---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The assumption that everybody will figure…"
description: "\"The assumption that everybody will figure out how much they have to save and then will just implement that plan is obviously preposterous.\" — Richard T..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/richard-thaler-3060_assumption_the-assumption-that-everybody-will-figur_668041.png"
---

#  The assumption that everybody will figure out how much…

![“The assumption that everybody will figure out how much they have to save and then will just implement that plan is obviously preposterous.” quote by Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/richard-thaler-3060_assumption_the-assumption-that-everybody-will-figur_668041.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/richard-thaler-3060_assumption_the-assumption-that-everybody-will-figur_668041.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/richard-thaler-3060_assumption_the-assumption-that-everybody-will-figur_668041.png)

> “The assumption that everybody will figure out how much they have to save and then will just implement that plan is obviously preposterous.”

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He argues it's unrealistic to expect everyone to independently determine and execute optimal savings plans without guidance.

**In simple terms:** People can't figure out savings alone.

Key Takeaway

Provide clear financial guidance.

Themes

finance behavioral economics planning

Mood

educational practical

Type

advice analysis

When to use this quote

- personal budgeting
- retirement planning
- public policy

Key Concepts

savings decision making policy design

Questions to Reflect On

- How can institutions simplify saving decisions?
- What tools help people set realistic savings goals?

A Different Perspective

May underestimate individual agency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Assumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) [Assumption Everybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption-everybody-3234278/) [Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures/) [Obviously Preposterous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obviously-preposterous-5309654/) [Plan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plan/) [Plan Obviously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plan-obviously-5309655/) [Plans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plans/) [Preposterous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preposterous/)

## Related quotes

> [The trouble with most coaches is that they start with the assumption that everybody is a turd. And that ain't right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bum-phillips/the-trouble-with-most-coaches-is-that-they-start-with-the-assumption/)

[Bum Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bum-phillips/)

> [I think there's this assumption that everybody would rather be a director, and I don't know that that's the case for me, so we'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-morrison/i-think-there-s-this-assumption-that-everybody-would-rather-be-a/)

[Rachel Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-morrison/)

> [The value of failure is greatly over-rated. It's a preposterous myth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/the-value-of-failure-is-greatly-over-rated-it-s-a-preposterous-myth/)

[Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/)

> [The state of being in love is so inherently preposterous. It usually lends itself to romantic comedy. I think we've all been there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/the-state-of-being-in-love-is-so-inherently-preposterous-it-usually/)

[James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/)

> [Our rulers at the present day, with their machines and their preachers, are all occupied in putting into our heads the preposterous notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/our-rulers-at-the-present-day-with-their-machines-and-their-preachers/)

[John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/)

> [“The central ideas of Christianity — an angry God and vicarious atonement — are contrary to every fact in nature, as also to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/the-central-ideas-of-christianity-an-angry-god-and-vicarious/)

[Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/)

> [You see something happen to a population whereby everyone adopts something that's just preposterous in a way that makes it normal instantly. If any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-albini/you-see-something-happen-to-a-population-whereby-everyone-adopts/)

[Steve Albini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-albini/)

> [I wanted to be president of the United States. I really did. The older I get, the less preposterous the idea seems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/i-wanted-to-be-president-of-the-united-states-i-really-did-the-older/)

[Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/)

> [Sleep with Seth Mortensen? Good grief. It was the most preposterous thing I'd ever heard. It was appalling. If I absorbed his life force,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/sleep-with-seth-mortensen-good-grief-it-was-the-most-preposterous/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

> [What I got in Sunday school ... was simply a firm conviction that the Christian faith was full of palpable absurdities, and the Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/what-i-got-in-sunday-school-was-simply-a-firm-conviction-that-the/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [No writer in a free country should be expected to bother about the exact demarcation between the sensuous and the sensual; this is preposterous;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/no-writer-in-a-free-country-should-be-expected-to-bother-about-the/)

[Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/)

> [Predictions are preposterous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-mason/predictions-are-preposterous/)

[Jackie Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-mason/)

> [Preposterous ass, that never read so far to know the cause why music was ordain'd! Was it not to refresh the mind of man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/preposterous-ass-that-never-read-so-far-to-know-the-cause-why-music/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Horror, let's face it, is basically pretty dumb. You're writing about events that are preposterous, and the trick is to dress them up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/horror-let-s-face-it-is-basically-pretty-dumb-you-re-writing-about/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Society never made the preposterous demand that a man should think as much about his own qualifications for making a charming girl happy as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/society-never-made-the-preposterous-demand-that-a-man-should-think-as/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

## More by Richard Thaler

> [The Nobel Prize is going to be 'fun money' - for an occasion, when my wife and I want a $50 bottle of wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-nobel-prize-is-going-to-be-fun-money-for-an-occasion-when-my-wife/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [In some ways, the finding that financial education doesn't provide long-term payoffs is hardly surprising. After all, how much do you remember from your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/in-some-ways-the-finding-that-financial-education-doesn-t-provide/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [Fortunately, economists open to new ways of thinking are finding novel ways to use supposedly irrelevant factors to make the world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/fortunately-economists-open-to-new-ways-of-thinking-are-finding-novel/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [If people just put away what's left at the end of the month, that's a recipe for failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/if-people-just-put-away-what-s-left-at-the-end-of-the-month-that-s-a/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [The wealth in many large estates has never been taxed because it is largely in the form of unrealized - therefore untaxed - capital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-wealth-in-many-large-estates-has-never-been-taxed-because-it-is/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [The lesson of my field, behavioral economics, is that we need to understand the ways in which we differ from the rational human assumed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-lesson-of-my-field-behavioral-economics-is-that-we-need-to/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [I think behavioral economists don't have any more of an explanation about the rise of Trump than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/i-think-behavioral-economists-don-t-have-any-more-of-an-explanation/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [There are cases when I can make myself better off by restricting my future choices and commit myself to a specific course of action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/there-are-cases-when-i-can-make-myself-better-off-by-restricting-my/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [For amateur golfers, I think one of the biggest mistakes is to model their play on professionals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/for-amateur-golfers-i-think-one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-is-to-model/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [he card companies will often, as a courtesy, honor that credit card, but hit you with a penalty. And you keep swiping your card…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/he-card-companies-will-often-as-a-courtesy-honor-that-credit-card-but/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [We all need a lot of humility, and especially about the economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/we-all-need-a-lot-of-humility-and-especially-about-the-economy/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [Social Security may be the most beloved of all the government's programs, partly because it requires so little thinking. You pay taxes while you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/social-security-may-be-the-most-beloved-of-all-the-government-s/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [If you're trading individual securities, you're almost certainly making a mistake. Because most professional managers can't outperform their benchmarks, and there's little reason to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/if-you-re-trading-individual-securities-you-re-almost-certainly/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [A nudge is some feature of the environment that changes the behaviour of humans but would not change the behaviour of rational economic agents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/a-nudge-is-some-feature-of-the-environment-that-changes-the-behaviour/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

> [One reason for high health care costs is that patients fail to follow their treatment regimen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/one-reason-for-high-health-care-costs-is-that-patients-fail-to-follow/)

[Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

[Explore all 141 Richard Thaler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/)

## More Assumption quotes

> [Next to the assumption of power was the responsibility of relinquishing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/next-to-the-assumption-of-power-was-the-responsibility-of/)

[Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/)

> [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/)

[Richard Doll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-doll/)

> [Fortunately, the mind is restless; when it uncovers a layer of its own deception, gives up an illusion, exposes a lie, it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-chernin/fortunately-the-mind-is-restless-when-it-uncovers-a-layer-of-its-own/)

[Kim Chernin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-chernin/)

> [The possibility of saying anything about a thing rests on the assumption that it preserves its identity, or continues to be the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-knight/the-possibility-of-saying-anything-about-a-thing-rests-on-the/)

[Frank Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-knight/)

> [She spent hours drawing on her own, trying to perfect her craft. And when she got into music, she had that same diligence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/she-spent-hours-drawing-on-her-own-trying-to-perfect-her-craft-and/)

[Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/)

> [If they are, then the only ultimate truths are the particulars of concrete experience, and no postulate or general assumption is inherent in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-wright/if-they-are-then-the-only-ultimate-truths-are-the-particulars-of/)

[Chauncey Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-wright/)

> [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [Leadership, pure and simple, is the assumption of responsibility for the pursuit of excellence in group life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-selznick/leadership-pure-and-simple-is-the-assumption-of-responsibility-for/)

[Philip Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-selznick/)

> [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/)

[Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/)

> [When I see a fan coming over, I can't help but make an assumption about what they want to talk about. A middle-aged American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/when-i-see-a-fan-coming-over-i-can-t-help-but-make-an-assumption/)

[Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/)

> [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/)

[Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/)

> [Pussy Riot have certainly changed some people's assumptions about the role of political art and the relationship between the intelligentsia and the church. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/pussy-riot-have-certainly-changed-some-people-s-assumptions-about-the/)

[Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/)

[Browse all 1,277 Assumption quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The assumption that everybody will figure out how much they have to save and then will just implement that plan is obviously preposterous.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Thaler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-assumption-that-everybody-will-figure-out-how-much-they-have-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Assumption"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-assumption-that-everybody-will-figure-out-how-much-they-have-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/richard-thaler-3060_assumption_the-assumption-that-everybody-will-figur_668041.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/richard-thaler-3060_assumption_the-assumption-that-everybody-will-figur_668041.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/richard-thaler-3060_assumption_the-assumption-that-everybody-will-figur_668041.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The assumption that everybody will figure out how much they have to save and then will just implement that…” — Richard Thaler",
                "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": "Richard Thaler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The assumption that everybody will figure...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-assumption-that-everybody-will-figure-out-how-much-they-have-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-assumption-that-everybody-will-figure-out-how-much-they-have-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
