--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don’t let others do your thinking for…" description: "\"“Don’t let others do your thinking for you. Do your own research. Do your own investigation. Don’t just accept something because it sounds right; the b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/terence-thirteen-31168_close-minded_don-t-let-others-do-your-thinking-for-yo_2754419.jpg" --- # Don’t let others do your thinking for you. Do your own… ![“Don’t let others do your thinking for you. Do your own research. Do your own investigation. Don’t just accept something because it sounds right; the best lies sound truthful. Don’t just dismiss something because it sounds far-fetched; sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction. Being completely…” quote by Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/terence-thirteen-31168_close-minded_don-t-let-others-do-your-thinking-for-yo_2754419.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/terence-thirteen-31168_close-minded_don-t-let-others-do-your-thinking-for-yo_2754419.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/terence-thirteen-31168_close-minded_don-t-let-others-do-your-thinking-for-yo_2754419.jpg) > ““Don’t let others do your thinking for you. Do your own research. Do your own investigation. Don’t just accept something because it sounds right; the best lies sound truthful. Don’t just dismiss something because it sounds far-fetched; sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction. Being completely open-minded is bad, in a whole different way from being completely close-minded but both are bad. Strive for an open but analytical and critical mind.”” [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Open‑mindedness must be paired with analysis; both extreme openness and closedness are harmful. **In simple terms:** Think critically, not just openly. Key Takeaway Balance openness with scrutiny. Themes critical thinking open‑mindedness analysis truth Mood analytical cautious Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - research - debate - media consumption Key Concepts cognitive bias skepticism intellectual humility Questions to Reflect On - How do you evaluate new information? - When is skepticism too strong? A Different Perspective Over‑analysis can lead to paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Close minded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-minded/) [Critical Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critical-mind-1672278/) [Let Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-thinking-1772464/) [Open minded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-minded/) [Sound Truthful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound-truthful-3123984/) [Stranger than fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranger-than-fiction/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-is-stranger-than-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [Truth is stranger than fiction; fiction has to make sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/truth-is-stranger-than-fiction-fiction-has-to-make-sense/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [I've played drug dealers, all my life. I've made a career of killing people and playing all kinds of killers. The violence and drugs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benicio-del-toro/i-ve-played-drug-dealers-all-my-life-i-ve-made-a-career-of-killing/) [Benicio Del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benicio-del-toro/) > [The truth is stranger than fiction . . . and often more incriminating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-cox/the-truth-is-stranger-than-fiction-and-often-more-incriminating/) [Greg Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-cox/) > ['Fargo' becomes a metaphor for a type of true crime case where truth is stranger than fiction. So, there's no reason that there isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/fargo-becomes-a-metaphor-for-a-type-of-true-crime-case-where-truth-is/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [As the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction. But only when the reality has not been subsumed by foamy legends and fantasies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brock-yates/as-the-saying-goes-truth-is-stranger-than-fiction-but-only-when-the/) [Brock Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brock-yates/) > [Truth is stranger than fiction, which is why reality TV is so popular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dubrow/truth-is-stranger-than-fiction-which-is-why-reality-tv-is-so-popular/) [Heather Dubrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dubrow/) > [They say truth is stranger than fiction. If that's true, it's stranger than it would be if it wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king-aka-the-covert-comic/they-say-truth-is-stranger-than-fiction-if-that-s-true-it-s-stranger/) [John Alejandro King Aka The Covert Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king-aka-the-covert-comic/) > [I think that truth is stranger than fiction, and it's nice to know the people you're making a movie about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schnabel/i-think-that-truth-is-stranger-than-fiction-and-it-s-nice-to-know-the/) [Julian Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schnabel/) > [In some ways truth is stranger than fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-van-peebles/in-some-ways-truth-is-stranger-than-fiction/) [Mario Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-van-peebles/) > [You need to understand that truth is stranger than fiction. Listen: people are willing to swallow any old tripe as long as you say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-silvey/you-need-to-understand-that-truth-is-stranger-than-fiction-listen/) [Craig Silvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-silvey/) > [“Truth is stranger than fiction...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/truth-is-stranger-than-fiction/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-s-no-wonder-that-truth-is-stranger-than-fiction-fiction-has-to/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“Anyone who claims that truth is stranger than fiction has never gazed into a writer's mind, or read my stories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucian-barnes/anyone-who-claims-that-truth-is-stranger-than-fiction-has-never-gazed/) [Lucian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucian-barnes/) > [ When it \[truth\] emerges it often bears out the saying that 'truth is stranger than fiction.' A novelist has to appear plausible, and would… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/when-it-truth-emerges-it-often-bears-out-the-saying-that-truth-is/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [“I cannot say that truth is stranger than fiction, because I have never had acquaintance with either.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/i-cannot-say-that-truth-is-stranger-than-fiction-because-i-have-never/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) ## More by Terence Thirteen > [“I’ll have you know; there was NO screaming... I’m a manly man. I may have blistered the paint off the walls, in places, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/i-ll-have-you-know-there-was-no-screaming-i-m-a-manly-man-i-may-have/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [“Space will not forgive a MISTAKE, so MIS nothing and TAKE nothing for granted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/space-will-not-forgive-a-mistake-so-mis-nothing-and-take-nothing-for/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [“Believing that random probability is the answer to ‘Life, the Universe and Everything’ is like believing that a spherical die, thrown from the top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/believing-that-random-probability-is-the-answer-to-life-the-universe/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [“No one really gives a ‘who who’ over who says who or whom, except for a few humorless ‘whomorists’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/no-one-really-gives-a-who-who-over-who-says-who-or-whom-except-for-a/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [“There is a certain eavesdropping, peeping tom Agency, out there, that first wanted us to believe that there was ‘No Such Agency’ and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/there-is-a-certain-eavesdropping-peeping-tom-agency-out-there-that/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [“In Scientology, we believe that bad science fiction is so much more, than just bad science and bad fiction; it’s the basis for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/in-scientology-we-believe-that-bad-science-fiction-is-so-much-more/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [“I now view theoretical physicists the same way I view politicians. If their lips are moving, they’re lying. If their lips aren’t moving, they’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/i-now-view-theoretical-physicists-the-same-way-i-view-politicians-if/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [“On the subject of Harry Potter and Quidditch: A guy, riding a big stick, with a bushy base and playing with balls, is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/on-the-subject-of-harry-potter-and-quidditch-a-guy-riding-a-big-stick/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [“It is a regrettable reality that, all too often, intelligence is used to indoctrinate the masses, with idiocy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/it-is-a-regrettable-reality-that-all-too-often-intelligence-is-used/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [“When one thinks clearly and begins a rational, logical examination of Einsteinian physics, you discover that the errors are everywhere and require a multitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/when-one-thinks-clearly-and-begins-a-rational-logical-examination-of/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [“If you have to invent a new language, to explain something, you’re talking hogwash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/if-you-have-to-invent-a-new-language-to-explain-something-you-re/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [“I had thought to send a gift basket of Alaskan delicacies and local produce but I figured that, frozen fish and a tree log,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/i-had-thought-to-send-a-gift-basket-of-alaskan-delicacies-and-local/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [“The only way and place you can warp space or time is in the human mind; in the physical world it’s impossible because neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/the-only-way-and-place-you-can-warp-space-or-time-is-in-the-human/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [“When theoretical physicists have no clue what something is, how it works or what the hell is going on, they start tacking the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/when-theoretical-physicists-have-no-clue-what-something-is-how-it/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [“When faced with mass lunacy, you have one of three choices. You can drink the Kool-Aid, along with the rest, you can shake your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/when-faced-with-mass-lunacy-you-have-one-of-three-choices-you-can/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) [Explore all 16 Terence Thirteen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) ## More Close minded quotes > [We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-remember-that-intelligence-is-not-enough-intelligence-plus/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [To me, anything that is a church is really just far too close minded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/to-me-anything-that-is-a-church-is-really-just-far-too-close-minded/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [“Its unfortunate that the close minded will never free themselves of knowing. Lying to themselves so they don't have to face the unknown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-koukol/its-unfortunate-that-the-close-minded-will-never-free-themselves-of/) [Zachary Koukol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-koukol/) > [Liberals are the most close minded self centered people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/liberals-are-the-most-close-minded-self-centered-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I just think that most of the people are very close minded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-chiu/i-just-think-that-most-of-the-people-are-very-close-minded/) [Alex Chiu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-chiu/) > [I'm not approachable by someone who says, "Let's try some drugs," or something like that. I'm absolutely close-minded about that kind of thing. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/i-m-not-approachable-by-someone-who-says-let-s-try-some-drugs-or/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Honestly, being a doctor could make you more close minded than regular people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-chiu/honestly-being-a-doctor-could-make-you-more-close-minded-than-regular/) [Alex Chiu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-chiu/) > [Close-minded people think they know the whole truth already. They no longer listen to others who do not share their views and beliefs. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-randymar/close-minded-people-think-they-know-the-whole-truth-already-they-no/) [Joel Randymar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-randymar/) > [I like to think outside the box. Look in deeper to what's really going on. I can't stand close minded, shallow people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-like-to-think-outside-the-box-look-in-deeper-to-what-s-really-going/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Being bigheaded can be as irritating and as dangerous as being small-minded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/being-bigheaded-can-be-as-irritating-and-as-dangerous-as-being-small/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Being called close-minded by religious people is a bit like being called yellow by a bunch of bananas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-condell/being-called-close-minded-by-religious-people-is-a-bit-like-being/) [Pat Condell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-condell/) > [Most good police officers are very open-minded. The bad ones are the ones who are close-minded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/most-good-police-officers-are-very-open-minded-the-bad-ones-are-the/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [Science is a method, not a religion, yet it can be just as close-minded. Open minds here Claire. Always open minds. Question everything, accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/science-is-a-method-not-a-religion-yet-it-can-be-just-as-close-minded/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [I accept that you are close minded. Would you mind being closed mouthed as well?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-accept-that-you-are-close-minded-would-you-mind-being-closed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Insecure people often falsify the past, in order to make the future pure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/insecure-people-often-falsify-the-past-in-order-to-make-the-future/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) [Browse all 47 Close minded quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-minded/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Don’t let others do your thinking for you. Do your own research. Do your own investigation. Don’t just accept something because it sounds right; the best lies sound truthful. Don’t just dismiss something because it sounds far-fetched; sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction. 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