--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A long habit of not thinking a thing…" description: "\"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.\" — Thomas Paine" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/thomas-paine-267_appearance_a-long-habit-of-not-thinking-a-thing-wro_2031977.png" --- # A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a… ![“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.” quote by Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/thomas-paine-267_appearance_a-long-habit-of-not-thinking-a-thing-wro_2031977.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/thomas-paine-267_appearance_a-long-habit-of-not-thinking-a-thing-wro_2031977.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/thomas-paine-267_appearance_a-long-habit-of-not-thinking-a-thing-wro_2031977.png) > “A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.” [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Repeatedly ignoring a fault makes it seem acceptable, masking its wrongness **In simple terms:** Ignoring errors normalizes them Key Takeaway Question vigilance against complacency Themes morality critical thinking self‑awareness Mood thoughtful cautious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily decision making - leadership - policy making - education Key Concepts cognitive bias ethical standards personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What habits hide your blind spots? - How can you challenge accepted norms? A Different Perspective Blind spots can persist without scrutiny ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“a long habit of not thinking a thing WRONG, gives it a superficial appearance of being RIGHT, and raises at first a formidable outcry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/a-long-habit-of-not-thinking-a-thing-wrong-gives-it-a-superficial/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Give your behavior and conduct more importance than how you look, what you're dressed in and everything else that's superficial in appearance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mufti-ismail-menk/give-your-behavior-and-conduct-more-importance-than-how-you-look-what/) [Mufti Ismail Menk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mufti-ismail-menk/) > [“The gaze of others is quite without indulgence for our defects and that of Mantegna is pitiless. I am grateful to him. Harshness, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-ferranti/the-gaze-of-others-is-quite-without-indulgence-for-our-defects-and/) Marie Ferranti > [A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/a-long-habit-of-not-thinking-a-thing-wrong-gives-it-a-superficial-3/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [As long as habit and routine dictate the pattern of living, new dimensions of the soul will not emerge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/as-long-as-habit-and-routine-dictate-the-pattern-of-living-new/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [“My father from long habit took a book with him to the table and then, remembering my presence, furtively dropped it under his chair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/my-father-from-long-habit-took-a-book-with-him-to-the-table-and-then/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [The long habit of living indisposeth us for dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-long-habit-of-living-indisposeth-us-for-dying/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Long habit so reconciles us to almost any thing, that the grossest improprieties cease to strike us when they once make a part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/long-habit-so-reconciles-us-to-almost-any-thing-that-the-grossest/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [Wine from long habit has become an indispensable for my health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/wine-from-long-habit-has-become-an-indispensable-for-my-health/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Could truth perhaps be a woman who has reasons for not permitting her reasons to be seen? 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