--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Phony psychics like Uri Geller have had…" description: "\"Phony psychics like Uri Geller have had particular success in bamboozling scientists with ordinary stage magic, because only scientists are arrogant en..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/stephen-jay-gould-885_arrogant_phony-psychics-like-uri-geller-have-had_2419686.png" --- # Phony psychics like Uri Geller have had particular success… ![“Phony psychics like Uri Geller have had particular success in bamboozling scientists with ordinary stage magic, because only scientists are arrogant enough to think that they always observe with rigorous and objective scrutiny, and therefore could never be so fooled while ordinary mortals know…” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/stephen-jay-gould-885_arrogant_phony-psychics-like-uri-geller-have-had_2419686.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/stephen-jay-gould-885_arrogant_phony-psychics-like-uri-geller-have-had_2419686.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/stephen-jay-gould-885_arrogant_phony-psychics-like-uri-geller-have-had_2419686.png) > “Phony psychics like Uri Geller have had particular success in bamboozling scientists with ordinary stage magic, because only scientists are arrogant enough to think that they always observe with rigorous and objective scrutiny, and therefore could never be so fooled while ordinary mortals know perfectly well that good performers can always find a way to trick people.” [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. Scientists may overestimate their objectivity, making them vulnerable to deception by skilled performers. **In simple terms:** Scientists can be fooled by clever tricks. Key Takeaway Question humility and critical testing. Themes science skepticism hubris perception Mood cautious reflective Type critical analytical When to use this quote - peer review - lab experiments - public demonstrations - education - media literacy Key Concepts cognitive bias expertise illusion illusion of control Questions to Reflect On - How can scientists guard against overconfidence? - What methods reveal hidden biases? A Different Perspective Even experts can be misled if they ignore alternative explanations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arrogant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogant/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Mortals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortals/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Performers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performers/) [Psychics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychics/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Scrutiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scrutiny/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [As an actor, I feel one should use his look to trick people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aditya-roy-kapur/as-an-actor-i-feel-one-should-use-his-look-to-trick-people/) [Aditya Roy Kapur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aditya-roy-kapur/) > [Instagram and nightclubs are where ugly people go to trick people into thinking they're hot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/instagram-and-nightclubs-are-where-ugly-people-go-to-trick-people/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Singing is a trick to get people to listen to music for longer than they would ordinarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/singing-is-a-trick-to-get-people-to-listen-to-music-for-longer-than/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [It is plain old-fashioned wrong when people lie and trick other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/it-is-plain-old-fashioned-wrong-when-people-lie-and-trick-other-people/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [I think that the mistakes that anyone can make going on dates is probably not being themselves because you can only trick people for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zooey-deschanel/i-think-that-the-mistakes-that-anyone-can-make-going-on-dates-is/) [Zooey Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zooey-deschanel/) > [Someone creates a trick, many people perfect it, but its final success in front of an audience depends on the person who presents it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-lavand/someone-creates-a-trick-many-people-perfect-it-but-its-final-success/) Rene Lavand > [You can sort of trick people into being really good. Even if they didn't know anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/you-can-sort-of-trick-people-into-being-really-good-even-if-they-didn/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [Drama is easy to fool people with, but you can't trick people into laughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ransone/drama-is-easy-to-fool-people-with-but-you-can-t-trick-people-into/) [James Ransone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ransone/) > [Love, the magician, knows this little trick whereby two people walk in different directions yet always remain side by side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-prather/love-the-magician-knows-this-little-trick-whereby-two-people-walk-in/) [Hugh Prather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-prather/) > [“Besides stage magic props and settings, ritually abusing groups use technology, such as that described by Katz and Fotheringham. Military/political groups have the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-miller/besides-stage-magic-props-and-settings-ritually-abusing-groups-use/) [Alison Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-miller/) > [I had decided to be a magician well before I decided to be a writer. I was the little boy who would get up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-had-decided-to-be-a-magician-well-before-i-decided-to-be-a-writer-i/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I liked the idea of having actual magic performed as stage magic, so you could assume that it was just a trick, that something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/i-liked-the-idea-of-having-actual-magic-performed-as-stage-magic-so/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [I had a point of view, which was different. I looked at magic as theater, as storytelling, and I tried to have an approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/i-had-a-point-of-view-which-was-different-i-looked-at-magic-as/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [What I've tried to do in my stage magic is to take a trick and give it an emotional hook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/what-i-ve-tried-to-do-in-my-stage-magic-is-to-take-a-trick-and-give/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [“As with all knowledge, once you knew it, you couldn't imagine how it was that you hadn't known it before. Like stage magic, knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/as-with-all-knowledge-once-you-knew-it-you-couldn-t-imagine-how-it/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## 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 Arrogant quotes > [How arrogant - how very far from humility - would be the self-satisfied, smug assurance that God, a tidy-up-after-us God will come and clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/how-arrogant-how-very-far-from-humility-would-be-the-self-satisfied/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [ \[T\]he tax code has been piling up, year after year, a symbol of everything gone wrong in America, of arrogant rulers and lost freedom,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/t-he-tax-code-has-been-piling-up-year-after-year-a-symbol-of/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [What I would say to filmmakers, if I may be so bold or so arrogant, is to draw inspiration from other filmmakers, but go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/what-i-would-say-to-filmmakers-if-i-may-be-so-bold-or-so-arrogant-is/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [I absolutely hate arrogant people, irks me to no end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-absolutely-hate-arrogant-people-irks-me-to-no-end/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Splutter, splutter. Yes - we're off - we're rising. But why start off with an engine like that? But it smooths out now, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/splutter-splutter-yes-we-re-off-we-re-rising-but-why-start-off-with/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [Mourinho is a bit arrogant, but you've got to like him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nicol/mourinho-is-a-bit-arrogant-but-you-ve-got-to-like-him/) [Steve Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nicol/) > [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/) [Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/) > [I was spoiled and I was arrogant. I was very demanding, had an overblown image of who I was and got a reputation for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judge-reinhold/i-was-spoiled-and-i-was-arrogant-i-was-very-demanding-had-an/) [Judge Reinhold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judge-reinhold/) > [We are not being arrogant or complacent when we are said that our country, as a united nation, has never in its entire history,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/we-are-not-being-arrogant-or-complacent-when-we-are-said-that-our/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) > [“So you intend to go through life never loving anyone? Just … things?” “No. I’m looking for something more.” “More than love?” “Yes.” “Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-ahdieh/so-you-intend-to-go-through-life-never-loving-anyone-just-things-no-i/) [Renee Ahdieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-ahdieh/) > [People are tired of wasteful government programs and welfare chiselers, and they are angry about the constant spiral of taxes and government regulations, arrogant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/people-are-tired-of-wasteful-government-programs-and-welfare/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [“He was a man. Handsome as sin, arrogant as fuck, and in need of at least one woman to prove he wasn’t God’s gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-blue/he-was-a-man-handsome-as-sin-arrogant-as-fuck-and-in-need-of-at-least/) [Melissa Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-blue/) > [Being nice to people gets you nowhere. Being arrogant gets you nowhere. Blackmail, now that's a thing that will get you everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-to-people-gets-you-nowhere-being-arrogant-gets-you-nowhere/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's amusing how arrogant people can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-amusing-how-arrogant-people-can-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 1,146 Arrogant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogant/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Phony psychics like Uri Geller have had particular success in bamboozling scientists with ordinary stage magic, because only scientists are arrogant enough to think that they always observe with rigorous and objective scrutiny, and therefore could never be so fooled while ordinary mortals know perfectly well that good performers can always find a way to trick people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Jay Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/phony-psychics-like-uri-geller-have-had-particular-success-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arrogant" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/phony-psychics-like-uri-geller-have-had-particular-success-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/stephen-jay-gould-885_arrogant_phony-psychics-like-uri-geller-have-had_2419686.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/stephen-jay-gould-885_arrogant_phony-psychics-like-uri-geller-have-had_2419686.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/stephen-jay-gould-885_arrogant_phony-psychics-like-uri-geller-have-had_2419686.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Phony psychics like Uri Geller have had particular success in bamboozling scientists with ordinary stage…” — 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": "Phony psychics like Uri Geller have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/phony-psychics-like-uri-geller-have-had-particular-success-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/phony-psychics-like-uri-geller-have-had-particular-success-in/#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 } } ] } ```