-its-moments-many-of-them-as/) [Brian W. Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-w-aldiss/) > [“Cogito Ergo Lego”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionic-books/cogito-ergo-lego/) [Ionic Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionic-books/) > [Only in the 20th century, artists started taking the study of perception in a more humane way. They were thinking about the eye as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vik-muniz/only-in-the-20th-century-artists-started-taking-the-study-of/) [Vik Muniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vik-muniz/) ## 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 Doubt quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I don't doubt that straight white men have identity issues and identity complexes and struggle with defining themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-don-t-doubt-that-straight-white-men-have-identity-issues-and/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [We know accurately only when we know little, with knowledge doubt increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/we-know-accurately-only-when-we-know-little-with-knowledge-doubt/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [There is no doubt in my mind and I know in my time, there will be a Canadian basketball player playing for Toronto Raptors, 100%](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-and-i-know-in-my-time-there-will-be-a/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible - and no one can now doubt the word of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/for-diplomacy-to-be-effective-words-must-be-credible-and-no-one-can/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Vision motivates, sustains and dispels doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-young/vision-motivates-sustains-and-dispels-doubt/) [Thomas Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-young/) > [One may not doubt that, somehow Good Shall come of Water and of Mud; And sure, the reverent eye must see A purpose in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-brooke/one-may-not-doubt-that-somehow-good-shall-come-of-water-and-of-mud/) [Rupert Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-brooke/) > [Let smiles overshadow sadness. Let faith make you believe. Let confidence wash away doubts. Let love complete your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/let-smiles-overshadow-sadness-let-faith-make-you-believe-let/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [When in doubt, suggest that a subcommittee be appointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapman/when-in-doubt-suggest-that-a-subcommittee-be-appointed/) [Harry Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-chapman/) > [“Those who contemplate never escape the doubt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/those-who-contemplate-never-escape-the-doubt/) [Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/) [Browse all 9,582 Doubt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Dubito ergo cogito; cogito ergo sum. 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