Giving importance to what we think because we thought it, taking our own selves not only (to quote the Greek philosopher) as the measure of all things but as their norm or standard, we create in ourselves, if not an interpretation, at least a criticism of the universe, which we don't even know and therefore cannot criticize. The giddiest, most weak-minded of us then promote that criticism to an interpretation that's superimposed, like a hallucination; induced rather than deduced. It's a hallucination in the strict sense, being an illusion based on something only dimly seen. Fernando Pessoa
About This Quote

Albert Einstein said, “Giving importance to what we think because we thought it, taking our own selves not only (to quote the Greek philosopher) as the measure of all things but as their norm or standard, we create in ourselves, if not an interpretation, at least a criticism of the universe, which we don't even know and therefore cannot criticize. The giddiest, most weak-minded of us then promote that criticism to an interpretation that's superimposed, like a hallucination; induced rather than deduced. It's a hallucination in the strict sense, being an illusion based on something only dimly seen.” The key here is to be aware of how you are thinking and what you are thinking about. It is a common mistake for people to think that the way they think about something is how it actually is.

This then leads people to form a negative opinion on something just because they have a negative opinion of it. A good example of this is if someone says they don't like coffee because it is bitter or they say they don't like tea because it tastes too strong. In reality, these people dislike coffee because it has been watered down or tea because it has been made from cheap ingredients.

They have formed their opinions based on their own thoughts and not on the actual facts on the matter. To be more objective and begin to think rationally about your world you must simply observe and take note of how you think about things instead of letting your thoughts influence your feelings and actions in real life situations.

Source: The Education Of The Stoic

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