--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People may believe correct things for the…" description: "\"People may believe correct things for the damndest and weirdest of wrong reasons.\" — Stephen Jay Gould" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/stephen-jay-gould-885_believe_people-may-believe-correct-things-for-th_1223090.png" --- # People may believe correct things for the damndest and… ![“People may believe correct things for the damndest and weirdest of wrong reasons.” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/stephen-jay-gould-885_believe_people-may-believe-correct-things-for-th_1223090.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/stephen-jay-gould-885_believe_people-may-believe-correct-things-for-th_1223090.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/stephen-jay-gould-885_believe_people-may-believe-correct-things-for-th_1223090.png) > “People may believe correct things for the damndest and weirdest of wrong reasons.” [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. People often hold correct beliefs for irrational, bizarre reasons, revealing how emotion and bias can distort rational thinking. **In simple terms:** Correct ideas can be based on weird motives. Key Takeaway Question assumptions behind beliefs. Themes cognition bias reasoning Mood reflective critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - political debate - personal decisions - scientific interpretation Key Concepts psychology logic irrationality Questions to Reflect On - Why do we cling to correct ideas for wrong reasons? - How can we recognize and correct irrational motivations? A Different Perspective Beliefs may be influenced by social pressure despite evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [The more you believe it, the more it starts to become real for you. This is why it is so very important to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-moorjani/the-more-you-believe-it-the-more-it-starts-to-become-real-for-you/) [Anita Moorjani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-moorjani/) > [Whatever you believe, you will find that you are correct. The Universe has a way of presenting to you exactly what you believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-moorjani/whatever-you-believe-you-will-find-that-you-are-correct-the-universe/) [Anita Moorjani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-moorjani/) > [I will stand on, and continue to use, the figures I have used, because I believe they are correct. Now, I'm not going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-will-stand-on-and-continue-to-use-the-figures-i-have-used-because-i/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I can't think of a major story that we have broken that was incorrect. But we have had to correct some things that were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hart/i-can-t-think-of-a-major-story-that-we-have-broken-that-was-incorrect/) [Mary Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hart/) > [We're so politically correct; we take things so seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/we-re-so-politically-correct-we-take-things-so-seriously/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [I fix things all the time. Every time I do a solo, I re-check it and correct things that don't hit the mark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-hammett/i-fix-things-all-the-time-every-time-i-do-a-solo-i-re-check-it-and/) [Kirk Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-hammett/) > [It's nice to have the power of Twitter to correct things that were incorrect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-lineker/it-s-nice-to-have-the-power-of-twitter-to-correct-things-that-were/) [Gary Lineker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-lineker/) > [When we lose, we don't have to change everything but correct things by working hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neymar/when-we-lose-we-don-t-have-to-change-everything-but-correct-things-by/) [Neymar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neymar/) > [Guessing right for the wrong reason does not merit scientific immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/guessing-right-for-the-wrong-reason-does-not-merit-scientific/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Let your heart beat for music. Don't be a DJ for the wrong reasons, do it because you have a passion for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/let-your-heart-beat-for-music-don-t-be-a-dj-for-the-wrong-reasons-do/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [Well, you know, in any novel you would hope that the hero has someone to push back against, and villains - I find the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/well-you-know-in-any-novel-you-would-hope-that-the-hero-has-someone/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [You're 12, you smoke, you do drugs, you're pregnant and you're known for all the wrong reasons...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-12-you-smoke-you-do-drugs-you-re-pregnant-and-you-re-known-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We turn to God for the wrong reasons...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trunxbeats/we-turn-to-god-for-the-wrong-reasons/) Trunxbeats > [Its only when you are a great actor and are recognised for your good work that you become famous. Unless you are in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lahti/its-only-when-you-are-a-great-actor-and-are-recognised-for-your-good/) [Christine Lahti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lahti/) > [“Too often, we love for the wrong reasons, when we think the right one comes along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/too-often-we-love-for-the-wrong-reasons-when-we-think-the-right-one/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) ## 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 Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“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/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People may believe correct things for the damndest and weirdest of wrong reasons.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Jay Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/people-may-believe-correct-things-for-the-damndest-and-weirdest-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/people-may-believe-correct-things-for-the-damndest-and-weirdest-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/stephen-jay-gould-885_believe_people-may-believe-correct-things-for-th_1223090.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/stephen-jay-gould-885_believe_people-may-believe-correct-things-for-th_1223090.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/stephen-jay-gould-885_believe_people-may-believe-correct-things-for-th_1223090.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People may believe correct things for the damndest and weirdest of wrong reasons.” — 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": "People may believe correct things for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/people-may-believe-correct-things-for-the-damndest-and-weirdest-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/people-may-believe-correct-things-for-the-damndest-and-weirdest-of/#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 } } ] } ```