--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So how can we determine what’s real and…" description: "\"“So how can we determine what’s real and what’s not? We can’t. We can just pick and choose what we want to believe and rationalize it as best we can. R..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/richard-b-spence-62125_conspiracy_so-how-can-we-determine-what-s-real-and_692918.jpg" --- # So how can we determine what’s real and what’s not? We… ![“So how can we determine what’s real and what’s not? We can’t. We can just pick and choose what we want to believe and rationalize it as best we can. Reality, after all, is basically a movie projected inside our heads. It’s based on the colors our senses permit us to see, the sounds they permit us…” quote by Richard B. Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/richard-b-spence-62125_conspiracy_so-how-can-we-determine-what-s-real-and_692918.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/richard-b-spence-62125_conspiracy_so-how-can-we-determine-what-s-real-and_692918.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/richard-b-spence-62125_conspiracy_so-how-can-we-determine-what-s-real-and_692918.jpg) > ““So how can we determine what’s real and what’s not? We can’t. We can just pick and choose what we want to believe and rationalize it as best we can. Reality, after all, is basically a movie projected inside our heads. It’s based on the colors our senses permit us to see, the sounds they permit us to hear and whatever else our brains let slip through the gates. But outside our limited senses, surrounding us, there is, unquestionably, a much greater reality, a universe we live in but cannot see. Well, most of us, anyway. Out there, in the dark, All Things Are Possible.”” [Richard B. Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-spence/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human perception is limited by senses, so reality is a mental construct; a larger unseen universe exists beyond our senses. **In simple terms:** Our senses filter reality; a bigger unseen world exists. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of perception and stay curious. Themes perception reality knowledge humility Mood thoughtful curious Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - Everyday decision making - scientific research - spiritual contemplation - artistic creation Key Concepts Epistemology subjective experience cosmology Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate belief from evidence? - What unseen aspects might influence your life? A Different Perspective Our senses are limited, so we may misinterpret reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conspiracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conspiracy/) [Conspiracy theories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conspiracy-theories/) [Conspiracy theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conspiracy-theory/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [“So how can we determine what’s real and what’s not? We can’t. We can just pick and choose what we want to believe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-spence/so-how-can-we-determine-what-s-real-and-what-s-not-we-can-t-we-can-2/) [Richard B. Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-spence/) > [“Believe that there are no limits. Manifest your best reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truth-devour/believe-that-there-are-no-limits-manifest-your-best-reality/) Truth Devour > [The best part about reality shows is that they make you a well known name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roop-durgapal/the-best-part-about-reality-shows-is-that-they-make-you-a-well-known/) [Roop Durgapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roop-durgapal/) > [People's perceptions of me have nothing to do with reality. I'm basically just your average dork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-alexakis/people-s-perceptions-of-me-have-nothing-to-do-with-reality-i-m/) [Art Alexakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-alexakis/) > [But the people who give me the best reality check are my children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-todd/but-the-people-who-give-me-the-best-reality-check-are-my-children/) [Tony Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-todd/) > [Let's say that, in reality, I'm basically very shy when it comes to men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-summer/let-s-say-that-in-reality-i-m-basically-very-shy-when-it-comes-to-men/) [Donna Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-summer/) > [Change is the one unavoidable, irresistible, ongoing reality of the universe. To us, that makes it the most powerful reality, and just another word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/change-is-the-one-unavoidable-irresistible-ongoing-reality-of-the/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [“You believe that you live in the universe when in reality the universe lives in you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-chandler/you-believe-that-you-live-in-the-universe-when-in-reality-the/) [Steve Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-chandler/) > [In reality the universe has no geometry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kedar-joshi/in-reality-the-universe-has-no-geometry/) [Kedar Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kedar-joshi/) > [The idea of a divine creator belittles the elegant reality of the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-idea-of-a-divine-creator-belittles-the-elegant-reality-of-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“Maybe the most dangerous thing about the “Illuminati” isn’t that such a master cabal has ever existed, but that some people believe it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-spence/maybe-the-most-dangerous-thing-about-the-illuminati-isn-t-that-such-a/) [Richard B. Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-spence/) > [“Find a reason greater than reality: the power of spirit If”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-t-kiyosaki/find-a-reason-greater-than-reality-the-power-of-spirit-if/) [Robert T. Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-t-kiyosaki/) > [Imagination is always greater than reality, and the reality of a sex paradise is that they offer a supposed escape from the nightmare of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-levy/imagination-is-always-greater-than-reality-and-the-reality-of-a-sex/) [Francis Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-levy/) > [It comforts me to think that if we are created beings the thing that created us would have to be greater than us, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/it-comforts-me-to-think-that-if-we-are-created-beings-the-thing-that/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [This life is only the anteroom of a greater reality to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/this-life-is-only-the-anteroom-of-a-greater-reality-to-come/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) ## More by Richard B. Spence > [“However intrinsically loony an idea may be, when people believe it, and act on that belief, it attains a power that can shape reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-spence/however-intrinsically-loony-an-idea-may-be-when-people-believe-it-and/) [Richard B. Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-spence/) > [“Maybe the most dangerous thing about the “Illuminati” isn’t that such a master cabal has ever existed, but that some people believe it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-spence/maybe-the-most-dangerous-thing-about-the-illuminati-isn-t-that-such-a/) [Richard B. Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-spence/) > [“So how can we determine what’s real and what’s not? We can’t. We can just pick and choose what we want to believe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-spence/so-how-can-we-determine-what-s-real-and-what-s-not-we-can-t-we-can-2/) [Richard B. Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-spence/) > [“A key theme is that human history, behavior and reality are governed not by what we know but by what we believe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-spence/a-key-theme-is-that-human-history-behavior-and-reality-are-governed/) [Richard B. Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-spence/) [Explore all 5 Richard B. Spence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-spence/) ## More Conspiracy quotes > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [I have a tendency to often share the point of view of the conspiracy theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-have-a-tendency-to-often-share-the-point-of-view-of-the-conspiracy/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [I'm not a conspiracy theorist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-baffert/i-m-not-a-conspiracy-theorist/) [Bob Baffert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-baffert/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [We have Internet now and people are not stupid. But it seems that some people are trying to push the same agenda of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/we-have-internet-now-and-people-are-not-stupid-but-it-seems-that-some/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [So Pakistan is a country that I'm very fond of and have spent a lot of time, but it is a country where conspiracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/so-pakistan-is-a-country-that-i-m-very-fond-of-and-have-spent-a-lot/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [David Rockefeller is the most conspicuous representative today of the ruling class, a multinational fraternity of men who shape the global economy and manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/david-rockefeller-is-the-most-conspicuous-representative-today-of-the/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [In 1999, Hoffmann-LaRoche paid a $500 million criminal fine for leading a worldwide conspiracy to fix prices for certain vitamins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/in-1999-hoffmann-laroche-paid-a-500-million-criminal-fine-for-leading/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [People went out there and they wrote articles and went on television shows saying that I am an operative that the CIA who used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-went-out-there-and-they-wrote-articles-and-went-on-television/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [“Better for real things to be uncontrollable, better for one's life to be undecipherable and intellectually impenetrable than to attempt to make casual sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/better-for-real-things-to-be-uncontrollable-better-for-one-s-life-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“Conspiracy theorists manipulate all tangible evidence to fit their explanation, but worse, they will also point to the absence of evidence as even stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/conspiracy-theorists-manipulate-all-tangible-evidence-to-fit-their/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/people-of-the-same-trade-seldom-meet-together-even-for-merriment-and/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [ I can assure the conspiracy theorists who have very effectively savaged \[Gerald\] Posner in their books that they're going to have a much, much… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-bugliosi/i-can-assure-the-conspiracy-theorists-who-have-very-effectively/) [Vincent Bugliosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-bugliosi/) > [Act as if the universe is a prodigious miracle created for your amusement and illumination. Assume that secret helpers are working behind the scenes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/act-as-if-the-universe-is-a-prodigious-miracle-created-for-your/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) [Browse all 886 Conspiracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conspiracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“So how can we determine what’s real and what’s not? We can’t. We can just pick and choose what we want to believe and rationalize it as best we can. Reality, after all, is basically a movie projected inside our heads. It’s based on the colors our senses permit us to see, the sounds they permit us to hear and whatever else our brains let slip through the gates. But outside our limited senses, surrounding us, there is, unquestionably, a much greater reality, a universe we live in but cannot see. Well, most of us, anyway. 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