--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Consistency is the hobgoblin of small…" description: "\"Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.\" — Terence McKenna" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/terence-mckenna-287_consistency_consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-small-mi_3151132.png" --- # Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds. ![“Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.” quote by Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/terence-mckenna-287_consistency_consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-small-mi_3151132.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/terence-mckenna-287_consistency_consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-small-mi_3151132.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/terence-mckenna-287_consistency_consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-small-mi_3151132.png) > “Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.” [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rigid consistency limits creativity; flexibility fuels growth. **In simple terms:** Being too consistent stifles thought. Key Takeaway Embrace adaptable thinking. Themes creativity flexibility growth mindset Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - problem solving - artistic work - team brainstorming - learning new skills Key Concepts Cognitive bias neuroplasticity Questions to Reflect On - When is consistency beneficial? - How can you balance consistency with innovation? A Different Perspective Consistency can provide stability when needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Consistency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consistency/) [Consistency Hobgoblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consistency-hobgoblin-1025054/) [Hobgoblin Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hobgoblin-small-3700683/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small/) [Small minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-minds/) ## Related quotes > [The first complete sentence out of my mouth was probably that line about consistency being the hobgoblin of small minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/the-first-complete-sentence-out-of-my-mouth-was-probably-that-line/) [Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/) > [The need for a rational consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-need-for-a-rational-consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-small-minds/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Thank God for my hobgoblin, small-minded consistency...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-christensen/thank-god-for-my-hobgoblin-small-minded-consistency/) [Kate Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-christensen/) > [“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of feeble minds”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-foolish-consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-feeble-minds/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-cialdini/consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-little-minds/) [Robert B. Cialdini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-cialdini/) > [“Consistency is the virtue of small minds, and Spinoza had a great mind—he was inconsistent all over the place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-holt/consistency-is-the-virtue-of-small-minds-and-spinoza-had-a-great-mind/) [Jim Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-holt/) > [His was not a small mind bothered by logic and consistency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/his-was-not-a-small-mind-bothered-by-logic-and-consistency/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-foolish-consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-little-minds-adored-by/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-foolish-consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-little-minds-adored-by-2/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-foolish-consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-little-minds-adored-by-3/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Consistency may be the hobgoblin of little minds, but law, morality and leadership demand it. Without consistency, there is privilege.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/consistency-may-be-the-hobgoblin-of-little-minds-but-law-morality-and/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) > [Small minds just like light winds can never create giant waves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/small-minds-just-like-light-winds-can-never-create-giant-waves/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Things aren't what they used to be' is the rallying cry of small minds. When men say things used to be better, they invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/things-aren-t-what-they-used-to-be-is-the-rallying-cry-of-small-minds/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [Dont let small minds persuade you that your dreams are too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-let-small-minds-persuade-you-that-your-dreams-are-too-big/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't let small minded people dictate how you should look and be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-molko/don-t-let-small-minded-people-dictate-how-you-should-look-and-be-free/) [Brian Molko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-molko/) ## More by Terence McKenna > [History was an incredibly damaging experience, and now it's over . . . in a sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/history-was-an-incredibly-damaging-experience-and-now-it-s-over-in-a/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The history of man that you don't know is what your unconscious is made out of. Just as the history of yourself that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-history-of-man-that-you-don-t-know-is-what-your-unconscious-is/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [We are consciousness. We may not always be monkeys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-consciousness-we-may-not-always-be-monkeys/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [What is happening here is we are living past the age, by the millions, living past the age where cultural values make any sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/what-is-happening-here-is-we-are-living-past-the-age-by-the-millions/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [What history is, essentially, is a careening, out-of-control effort to find our way back to this state of primordial balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/what-history-is-essentially-is-a-careening-out-of-control-effort-to/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [And what is the primary datum? It's the felt presence of immediate experience. In other words, being here now is the primary datum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/and-what-is-the-primary-datum-it-s-the-felt-presence-of-immediate/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our culture difinitely takes an egocentric dominator view. The fear of the psychedelic experience is quite literally the fear of losing control. Dominator types…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/our-culture-difinitely-takes-an-egocentric-dominator-view-the-fear-of/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Every step into freedom contains within it the potential for greater bondage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/every-step-into-freedom-contains-within-it-the-potential-for-greater/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [This is the message of your life and my life - it’s that nothing lasts. Heraclitus said it: Panta Rhei. All flows, nothing lasts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/this-is-the-message-of-your-life-and-my-life-it-s-that-nothing-lasts/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I often like to think that our map of the world is wrong, that where we have centered physics, we should actually place literature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/i-often-like-to-think-that-our-map-of-the-world-is-wrong-that-where/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Knowledge, or verbal facility, is no proof that you know what you're talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/knowledge-or-verbal-facility-is-no-proof-that-you-know-what-you-re/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [No culture on earth is as heavily narcotized as the industrial West in terms of being inured to the consequences of maladaptive behavior. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/no-culture-on-earth-is-as-heavily-narcotized-as-the-industrial-west/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Man was not put on this planet to toil in the mud. Or the god who put us on this planet to toil in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/man-was-not-put-on-this-planet-to-toil-in-the-mud-or-the-god-who-put/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [If you take psychedelics and the Internet and music and put all of that together you have the basis for a new community that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/if-you-take-psychedelics-and-the-internet-and-music-and-put-all-of/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) [Explore all 745 Terence McKenna quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) ## More Consistency quotes > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [One things guys have to remember is consistency... You can't make up for three years of eating poorly in just one workout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apolo-ohno/one-things-guys-have-to-remember-is-consistency-you-can-t-make-up-for/) [Apolo Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apolo-ohno/) > [I give you everything you want as an artist, for so long. Consistency. Wordplay. Wittiness. You can check the checklist. Only thing I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jadakiss/i-give-you-everything-you-want-as-an-artist-for-so-long-consistency/) [Jadakiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jadakiss/) > [I have always wanted to learn the piano, but because I travel so much, I can never get any consistency of lessons. So everywhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/i-have-always-wanted-to-learn-the-piano-but-because-i-travel-so-much/) [Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/) > [There's always, I guess, a philosophy that if you come in, you want to change all the parts, you want to change everything over.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-gillick/there-s-always-i-guess-a-philosophy-that-if-you-come-in-you-want-to/) [Pat Gillick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-gillick/) > [But change must always be balanced with some degree of consistency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-d-burton/but-change-must-always-be-balanced-with-some-degree-of-consistency/) [Ron D. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-d-burton/) > [“Strong trust is built brick by brick, through honesty, consistency, and showing up even when it’s hard to keep the promise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayoub-imilouane/strong-trust-is-built-brick-by-brick-through-honesty-consistency-and/) [Ayoub Imilouane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayoub-imilouane/) > [I like the consistency of a TV show, but I like it for three months out of my year, not nine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-mack/i-like-the-consistency-of-a-tv-show-but-i-like-it-for-three-months/) [Allison Mack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-mack/) > [The superpowers often behave like two heavily armed blind men feeling their way around a room, each believing himself in mortal peril from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-superpowers-often-behave-like-two-heavily-armed-blind-men-feeling/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“So, whenever you find yourself putting forth great effort without success, you're trying to force something that won't fit under the circumstances. That's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-vigorito/so-whenever-you-find-yourself-putting-forth-great-effort-without/) [Tony Vigorito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-vigorito/) > [To me, style is consistency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/to-me-style-is-consistency/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. If our polls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/about-120-million-of-us-place-the-big-bang-2-500-years-after-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [I've learned over the years that when it comes to success, consistency is key. Consistent hard work that we may not like doing today,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/i-ve-learned-over-the-years-that-when-it-comes-to-success-consistency/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Consistency of performance is essential. You don't have to be exceptional every week but as a minimum you need to be at a level…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-dyche/consistency-of-performance-is-essential-you-don-t-have-to-be/) [Sean Dyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-dyche/) [Browse all 866 Consistency quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consistency/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terence McKenna" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-small-minds/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Consistency" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-small-minds/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/terence-mckenna-287_consistency_consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-small-mi_3151132.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/terence-mckenna-287_consistency_consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-small-mi_3151132.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/terence-mckenna-287_consistency_consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-small-mi_3151132.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.” — Terence McKenna", "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": "Terence McKenna", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Consistency is the hobgoblin of small...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-small-minds/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/consistency-is-the-hobgoblin-of-small-minds/#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 } } ] } ```