--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only thing that guarantees an…" description: "\"The only thing that guarantees an open-ended collaboration among human beings, the only thing that guarantees that this project is truly open-ended, is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/sam-harris-457_atheism_the-only-thing-that-guarantees-an-open-e_1882912.jpg" --- # The only thing that guarantees an open-ended collaboration… ![“The only thing that guarantees an open-ended collaboration among human beings, the only thing that guarantees that this project is truly open-ended, is a willingness to have our beliefs and behaviors modified by the power of conversation.” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/sam-harris-457_atheism_the-only-thing-that-guarantees-an-open-e_1882912.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/sam-harris-457_atheism_the-only-thing-that-guarantees-an-open-e_1882912.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/sam-harris-457_atheism_the-only-thing-that-guarantees-an-open-e_1882912.jpg) > “The only thing that guarantees an open-ended collaboration among human beings, the only thing that guarantees that this project is truly open-ended, is a willingness to have our beliefs and behaviors modified by the power of conversation.” [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Open collaboration thrives when participants are willing to revise beliefs through dialogue. **In simple terms:** Conversation enables belief change. Key Takeaway Embrace dialogue to grow ideas. Themes collaboration conversation belief revision Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - team projects - public debates - personal growth Key Concepts open‑endedness intellectual humility dialogue Questions to Reflect On - What beliefs are you willing to reconsider? - How does dialogue reshape perspectives? A Different Perspective Resistance to change can stall collaboration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Collaboration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collaboration/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Teamwork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teamwork/) [Willingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willingness/) ## Related quotes > [The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-trouble-with-her-is-that-she-lacks-the-power-of-conversation-but/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [I've tried open-ended jobs and found myself incredibly unhappy. I don't like the monomania of showing up every day and doing the same thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-klausner/i-ve-tried-open-ended-jobs-and-found-myself-incredibly-unhappy-i-don/) [Julie Klausner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-klausner/) > [I think that by now, in the very beginning when I first joined the show, General Landry was like a new kid in school.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beau-bridges/i-think-that-by-now-in-the-very-beginning-when-i-first-joined-the/) [Beau Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beau-bridges/) > [“Open-ended questions open doors for new discoveries and opportunities. They encourage others to speak their truths, share their experiences, and express their ideas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/open-ended-questions-open-doors-for-new-discoveries-and-opportunities/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [Today, our sexuality is an open-ended personal project; it is part of who we are, an identity, and no longer merely something we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/today-our-sexuality-is-an-open-ended-personal-project-it-is-part-of/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [In television, you can leave so many things open-ended. For everything you wrap up, you can open another one or two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-brandt/in-television-you-can-leave-so-many-things-open-ended-for-everything/) [Michael Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-brandt/) > [I think that as long as you have other poets before you and that you can learn from them, then it's always open ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-think-that-as-long-as-you-have-other-poets-before-you-and-that-you/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“Complex problems are often open-ended and poorly defined”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjan-van-den-belt/complex-problems-are-often-open-ended-and-poorly-defined/) Marjan van den Belt > [I hate when a movie just sort of ends and is so open-ended you feel like it wasn't finished. I appreciate leaving things up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-gilford/i-hate-when-a-movie-just-sort-of-ends-and-is-so-open-ended-you-feel/) [Zach Gilford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-gilford/) > [I like to leave a film open-ended, with a lingering feeling. I'll not do sequels of any of my films till I have subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madhur-bhandarkar/i-like-to-leave-a-film-open-ended-with-a-lingering-feeling-i-ll-not/) [Madhur Bhandarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madhur-bhandarkar/) > [The song can be a little bit more of the mystery and leave the whole thing open ended. But there's something really gratifying about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/the-song-can-be-a-little-bit-more-of-the-mystery-and-leave-the-whole/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [A story is open-ended. A story invites you into it to make your own meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/a-story-is-open-ended-a-story-invites-you-into-it-to-make-your-own/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [If anything this is one of the better ways to write together and not get stuck in the studio. Its a really good, open-ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medeski-martin-and-wood/if-anything-this-is-one-of-the-better-ways-to-write-together-and-not/) [Medeski Martin And Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medeski-martin-and-wood/) > [As soon as you go into any biological process in any real detail, you discover it's open-ended in terms of what needs to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-lederberg/as-soon-as-you-go-into-any-biological-process-in-any-real-detail-you/) [Joshua Lederberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-lederberg/) > [I'm not interested in leaving it open-ended. That would just cause me frustration. I wouldn't be satisfied. What's really cool about Fringe, and one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-h-wyman/i-m-not-interested-in-leaving-it-open-ended-that-would-just-cause-me/) [J.H. Wyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-h-wyman/) ## More by Sam Harris > [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. Miller are doing lasting harm to our discourse by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-question-but-that-nominally-religious-scientists-like/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [We have Christians against Muslims against Jews, and no matter how liberal your theology, merely identifying yourself as a Christian or a Jew lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-have-christians-against-muslims-against-jews-and-no-matter-how/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Your principal concern appears to be that the Creator of the universe will take offense at something people do while naked. This prudery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/your-principal-concern-appears-to-be-that-the-creator-of-the-universe/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“As manuals for contemplative understanding, the Bible and the Koran are worse than useless. Whatever wisdom can be found in their pages is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-manuals-for-contemplative-understanding-the-bible-and-the-koran/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. If our polls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/about-120-million-of-us-place-the-big-bang-2-500-years-after-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“If your golf instructor were to insist that you shave your head, sleep no more than four hours each night, renounce sex, and subsist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/if-your-golf-instructor-were-to-insist-that-you-shave-your-head-sleep/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The fact that one can lose one's sense of self in an ocean of tranquility does not mean that one's consciousness is immaterial or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-fact-that-one-can-lose-one-s-sense-of-self-in-an-ocean-of/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The second commandment is "Thou shall not construct any graven images." Is this really the pinnacle of what we can achieve morally? The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-second-commandment-is-thou-shall-not-construct-any-graven-images/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“But the reality of consciousness appears irreducible. Only consciousness can know itself—and directly, through first-person experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/but-the-reality-of-consciousness-appears-irreducible-only/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Whether or not one likes Huntington's formulation, one thing is clear: the evil that has finally reached our shores is not merely the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/whether-or-not-one-likes-huntington-s-formulation-one-thing-is-clear/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The problem is that religion tends to give people bad reasons to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-problem-is-that-religion-tends-to-give-people-bad-reasons-to-be/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Muslim moderates, wherever they are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their co-religionists. Otherwise, we will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/muslim-moderates-wherever-they-are-must-be-given-every-tool-necessary/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The idea that any one of our religions represents the infallible word of the One True God requires an encyclopedic ignorance of history, mythology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-idea-that-any-one-of-our-religions-represents-the-infallible-word/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“What could possibly cause billions of human beings to reconsider their religious beliefs? And yet, it is obvious that an utter revolution in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/what-could-possibly-cause-billions-of-human-beings-to-reconsider/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) [Explore all 543 Sam Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## More Atheism quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/) [Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Do you think that was kind? Do you think it was godlike? What would you think of a physician, if a woman came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-h-gardener/do-you-think-that-was-kind-do-you-think-it-was-godlike-what-would-you/) [Helen H. Gardener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-h-gardener/) > [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/honest-investigation-is-utterly-impossible-within-the-pale-of-any/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) [Browse all 4,769 Atheism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only thing that guarantees an open-ended collaboration among human beings, the only thing that guarantees that this project is truly open-ended, is a willingness to have our beliefs and behaviors modified by the power of conversation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sam Harris" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-only-thing-that-guarantees-an-open-ended-collaboration-among/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atheism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-only-thing-that-guarantees-an-open-ended-collaboration-among/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/sam-harris-457_atheism_the-only-thing-that-guarantees-an-open-e_1882912.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/sam-harris-457_atheism_the-only-thing-that-guarantees-an-open-e_1882912.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/sam-harris-457_atheism_the-only-thing-that-guarantees-an-open-e_1882912.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only thing that guarantees an open-ended collaboration among human beings, the only thing that…” — Sam Harris", "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": "Sam Harris", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only thing that guarantees an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-only-thing-that-guarantees-an-open-ended-collaboration-among/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-only-thing-that-guarantees-an-open-ended-collaboration-among/#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 } } ] } ```