--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Always be suspicious of conclusions that…" description: "\"Always be suspicious of conclusions that reinforce uncritical hope and follow comforting traditions of Western thought.\" — Stephen Jay Gould" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/stephen-jay-gould-885_comforting_always-be-suspicious-of-conclusions-that_1391995.png" --- # Always be suspicious of conclusions that reinforce… ![“Always be suspicious of conclusions that reinforce uncritical hope and follow comforting traditions of Western thought.” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/stephen-jay-gould-885_comforting_always-be-suspicious-of-conclusions-that_1391995.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/stephen-jay-gould-885_comforting_always-be-suspicious-of-conclusions-that_1391995.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/stephen-jay-gould-885_comforting_always-be-suspicious-of-conclusions-that_1391995.png) > “Always be suspicious of conclusions that reinforce uncritical hope and follow comforting traditions of Western thought.” [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques unexamined optimism and blind adherence to Western traditions. **In simple terms:** Question hopeful but uncritical beliefs. Key Takeaway Challenge assumptions and seek evidence. Themes critical thinking skepticism culture Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - policy analysis - scientific research - media literacy - education curricula Key Concepts confirmation bias Western hegemony Questions to Reflect On - What traditions deserve re‑evaluation? - How can hope be balanced with realism? A Different Perspective May overlook positive aspects of tradition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comforting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comforting/) [Comforting Traditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comforting-traditions-4854163/) [Conclusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclusion/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Suspicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicious/) [Suspicious Conclusions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicious-conclusions-4854161/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Uncritical Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncritical-hope-4854162/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) [Western Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western-thought-985801/) ## Related quotes > [There's a long tradition in Western thought that humans are not shackled by biology, whereas animals are pure instinct machines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/there-s-a-long-tradition-in-western-thought-that-humans-are-not/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [If in Nietzsche's thinking the prior tradition of Western thought is gathered and completed in a decisive respect, then the confrontation with Nietzsche becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-heidegger/if-in-nietzsche-s-thinking-the-prior-tradition-of-western-thought-is/) [Martin Heidegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-heidegger/) > [The so-called Philosophy of India is even more blowsy and senseless than the metaphysics of the West. It is at war with everything we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-so-called-philosophy-of-india-is-even-more-blowsy-and-senseless/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [The influence (for good or ill) of Plato's work is immeasurable. Western thought, one might say, has been Platonic or anti-Platonic, but hardly ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/the-influence-for-good-or-ill-of-plato-s-work-is-immeasurable-western/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [“Western thought has emphasized individual action, permanent character traits, formal logic, and clearly delineated categories. For an even longer period, Asian thought has emphasized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/western-thought-has-emphasized-individual-action-permanent-character/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [Modern Western thought will pass into history and be incorporated in it, will have its influence and its place, just as our body will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/modern-western-thought-will-pass-into-history-and-be-incorporated-in-2/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [“The view that the truth is one and undivided, and the same for all men everywhere at all times, whether one finds it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-berlin/the-view-that-the-truth-is-one-and-undivided-and-the-same-for-all-men/) [Isaiah Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-berlin/) > [I have assimilated Western thought and its clarity, but, in fact, I am solidly rooted in the passive Eastern nature and remain rebellious to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonid-feodorov/i-have-assimilated-western-thought-and-its-clarity-but-in-fact-i-am/) [Leonid Feodorov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonid-feodorov/) > [All our Western thought is founded on this repulsive pretence that pain is the proper price of any good thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/all-our-western-thought-is-founded-on-this-repulsive-pretence-that/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The world dominion of western thought, forms of organisation, technology and military force is not God-given, nor eternal, nor greatly appreciated by the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/the-world-dominion-of-western-thought-forms-of-organisation/) [James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/) > [Modern Western thought will pass into history and be incorporated in it, will have its influence and its place, justas our body will pass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/modern-western-thought-will-pass-into-history-and-be-incorporated-in/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [Awakening of Western thought will not be complete until that thought steps outside itself and comes to an understanding with the search for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/awakening-of-western-thought-will-not-be-complete-until-that-thought/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [Withdraw allegiance from the old categories of the Negative (law, limit, castration, lack, lacuna), which the Western thought has so long held sacred as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/withdraw-allegiance-from-the-old-categories-of-the-negative-law-limit/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [When you're really bummed out, the last thing you want to hear is up-tempo and positive. And it lets you know that you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/when-you-re-really-bummed-out-the-last-thing-you-want-to-hear-is-up/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [Americans are very friendly and very suspicious, that is what Americans are and that is what always upsets the foreigner, who deals with them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/americans-are-very-friendly-and-very-suspicious-that-is-what/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) ## More by Stephen Jay Gould > [I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-strongly-reject-any-conceptual-scheme-that-places-our-options-on-a/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [History employs evolution to structure biological events in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/history-employs-evolution-to-structure-biological-events-in-time/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [In his anti-Darwinian book... (and eponymously named The Neck of the Giraffe ), Francis Hitching tells the story... "The need to survive by reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-his-anti-darwinian-book-and-eponymously-named-the-neck-of-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [... many folks take them seriously because they just 'know' that evolution can never be seen in the immediate here and now. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/many-folks-take-them-seriously-because-they-just-know-that-evolution/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Charles Darwin viewed the fossil record more as an embarrassment than as an aid to his theory ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/charles-darwin-viewed-the-fossil-record-more-as-an-embarrassment-than/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Zoocentrism is the primary fallacy of human sociobiology, for this view of human behavior rests on the argument that if the actions of "lower"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/zoocentrism-is-the-primary-fallacy-of-human-sociobiology-for-this/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The world, unfortunately, rarely matches our hopes and consistently refuses to behave in a reasonable manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-world-unfortunately-rarely-matches-our-hopes-and-consistently/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The true beauty of nature is her amplitude; she exists neither for nor because of us, and possesses a staying power that all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-true-beauty-of-nature-is-her-amplitude-she-exists-neither-for-nor/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [With copious evidence ranging from Plato's haughtiness to Beethoven's tirades, we may conclude that the most brilliant people of history tend to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/with-copious-evidence-ranging-from-plato-s-haughtiness-to-beethoven-s/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [When scientists need to explain difficult points of theory, illustration by hypothetical example - rather than by total abstraction - works well (perhaps indispensably)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/when-scientists-need-to-explain-difficult-points-of-theory/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The truly awesome intellectuals in our history have not merely made discoveries; they have woven variegated, but firm, tapestries of comprehensive coverage. The tapestries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-truly-awesome-intellectuals-in-our-history-have-not-merely-made/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I believe that we can still have a genre of scientific books suitable for and accessible alike to professionals and interested laypeople. The concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-believe-that-we-can-still-have-a-genre-of-scientific-books-suitable/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Science simply cannot adjudicate the issue of God's possible superintendence of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/science-simply-cannot-adjudicate-the-issue-of-god-s-possible/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [But if we laugh with derision, we will never understand. Human intellectual capacity has not altered for thousands of years so far as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/but-if-we-laugh-with-derision-we-will-never-understand-human/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [We debase the richness of both nature and our own minds if we view the great pageant of our intellectual history as a compendium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-debase-the-richness-of-both-nature-and-our-own-minds-if-we-view/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) [Explore all 341 Stephen Jay Gould quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## More Comforting quotes > [“When you get lost in a really strange place, nothing is more comforting than found your friend whom you trust and can show the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-get-lost-in-a-really-strange-place-nothing-is-more/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Because the truth wouldn't be comforting and wouldn't bring them closer again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/because-the-truth-wouldn-t-be-comforting-and-wouldn-t-bring-them/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [Soothing touch, whether it be applied to a ruffled cat, a crying infant, or a frightened child, has a universally recognized power to ameliorate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deane-juhan/soothing-touch-whether-it-be-applied-to-a-ruffled-cat-a-crying-infant/) [Deane Juhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deane-juhan/) > [“Reth reached out and took my fingers in his own, his touch light but comforting. “I’ve found that sacrifice is called that for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/reth-reached-out-and-took-my-fingers-in-his-own-his-touch-light-but/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [Euthanasia" is an excellent and comforting word! I am grateful to whoever invented it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/euthanasia-is-an-excellent-and-comforting-word-i-am-grateful-to/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [At first, I had such stage fright, and it was always comforting to look over and see my big brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-spielberg/at-first-i-had-such-stage-fright-and-it-was-always-comforting-to-look/) [Sasha Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-spielberg/) > [Truth is often uncomfortable. It is only comforting to those who do not wish to ignore it. Then, truth becomes not only comforting, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/truth-is-often-uncomfortable-it-is-only-comforting-to-those-who-do/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [I've been sent down to the minor leagues six or seven times in my career. You've just got to have that stability. It's huge.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-diaz/i-ve-been-sent-down-to-the-minor-leagues-six-or-seven-times-in-my/) [Matt Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-diaz/) > [The upshot here is that Gil Scott-Heron is still a warrior, even if the front lines have moved. He's made a record not without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hermes/the-upshot-here-is-that-gil-scott-heron-is-still-a-warrior-even-if/) [Will Hermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hermes/) > [The person in misery does not need a look that judges and criticizes but a comforting presence that brings peace and hope and life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/the-person-in-misery-does-not-need-a-look-that-judges-and-criticizes/) [Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/) > [The search for God is a reversal of the normal, mundane worldly order. In search for God, you revert from what attracts you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/the-search-for-god-is-a-reversal-of-the-normal-mundane-worldly-order/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“Soeur Marie Emelie" Soeur Marie Emelie is little and very old: her eyes are onyx, and her cheeks vermilion, her apron wide and kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caryll-houselander/soeur-marie-emelie-soeur-marie-emelie-is-little-and-very-old-her-eyes/) [Caryll Houselander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caryll-houselander/) > [I just found it interesting to talk to adults I admired, and to discover that the path they took was never all that clearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-cooper/i-just-found-it-interesting-to-talk-to-adults-i-admired-and-to/) [Anderson Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-cooper/) > [What is this Charity, this clinking of money between strangers, and when did Charity cease to be a comforting and secret thing between one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-benson/what-is-this-charity-this-clinking-of-money-between-strangers-and/) [Stella Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-benson/) [Browse all 697 Comforting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comforting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Always be suspicious of conclusions that reinforce uncritical hope and follow comforting traditions of Western thought.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Jay Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/always-be-suspicious-of-conclusions-that-reinforce-uncritical-hope/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comforting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/always-be-suspicious-of-conclusions-that-reinforce-uncritical-hope/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/stephen-jay-gould-885_comforting_always-be-suspicious-of-conclusions-that_1391995.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/stephen-jay-gould-885_comforting_always-be-suspicious-of-conclusions-that_1391995.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/stephen-jay-gould-885_comforting_always-be-suspicious-of-conclusions-that_1391995.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Always be suspicious of conclusions that reinforce uncritical hope and follow comforting traditions of…” — Stephen Jay Gould", "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": "Stephen Jay Gould", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Always be suspicious of conclusions that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/always-be-suspicious-of-conclusions-that-reinforce-uncritical-hope/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/always-be-suspicious-of-conclusions-that-reinforce-uncritical-hope/#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 } } ] } ```