Reality Quote by Suzette Haden Elgin
““First principle: there's no such thing as reality. We make it up by perceiving stimuli from the environment - external or internal - and making statements about it. Everybody perceives stuff, everybody makes up statements about it, everybody - so far as we can tell - agrees enough to get by, so that when I say 'Hand me the coffee' you know what to hand me. And that's reality. Second principle; people get used to a certain kind of reality and come to expect it, and if what they perceive doesn't fit the set of statements everybody's agreed to, either the culture has to go through a kind of fit until it adjusts...or they just blank it out.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Native Tongues by Suzette Haden Elgin, 1984
Reality is a shared construct built from individual perceptions and agreed‑upon statements; it shifts when consensus changes.
In simple terms: Reality is what we agree it is.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions; adapt to new perspectives.
Themes
perception
language
consensus
culture
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
philosophical
inquisitive
When to use this quote
- daily conversations
- legal definitions
- scientific models
- cross‑cultural interactions
Key Concepts
constructivism
relativism
communication theory
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you test the limits of your reality?
- Who decides which statements become reality?
A Different Perspective
Consensus can mask underlying biases or power imbalances.
