--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Consider the common belief among some…" description: "\"“Consider the common belief among some segments of the population that “the only way to get anywhere with the opposite sex is to come on strong.” Someo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/695/thomas-gilovich-10928_faith_consider-the-common-belief-among-some-se_587891.jpg" --- # Consider the common belief among some segments of the… ![“Consider the common belief among some segments of the population that “the only way to get anywhere with the opposite sex is to come on strong.” Someone who holds such a belief will consistently come on strong and, at some point, will succeed in meeting his or her objective. The occasional…” quote by Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/695/thomas-gilovich-10928_faith_consider-the-common-belief-among-some-se_587891.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/695/thomas-gilovich-10928_faith_consider-the-common-belief-among-some-se_587891.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/695/thomas-gilovich-10928_faith_consider-the-common-belief-among-some-se_587891.jpg) > ““Consider the common belief among some segments of the population that “the only way to get anywhere with the opposite sex is to come on strong.” Someone who holds such a belief will consistently come on strong and, at some point, will succeed in meeting his or her objective. The occasional success, however rare, will then be attributed to the choice of tactics, and its effectiveness will seem to be an unassailable fact of the person’s own experience. Because no single failure serves to disconfirm the strategy’s effectiveness (after all, nothing works all the time), the only way it can be shown to be ineffective is by discovering that the rate of success is lower with this strategy than with others. Given that alternative techniques are rarely if ever employed, the person is in no danger of having his or her favorite theories disabused.”” [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often overvalue a single successful experience and ignore many failures, reinforcing ineffective tactics as if they were proven. **In simple terms:** Successes are remembered, failures ignored, leading to false confidence in a strategy. Key Takeaway Test multiple approaches and track overall success rates. Themes cognition bias decisionmaking relationships confidence Mood skeptical analytical reflective Type advisory analytical reflective When to use this quote - dating - sales negotiations - team leadership - marketing campaigns Key Concepts confirmation bias availability heuristic self‑serving bias Questions to Reflect On - How do you evaluate the true success rate of a tactic? - What alternative strategies could you try? A Different Perspective Effectiveness may vary across contexts; single successes can be misleading. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Occasional Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasional-success-4818590/) [Strategy Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy-given-4818591/) [Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Success Rare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-rare-572554/) [Tactics Effectiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tactics-effectiveness-4818589/) ## Related quotes > [“This tendency to focus too heavily on the occasional success is helped along by an asymmetry in the way we evaluate success and failure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/this-tendency-to-focus-too-heavily-on-the-occasional-success-is/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [Success is less rare than the courage to attempt it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-rossio/success-is-less-rare-than-the-courage-to-attempt-it/) [Terry Rossio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-rossio/) > [“Success is a rare occurrence while failure is in abundance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taskinsoy/success-is-a-rare-occurrence-while-failure-is-in-abundance/) [JOHN TASKINSOY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taskinsoy/) > [Success is a rare paint, hides all the ugliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-suckling/success-is-a-rare-paint-hides-all-the-ugliness/) [John Suckling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-suckling/) > [There are two kinds of success. One is the rare kind that comes to the person who has the power to do what no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-are-two-kinds-of-success-one-is-the-rare-kind-that-comes-to-the/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [If success is rare and slow, everybody knows how quick and easy ruin is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/if-success-is-rare-and-slow-everybody-knows-how-quick-and-easy-ruin-is/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [“Chapter 7 takes a psychological truism, “we tend to believe what we think others believe” and turns it around: We tend to think others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/chapter-7-takes-a-psychological-truism-we-tend-to-believe-what-we/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [“It is not the actual, physical exertion that counts towards one’s progress, not the nature of the task but by the spirit of faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-not-the-actual-physical-exertion-that-counts-towards-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The best shows succeed because they tap into a national conversation,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-lewis/the-best-shows-succeed-because-they-tap-into-a-national-conversation/) [Damian Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-lewis/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [My willingness to fail gives me the ability to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/my-willingness-to-fail-gives-me-the-ability-to-succeed/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [The best way to succeed in this world is to act on the advice you give to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-best-way-to-succeed-in-this-world-is-to-act-on-the-advice-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. 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Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Holiness sincerity, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/holiness-sincerity-and-faith/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“The only limitations for your life are the limiting beliefs in your mind. —Matt Morris”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-morris-1/the-only-limitations-for-your-life-are-the-limiting-beliefs-in-your/) [Matt Morris (1](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-morris-1/) > [“Just because your faith is shaken doesn’t mean the faith is shaken. 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