Rene Descartes Quotes

Common sense is the most fairly distributed thing in the world, for each one thinks he is so well-endowed with it that even those who are hardest to satisfy in all other matters are not in the habit of desiring more of it than they already have.

If you think everything you've done is great, you're probably dumb.

When you talk yourself, you think how witty, how original, how acute you are; but when another does so, you are very apt to think only - What a crib from Rochefoucauld!

If I have learned one thing in life, it is never to take any man's own estimate of himself. He could very well be mistaken.

The whole shadow of Man is only as big as his hat.

Humans naturally think more highly of themselves and their communities than their evidence can justify, but deny that they are biased in this way. This sincere confidence helps people to convince others to think highly of them, and to convince their group of their strong attachment to it. If you force yourself to face facts squarely you may gain better insight into yourself and human nature, and perhaps even signal a certain rare ability to achieve this result. But you may less convince others of your other abilities, and to convince your group of your loyalty

I'm not great enough to be humble.

It's hubris to think that the way we see things is everything there is.

A strong sense of identity gives man an idea he can do no wrong; too little accomplishes the same..

Never underestimate a man who overestimates himself.

For people at the bottom who are really doing badly — those in the bottom 10th or 15th percentile — they think their work falls in the 60th or 55th percentile, so, above average. People at the bottom still think they're outperforming other people.

I think I'm the best at everything that I do. I may be biased because it's me. But if you ask me that, that's what I'm going to tell you.

If you don't think you're hurt, then you aren't

For such is the nature of men, that howsoever they may acknowledge many others to be more witty, or more eloquent, or more learned, yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves, for they see their own wit at hand, and other men's at a distance. But this proveth rather that men are in that point equal, than unequal. For there is not ordinarily a greater sign of the equal distribution of any thing than that every man is contented with his share.

If I started thinking too much about how influential I've been, then I'd be more of a turd than I already am.

Let's face it, most of us are not half as smart as we may sometimes think we are-- and for intellectuals, not one-tenth as smart.

Humility is to make a right estimate of oneself. It is no humility for a man to think less of himself than he ought.

We measure everything by ourselves with almost a necessary conceit.

The wisest man is generally he who thinks himself the least so.

The man who is cocksure that he has arrived is ready for the return journey.

If what we think of ourselves were true, the planet would overflow with geniuses.

Man is not what he thinks he is, but what he thinks, he is.

I think if you're going on thinking oh, I can do this with my eyes shut, then it's probably not the right thing to be doing, you know.

MAN, n. An animal so lost in rapturous contemplation of what he thinks he is as to overlook what he indubitably ought to be.

When you win, you don't examine it very much, except to congratulate yourself. You easily, and wrongly, assume it has something to do with your rare qualities as a person. But winning only measures how hard you've worked and how physically talented you are; it doesn't particularly define you beyond those characteristics.