--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: develop the habit of employing one of…" description: "\"“develop the habit of employing one of several “consider the opposite” strategies. We can learn to ask ourselves, for example, “Suppose the exact oppos..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/thomas-gilovich-10928_habits_develop-the-habit-of-employing-one-of-se_356659.jpg" --- # develop the habit of employing one of several “consider… ![“develop the habit of employing one of several “consider the opposite” strategies. We can learn to ask ourselves, for example, “Suppose the exact opposite had occurred. Would I consider that outcome to be supportive of my belief as well?” Alternatively, we can ask, “How would someone who does not…” quote by Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/thomas-gilovich-10928_habits_develop-the-habit-of-employing-one-of-se_356659.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/thomas-gilovich-10928_habits_develop-the-habit-of-employing-one-of-se_356659.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/thomas-gilovich-10928_habits_develop-the-habit-of-employing-one-of-se_356659.jpg) > ““develop the habit of employing one of several “consider the opposite” strategies. We can learn to ask ourselves, for example, “Suppose the exact opposite had occurred. Would I consider that outcome to be supportive of my belief as well?” Alternatively, we can ask, “How would someone who does not believe the way I do explain this result?”,”” [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. Encourages using opposite‑thinking to test beliefs and reduce bias. **In simple terms:** Ask yourself opposite scenarios to challenge assumptions. Key Takeaway Use opposite‑thinking to improve judgment. Themes critical thinking bias self‑questioning Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - decision making - personal reflection - problem solving Key Concepts cognitive bias counterfactual reasoning Questions to Reflect On - How often do you consider the opposite of your belief? - What would a skeptic say about this outcome? A Different Perspective Opposite thinking may not capture complex realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief Alternatively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-alternatively-3283850/) [Consider Opposite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consider-opposite-3283849/) [Develop Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/develop-habit-910553/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Opposite Occurred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposite-occurred-1559471/) [Opposite Strategies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposite-strategies-3283848/) ## Related quotes > [I had set out to disprove quantum field theory - and the opposite occurred! I was shocked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/i-had-set-out-to-disprove-quantum-field-theory-and-the-opposite/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [You can develop any habit or thought or behavior that you consider desirable or necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/you-can-develop-any-habit-or-thought-or-behavior-that-you-consider/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [One of the keys to longevity and good health is to develop a habit of gratitude and let go of past hurts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/one-of-the-keys-to-longevity-and-good-health-is-to-develop-a-habit-of/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [“If one has failed to develop curiosity and interest in the early years, it is a good idea to acquire them now, before it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/if-one-has-failed-to-develop-curiosity-and-interest-in-the-early/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [“Whatever you do repeatedly eventually becomes a new habit." In its simplest terms, this means that you can develop any habit of thought or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whatever-you-do-repeatedly-eventually-becomes-a-new-habit-in-its/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to see the negative, but every person has something great about them. Develop a habit of looking for the good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/it-s-easy-to-see-the-negative-but-every-person-has-something-great/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/if-you-are-going-to-achieve-excellence-in-big-things-you-develop-the/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [It takes 21 days to develop a habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxwell-maltz/it-takes-21-days-to-develop-a-habit/) [Maxwell Maltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxwell-maltz/) > [You become highly skilled at whatever you do over again and over again. Every moment offers the opportunity to develop a habit of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-48/you-become-highly-skilled-at-whatever-you-do-over-again-and-over/) [George 48](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-48/) > [“I am selfish by habit, but sacrificial by nature. Therefore, I’d be wise to develop the habit of following my nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/i-am-selfish-by-habit-but-sacrificial-by-nature-therefore-i-d-be-wise/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [My dad taught me that to be a writer is a decision and a habit. 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If you do something over and over again, you develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/if-you-want-to-develop-courage-then-simply-act-courageously-when-it-s/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [My father really taught me that you really develop the habit of writing and you sit down at the same time every day, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/my-father-really-taught-me-that-you-really-develop-the-habit-of/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [The way to develop the habit of savoring is to pause when something is beautiful and good and catches our attention - the sound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/the-way-to-develop-the-habit-of-savoring-is-to-pause-when-something/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [My natural tendency is to complicate everything--and then to spray words and ideas onto everything afterwards. I've had to develop the habit of keeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/my-natural-tendency-is-to-complicate-everything-and-then-to-spray/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More by Thomas Gilovich > [“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/) > [“As part of this research, one group of participants was asked which two countries are more similar to one another, East Germany and West…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/as-part-of-this-research-one-group-of-participants-was-asked-which/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [“Finally, it has been shown that the tendency for people to think of themselves as above average is reduced—even for ambiguous traits—when people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/finally-it-has-been-shown-that-the-tendency-for-people-to-think-of/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [“It appears that the probabilistic sciences of psychology and medicine teach their students to apply statistical and methodological rules to both scientific and everyday-life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/it-appears-that-the-probabilistic-sciences-of-psychology-and-medicine/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [“To live, it seems, is to explain, to justify, and to find coherence among diverse outcomes, characteristics, and causes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/to-live-it-seems-is-to-explain-to-justify-and-to-find-coherence-among/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [“social psychologist Ziva Kunda, who argues that people are indeed more likely to believe things they want to believe, but that their capacity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/social-psychologist-ziva-kunda-who-argues-that-people-are-indeed-more/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [We humans seem to be extremely good at generating ideas, theories, and explanations that have the ring of plausibility. We may be relatively deficient,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/we-humans-seem-to-be-extremely-good-at-generating-ideas-theories-and/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [“our difficulty in accurately recognizing random arrangements of events can lead us to believe things that are not true—to believe something is systematic, ordered,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/our-difficulty-in-accurately-recognizing-random-arrangements-of/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [“We therefore should be more skeptical than we seem to be about evidence presented to us secondhand. We should become accustomed to asking ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/we-therefore-should-be-more-skeptical-than-we-seem-to-be-about/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [“In other words, when testing a hypothesis of similarity, people look for evidence of similarity rather than dissimilarity, and when testing a hypothesis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/in-other-words-when-testing-a-hypothesis-of-similarity-people-look/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [What we believe is heavily influenced by what we think others believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/what-we-believe-is-heavily-influenced-by-what-we-think-others-believe/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [“Unfortunately, psychology has not adequately come to grips with the difficult subject of entertainment (or with its opposite, boredom). Despite a few initial efforts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/unfortunately-psychology-has-not-adequately-come-to-grips-with-the/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [“confirmatory events are in fact much more memorable than non-confirmatory events.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/confirmatory-events-are-in-fact-much-more-memorable-than-non/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [“Perhaps the most general and most important mental habit to instill is an appreciation of the folly of trying to draw conclusions from incomplete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/perhaps-the-most-general-and-most-important-mental-habit-to-instill/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) > [“As a consequence, very tall parents tend to have tall children, but not as tall (on average) as they are themselves;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gilovich/as-a-consequence-very-tall-parents-tend-to-have-tall-children-but-not/) [Thomas Gilovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) [Explore all 62 Thomas Gilovich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gilovich/) ## More Habits quotes > [“Malchut is also the Alma D’Itgalya, “the Revealed World.” Here our latent potential is actualized through behavior and expression.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laibl-wolf/malchut-is-also-the-alma-d-itgalya-the-revealed-world-here-our-latent/) [Laibl Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laibl-wolf/) > [I would drink gallons of coffee a day. 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Unfortunately, so is losing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/winning-is-a-habit-unfortunately-so-is-losing/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [“the mind-numbing routine. It was the castration of thought,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-mind-numbing-routine-it-was-the-castration-of-thought/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. 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