--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Common sense tells us that the world is…" description: "\"Common sense tells us that the world is flat, that the sun goes around the earth, that heavy bodies always fall faster than light bodies, that boats ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/stuart-chase-28756_boat_common-sense-tells-us-that-the-world-is_853221.png" --- # Common sense tells us that the world is flat, that the sun… ![“Common sense tells us that the world is flat, that the sun goes around the earth, that heavy bodies always fall faster than light bodies, that boats made of iron will sink.” quote by Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/stuart-chase-28756_boat_common-sense-tells-us-that-the-world-is_853221.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/stuart-chase-28756_boat_common-sense-tells-us-that-the-world-is_853221.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/stuart-chase-28756_boat_common-sense-tells-us-that-the-world-is_853221.png) > “Common sense tells us that the world is flat, that the sun goes around the earth, that heavy bodies always fall faster than light bodies, that boats made of iron will sink.” [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Common sense can be misleading; scientific facts often contradict intuition. **In simple terms:** Intuition can be wrong. Key Takeaway Question assumptions, seek evidence. Themes critical thinking science intuition Mood skeptical thoughtful Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - education - public policy - media literacy Key Concepts cognitive bias empirical method Questions to Reflect On - Why do we trust intuition over data? - How can we improve public scientific literacy? A Different Perspective People may cling to familiar misconceptions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Iron will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iron-will/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World is flat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-is-flat/) ## Related quotes > [Common sense is that which tells us the world is flat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/common-sense-is-that-which-tells-us-the-world-is-flat/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [Ten geographers who think the world is flat will tend to reinforce each other's errors ... Only a sailor can set them straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/ten-geographers-who-think-the-world-is-flat-will-tend-to-reinforce/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [You can get good science out of stupid questions. If someone says the world is flat, maybe in proving them wrong you can calculate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-schmidt/you-can-get-good-science-out-of-stupid-questions-if-someone-says-the/) [Gavin Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-schmidt/) > [If you followed this economic crisis and you do not think that the world is getting flatter, you are not paying attention. We saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/if-you-followed-this-economic-crisis-and-you-do-not-think-that-the/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [If the pilots were in charge, Columbus would still be in port. They believe the assertion that the world is flat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crandall/if-the-pilots-were-in-charge-columbus-would-still-be-in-port-they/) [Robert Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crandall/) > [I scribbled four words down in my notebook: 'The world is flat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nandan-nilekani/i-scribbled-four-words-down-in-my-notebook-the-world-is-flat/) [Nandan Nilekani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nandan-nilekani/) > [Minimization is what happens when we take the "world is flat" idea too far...and act as if people everywhere are the same (and thereby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livermore/minimization-is-what-happens-when-we-take-the-world-is-flat-idea-too/) [David Livermore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livermore/) > [“what if we still thought the world was flat?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gy-williams/what-if-we-still-thought-the-world-was-flat/) Gy Williams > [I was in Bangalore, India, the Silicon Valley of India, when I realized that the world was flat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-was-in-bangalore-india-the-silicon-valley-of-india-when-i-realized/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [No, most of our political elite has not realized that the world is flat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/no-most-of-our-political-elite-has-not-realized-that-the-world-is-flat/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [“I know the world is flat now, I'm not going back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/i-know-the-world-is-flat-now-i-m-not-going-back/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [When I wrote 'The World Is Flat,' I said the world is flat. Yeah, we're all connected. Facebook didn't exist; Twitter was a sound;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/when-i-wrote-the-world-is-flat-i-said-the-world-is-flat-yeah-we-re/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [“Wouldn’t it be nice if the world was flat? That way we could just push off the people we don’t like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wouldn-t-it-be-nice-if-the-world-was-flat-that-way-we-could-just-push/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Yes, the world is now flat for publishing as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/yes-the-world-is-now-flat-for-publishing-as-well/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Now, I am not saying that the world is flat, but it could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-flintoff/now-i-am-not-saying-that-the-world-is-flat-but-it-could-be/) [Andrew Flintoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-flintoff/) ## More by Stuart Chase > [Traditional nationalism cannot survive the fissioning of the atom. One world or none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/traditional-nationalism-cannot-survive-the-fissioning-of-the-atom-one/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [The violation of some laws is a normal part of the behavior of every citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/the-violation-of-some-laws-is-a-normal-part-of-the-behavior-of-every/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [Democracy, as has been said of Christianity, has never really been tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/democracy-as-has-been-said-of-christianity-has-never-really-been-tried/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [ I sympathize the first, the direct and single-minded attack \[Red Revolution\]. I believe it to have been necessary and inevitable in Russia. It may… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/i-sympathize-the-first-the-direct-and-single-minded-attack-red/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [For the individual, as I can testify, a brief grounding in semantics, besides making philosophy unreadable, makes unreadable most political speeches, classical economic theory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/for-the-individual-as-i-can-testify-a-brief-grounding-in-semantics/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [We live in an ocean of words, but like a fish in water we are often not aware of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/we-live-in-an-ocean-of-words-but-like-a-fish-in-water-we-are-often/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [The best mental effort in the game of business is concentrated on the major problem of securing the consumer's dollar before the other fellow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/the-best-mental-effort-in-the-game-of-business-is-concentrated-on-the/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [Certain anthropologists hold that man, having discovered tools, ceased to evolve biologically. Animals, never having discovered them, continue to fashion drills out of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/certain-anthropologists-hold-that-man-having-discovered-tools-ceased/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [The Lord prefers common looking people. That is why he made so many of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/the-lord-prefers-common-looking-people-that-is-why-he-made-so-many-of/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/for-those-who-believe-no-proof-is-necessary-for-those-who-don-t/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [Common sense is that which tells us the world is flat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/common-sense-is-that-which-tells-us-the-world-is-flat/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [I find it difficult to believe that words have no meaning in themselves, hard as I try. Habits of a lifetime are not lightly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/i-find-it-difficult-to-believe-that-words-have-no-meaning-in/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [Sanely applied advertising could remake the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/sanely-applied-advertising-could-remake-the-world/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [Your liberty to swing your arms ends where my nose begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/your-liberty-to-swing-your-arms-ends-where-my-nose-begins/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [“People above the line of bare subsistence in this age, and in all earlier ages, do not use the surplus which society has given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/people-above-the-line-of-bare-subsistence-in-this-age-and-in-all/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) [Explore all 19 Stuart Chase quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) ## More Boat quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [Fly-fishing for wild trout on quiet waters must be one of the toughest and craziest ways to catch fish ever invented by man, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-voelker/fly-fishing-for-wild-trout-on-quiet-waters-must-be-one-of-the/) [John D. Voelker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-voelker/) > [It was just the sort of yatch you'd expect a rock promoter to have. Mirrored ceilings, marble, Jacuzzis and leopard-skin everything, it made the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-anderson/it-was-just-the-sort-of-yatch-you-d-expect-a-rock-promoter-to-have/) [Pamela Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-anderson/) > [It's a hindrance in trying to get a serious acting role. The minute a producer has a script and my name comes up, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbi-benton/it-s-a-hindrance-in-trying-to-get-a-serious-acting-role-the-minute-a/) [Barbi Benton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbi-benton/) > [Something I like to do a lot is just sit by water when there’s a current and just stare into the water. I don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/something-i-like-to-do-a-lot-is-just-sit-by-water-when-there-s-a/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [The trouble is, you can't properly present something you don't believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcguane/the-trouble-is-you-can-t-properly-present-something-you-don-t-believe/) [Thomas McGuane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcguane/) > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [A film is a boat which is always on the point of sinking-it always tends to break up as you go along and drag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-truffaut/a-film-is-a-boat-which-is-always-on-the-point-of-sinking-it-always/) [Francois Truffaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-truffaut/) > [I took one guitar lesson, and they wanted me to play 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' or 'Michael Row the Boat Ashore,' and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-took-one-guitar-lesson-and-they-wanted-me-to-play-mary-had-a-little/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [I was 35 years old and in a position to take a shot at whatever I wanted to try. The Air Force said I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-doyle/i-was-35-years-old-and-in-a-position-to-take-a-shot-at-whatever-i/) [Jerry Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-doyle/) > [We wanted a musical number that would capture the exhilaration of being out on a boat as they were and sailing with the stars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-musker/we-wanted-a-musical-number-that-would-capture-the-exhilaration-of/) [John Musker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-musker/) > [I thought I would try my hand at sailing. It was too small and kept sinking, so I decided to try a boat instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-jolly/i-thought-i-would-try-my-hand-at-sailing-it-was-too-small-and-kept/) [Arthur M. Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-jolly/) > [I once went down the Amazon and our boat got charged by Columbian policemen with guns and we all had to get on motorbikes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-skelton/i-once-went-down-the-amazon-and-our-boat-got-charged-by-columbian/) [Helen Skelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-skelton/) > [Most of the world is covered by water. A fisherman's job is simple: Pick out the best parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-waterman/most-of-the-world-is-covered-by-water-a-fisherman-s-job-is-simple/) Charles W. Waterman Browse all 1,788 Boat quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Common sense tells us that the world is flat, that the sun goes around the earth, that heavy bodies always fall faster than light bodies, that boats made of iron will sink.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stuart Chase" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/common-sense-tells-us-that-the-world-is-flat-that-the-sun-goes-around/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boat" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/common-sense-tells-us-that-the-world-is-flat-that-the-sun-goes-around/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/stuart-chase-28756_boat_common-sense-tells-us-that-the-world-is_853221.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/stuart-chase-28756_boat_common-sense-tells-us-that-the-world-is_853221.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/stuart-chase-28756_boat_common-sense-tells-us-that-the-world-is_853221.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Common sense tells us that the world is flat, that the sun goes around the earth, that heavy bodies always…” — Stuart Chase", "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": "Stuart Chase", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Common sense tells us that the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/common-sense-tells-us-that-the-world-is-flat-that-the-sun-goes-around/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/common-sense-tells-us-that-the-world-is-flat-that-the-sun-goes-around/#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 } } ] } ```