--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You believe what you want to believe" description: "\"You believe what you want to believe\" — Tom Petty" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/tom-petty-2030_barometer_you-believe-what-you-want-to-believe-164_1646106.png" --- # You believe what you want to believe ![“You believe what you want to believe” quote by Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/tom-petty-2030_barometer_you-believe-what-you-want-to-believe-164_1646106.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/tom-petty-2030_barometer_you-believe-what-you-want-to-believe-164_1646106.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/tom-petty-2030_barometer_you-believe-what-you-want-to-believe-164_1646106.png) > “You believe what you want to believe” [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People tend to accept ideas that align with their desires, often ignoring contrary evidence. **In simple terms:** Beliefs follow desires. Key Takeaway Question your assumptions. Themes psychology belief bias Mood reflective critical Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal growth - decision making - media consumption Key Concepts cognitive dissonance confirmation bias Questions to Reflect On - How do your desires shape your beliefs? - What evidence would change your mind? A Different Perspective Beliefs can be challenged by facts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Barometer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barometer/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-want/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-believe/) [What you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-you-want/) ## Related quotes > [You believe what you want to believe. You see, you don't have to live like a refugee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/you-believe-what-you-want-to-believe-you-see-you-don-t-have-to-live/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [People are going to believe what they want to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-bilzerian/people-are-going-to-believe-what-they-want-to-believe/) [Dan Bilzerian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-bilzerian/) > [“And so, let me repeat: who wants to believe - let them believe. But I do not want to believe, I want to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-borun-and-a-trepka/and-so-let-me-repeat-who-wants-to-believe-let-them-believe-but-i-do/) [K. Borun and A. Trepka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-borun-and-a-trepka/) > [“Well, the question is, what do you want to believe? Do you want to live in a world where things are possible, or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-na-roy/well-the-question-is-what-do-you-want-to-believe-do-you-want-to-live/) [Léna Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-na-roy/) > [“I think people believe what they want to believe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-think-people-believe-what-they-want-to-believe/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [People are gonna believe what they want to believe And like I said before, I really don't give a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-harding/people-are-gonna-believe-what-they-want-to-believe-and-like-i-said/) [Tonya Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-harding/) > [People believe what they want to believe. You have to run your race and be proud of the person you see in the mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-richman/people-believe-what-they-want-to-believe-you-have-to-run-your-race/) [Adam Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-richman/) > [We believe whatever we want to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/we-believe-whatever-we-want-to-believe/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [We clearly see in God's Word that anything He tells us to do, He will give us the ability to do it. But do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/we-clearly-see-in-god-s-word-that-anything-he-tells-us-to-do-he-will/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“I believed, I believe, I want to believe, and I will believe”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/i-believed-i-believe-i-want-to-believe-and-i-will-believe/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“People always believe what they want to believe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-always-believe-what-they-want-to-believe/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [We believe what we want to believe, what we like to believe, what suits our prejudices and fuels our passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/we-believe-what-we-want-to-believe-what-we-like-to-believe-what-suits/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [To believe, it seemed, one had to want to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/to-believe-it-seemed-one-had-to-want-to-believe/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [We find ourselves in that situation where we want to believe, we want to think we're the exception, we want to think we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/we-find-ourselves-in-that-situation-where-we-want-to-believe-we-want/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/i-m-a-skeptic-not-because-i-do-not-want-to-believe-but-because-i-want/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) ## More by Tom Petty > [Where the sky begins, the horizon ends, despite the best intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/where-the-sky-begins-the-horizon-ends-despite-the-best-intentions/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [As time goes by, you seem to weed out the things that were making your life hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/as-time-goes-by-you-seem-to-weed-out-the-things-that-were-making-your/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [I would never put my songs in a commercial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/i-would-never-put-my-songs-in-a-commercial/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [Take back your insurance, baby, nothing is guaranteed. Take back your acid rain, let your TV bleed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/take-back-your-insurance-baby-nothing-is-guaranteed-take-back-your/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [The great thing about the Wilburys was that none of us had to take the heat by ourselves. I was just a member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/the-great-thing-about-the-wilburys-was-that-none-of-us-had-to-take/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [I don't believe in censorship, but I do believe that an artist has to take some moral responsibility for what he or she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/i-don-t-believe-in-censorship-but-i-do-believe-that-an-artist-has-to/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [Any time you're making a living at what you love to do, you're blessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/any-time-you-re-making-a-living-at-what-you-love-to-do-you-re-blessed/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [A rebel without a clue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/a-rebel-without-a-clue/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [If you look around at America, that's one of its biggest problems is you have corporations that can never be pleased at a profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/if-you-look-around-at-america-that-s-one-of-its-biggest-problems-is/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [Even the losers get lucky sometimes. Even the losers keep a little bit of pride. They get lucky sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/even-the-losers-get-lucky-sometimes-even-the-losers-keep-a-little-bit/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [If you stretch your imagination, I'll tell you all a tale, about a time when everything wasn't up for sale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/if-you-stretch-your-imagination-i-ll-tell-you-all-a-tale-about-a-time/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [Buy me a drink, sing me a song; take me as I come, cause I can't stay long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/buy-me-a-drink-sing-me-a-song-take-me-as-i-come-cause-i-can-t-stay/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [I never could have dreamed that her heart was so wicked, but I keep coming back because it's so hard to kick it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/i-never-could-have-dreamed-that-her-heart-was-so-wicked-but-i-keep/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [She's a good girl, crazy about Elvis, loves horses, and her boyfriend, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/she-s-a-good-girl-crazy-about-elvis-loves-horses-and-her-boyfriend-too/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [I'm more interested in what I'm going to leave behind me than in making a big hit record. I've refined what I do for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/i-m-more-interested-in-what-i-m-going-to-leave-behind-me-than-in/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) [Explore all 190 Tom Petty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) ## More Barometer quotes > [As I and the rest of my Pittsburgh Steelers teammates prepared that week in late December 1974, we knew one thing: The road to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-greene/as-i-and-the-rest-of-my-pittsburgh-steelers-teammates-prepared-that/) [Joe Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-greene/) > [This sentiment of self-contempt is a frequent one in young people of both sexes. Their valuation of themselves varies as much as the barometer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphry-davy/this-sentiment-of-self-contempt-is-a-frequent-one-in-young-people-of/) [Humphry Davy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphry-davy/) > [My body and its condition are a barometer that is always trying to tell me which direction to go for my maximum creativity, health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-northrup/my-body-and-its-condition-are-a-barometer-that-is-always-trying-to/) [Christiane Northrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-northrup/) > [I can assure you that everyone that talks to me doesn't share my views. I seem to be a barometer of public opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-bernardi/i-can-assure-you-that-everyone-that-talks-to-me-doesn-t-share-my/) [Cory Bernardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-bernardi/) > [The barometer that shows "variable" is an ironic indictment of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-bergam-n/the-barometer-that-shows-variable-is-an-ironic-indictment-of-god/) [Jose Bergamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-bergam-n/) > [“Dignity is pride’s barometer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/dignity-is-pride-s-barometer/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [The audience is the barometer of the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbra-streisand/the-audience-is-the-barometer-of-the-truth/) [Barbra Streisand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbra-streisand/) > [Day by day. No yesterdays and no tomorrows. The barometer never changes, the flag is always at half-mast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/day-by-day-no-yesterdays-and-no-tomorrows-the-barometer-never-changes/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Jazz is a good barometer of freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duke-ellington/jazz-is-a-good-barometer-of-freedom/) [Duke Ellington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duke-ellington/) > [No matter how you feel about your extended family or family gatherings you will be attending. This is because now the ultimate reason for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/no-matter-how-you-feel-about-your-extended-family-or-family/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [Children, like dogs, have so sharp and fine a scent that they detect and hunt out everything--the bad before all the rest. They also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/children-like-dogs-have-so-sharp-and-fine-a-scent-that-they-detect/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [If we were to use the success of 'Need You Now' as the barometer for every other song, then we'll probably be highly disappointed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kelley/if-we-were-to-use-the-success-of-need-you-now-as-the-barometer-for/) [Charles Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kelley/) > [When there's something that impacts a family member or friend, that is difficult for them, you want to do what you can to help.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-latifah/when-there-s-something-that-impacts-a-family-member-or-friend-that-is/) [Queen Latifah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-latifah/) > [Since when was the stock market an accurate barometer of anything?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hailey/since-when-was-the-stock-market-an-accurate-barometer-of-anything/) [Arthur Hailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hailey/) > [When you run a company, you need to be pretty open-minded. There are a lot of different views on faith, on religion, on many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-run-a-company-you-need-to-be-pretty-open-minded-there-are-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 94 Barometer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barometer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You believe what you want to believe", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Petty" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/you-believe-what-you-want-to-believe/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Barometer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/you-believe-what-you-want-to-believe/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/tom-petty-2030_barometer_you-believe-what-you-want-to-believe-164_1646106.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/tom-petty-2030_barometer_you-believe-what-you-want-to-believe-164_1646106.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/tom-petty-2030_barometer_you-believe-what-you-want-to-believe-164_1646106.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You believe what you want to believe” — Tom Petty", "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": "Tom Petty", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You believe what you want to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/you-believe-what-you-want-to-believe/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/you-believe-what-you-want-to-believe/#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 } } ] } ```