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Governments don't want a population capable of critical thinking, they want obedient workers, people just smart enough to run the machines and just dumb enough to passively accept their situation.You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own, and control the corporations. They've long since bought, and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the state houses, the city halls, they got the judges in their back pockets and they own all the big media companies, so they control just about all of the news and information you get to hear.

Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

Learn to use your brain power. Critical thinking is the key to creative problem solving in business.

Too often we... enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.

Responsibility to yourself means refusing to let others do your thinking, talking, and naming for you; it means learning to respect and use your own brains and instincts; hence, grappling with hard work.

It is not enough to have a good mind. The main thing is to use it well.

If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.

The capacity to innovate - the ability to solve problems creatively or bring new possibilities to life - and skills like critical thinking, communication and collaboration are far more important than academic knowledge.

A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.

The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.

Critical thinking relies on content, because you can't navigate masses of information if you have nothing to navigate to.

Do not indoctrinate your children. Teach them how to think for themselves, how to evaluate evidence, and how to disagree with you.

Critical thinking is what leads to the next breakthroughs in any area.

The most fundamental attack on freedom is the attack on critical thinking skills.

To every complex question there is a simple answer and it is wrong.

The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself.

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

We are approaching a new age of synthesis. Knowledge cannot be merely a degree or a skill... it demands a broader vision, capabilities in critical thinking and logical deduction without which we cannot have constructive progress.

The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one.

Governments don't want a population capable of critical thinking, they want obedient workers, people just smart enough to run the machines and just dumb enough to passively accept their situation.

It is especially important to encourage unorthodox thinking when the situation is critical

Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.

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Famous Quotes Related to Critical Thinking

"Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts." - William Bruce Cameron (often falsely attributed to Albert Einstein)

"What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence." - Samuel Johnson

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." - Aristotle

"The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." - Derek Bok

"It is today we must create the world of the future." - Eleanor Roosevelt

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." - Albert Einstein

"The objective of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives." - Robert Maynard Hutchins

"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't." - Anatole France

"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson "Education would be much more effective if its purpose was to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they do not know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it." - William Haley, British Editor

"Do not confine your children to your own learning for they were born in another time." - Hebrew Proverb

"Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve." - Roger Lewin

"The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." - Henri Bergson, French Philosopher and Educator "If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right." - MARY KAY ASH, American businesswoman

"The man who can make hard things easy is the educator." - RALPH WALDO EMERSON, American writer and philosopher

"Children are apt to live up to what you believe of them." - LADY BIRD JOHNSON, Former First Lady of the United States

"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." - HENRI BERGSON, French Philosopher and Educator

"The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life." - PLATO, Greek Philosopher

"With a smile we should instruct our youth..." - JEAN BAPTISTE MOLIERE, French Playwright

"Children are not vessels to be filled but lamps to be lit." - SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA, Indian Spiritual Leader

"Genius without an education is like silver in the mine." - BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, American Diplomat, Scientist, and Writer

"Education must not simply teach work—it must teach life." - W.E.B. DU BOIS, American Civil Rights Leader and Writer

"Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts." - NIKKI GIOVANNI, American poet

"Teaching is the greatest act of optimism." - COLLEEN WILCOX, American school administrator

"Those of us who are in this world to educate—to care for—young children have a special calling: a calling that has very little to do with the collection of expensive possessions but has a lot to do with worth inside of heads and hearts." - FRED M. ROGERS, Host of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood

"Each student is a unique person and a powerful learner capable of great achievements. I truly marvel at my students' capacity for learning, accomplishment, and growth." - MICHELLE FORMAN, American National Teacher of the Year 2001

"The one real goal of education is to leave a person asking questions." - MAX BEERHOHM, British Critic, Essayist, and Caricaturist "Too often we... enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - JOHN F. KENNEDY

"Out of the questions of students come most of the creative ideas and discoveries." - Ellen Langer

"Invest a few moments in thinking. It will pay good interest." - Author Unknown

"He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever." - CHINESE PROVERB

"No problem can be solved by the same consciousness that created it. We need to see the world anew." - ALBERT EINSTEIN

"The important thing is not to stop questioning." - Albert Einstein

"Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgment, the manner in which information is collected and used." - Carl Sagan

"There is nothing more uncommon than common sense." - FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

"Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve." - ROGER LEWIN, Ph.D., British anthropologist and science writer

"Time given to thought is the greatest time saver of all." - Norman Cousins

"No way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof." - Henry David Thoreau

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." - John Cotton Dana

"Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too" - Voltaire

"Reason obeys itself: ignorance submits to what is dictated to it." - Thomas Paine

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything one learned in school." - Albert Einstein

Critical Thinking Quotes

The ability to think critically is the key to unlocking the door to new possibilities.

Critical thinking is not just about finding the right answers, but also asking the right questions.

Don’t be afraid to challenge your own beliefs and assumptions – that’s where critical thinking begins.

The more you use your critical thinking skills, the stronger they become.

Don’t be satisfied with surface-level answers – dig deeper and think critically.

Critical thinking is like a muscle – it needs exercise to grow stronger.

Question everything – even your own thoughts and opinions.

Critical thinking is the pathway to innovation and progress.

Don’t follow blindly – think critically and forge your own path.

Critical thinking is about examining information from multiple perspectives.

Don’t rely on intuition alone – use critical thinking to make informed decisions.

Critical thinking is not about being right all the time, but about being willing to admit when you’re wrong.

The best ideas come from a place of critical thinking and open-mindedness.

Don’t accept information at face value – think critically and evaluate its credibility.

Thinking critically is not about being negative, but about being objective.

Be curious – critical thinking begins with a genuine desire to learn.

Critical thinking is the antidote to ignorance and prejudice.

Don’t be afraid to question authority – critical thinking requires independent thought.

Embrace complexity – critical thinking thrives in the midst of uncertainty.

Don’t settle for easy answers – critical thinking demands intellectual rigor.

Critical thinking is like a compass – it helps navigate the sea of information.

Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment – critical thinking requires a clear mind.

The power of critical thinking lies in its ability to challenge the status quo.

Don’t be afraid of disagreement – critical thinking thrives in the marketplace of ideas.

Critical thinking is the engine that drives progress and innovation.

Don’t be swayed by popularity – critical thinking demands independent thought.

Question the source – critical thinking requires skepticism.

Don’t be afraid of complexity – critical thinking is a tool for unraveling it.

Critical thinking is not about finding faults, but about seeking truths.

Don’t settle for black and white – critical thinking thrives in shades of gray.

Question your assumptions – critical thinking demands intellectual honesty.

Don’t fear uncertainty – critical thinking embraces ambiguity.

Critical thinking is not about winning arguments, but about seeking understanding.

Don’t be afraid to change your mind – critical thinking requires intellectual flexibility.

Question everything, especially your own biases – critical thinking is about self-reflection.

Don’t accept mediocrity – critical thinking strives for excellence.

Critical thinking is not about being right all the time, but about being willing to learn.

Don’t let fear hold you back – critical thinking requires courage.

Question authority – critical thinking challenges the status quo.

Don’t be satisfied with superficial knowledge – critical thinking demands depth.

Critical thinking is the spark that ignites the fire of curiosity.

Don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know – critical thinking values intellectual humility.

Question your own biases – critical thinking demands self-awareness.

Don’t be swayed by charismatic speakers – critical thinking requires independent thought.

Critical thinking is the compass that guides us through the maze of information.

Don’t let others do the thinking for you – critical thinking requires independent thought.

Question everything, especially your own assumptions – critical thinking demands self-reflection.

Don’t settle for easy answers – critical thinking requires intellectual rigor.

Critical thinking is not about finding faults, but about seeking solutions.

Don’t be satisfied with surface-level understanding – critical thinking delves deeper.

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The Power of Critical Thinking: 56 Critical Thinking Quotes

Critical thinking is an invaluable skill that empowers individuals to assess information, challenge assumptions, and make reasoned judgments. It is a cognitive process that goes beyond memorization and regurgitation of facts, encouraging individuals to explore different perspectives, evaluate evidence, and arrive at independent conclusions.

In today’s fast-paced and information-rich world, the ability to think critically is essential for making informed decisions, solving complex problems, and navigating the complexities of modern society. This article explores the significance of critical thinking, its benefits, and practical strategies to cultivate this skill in our lives.

Read: What Critical Thinking Skills We Require To Win At Our Careers: 5 Major Ones

The Importance of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking serves as a compass for the mind, enabling individuals to discern between fact and fiction, identify biases, and evaluate the credibility of sources. In an era characterized by the proliferation of misinformation and the manipulation of public opinion, critical thinking provides a powerful tool to navigate through the noise and arrive at well-informed conclusions.

Moreover, critical thinking equips individuals with the ability to analyze complex problems systematically. It fosters creativity, enabling the exploration of innovative solutions by challenging conventional wisdom and exploring alternative perspectives. It also encourages open-mindedness and intellectual humility, as critical thinkers recognize the limits of their knowledge and remain receptive to new information and ideas.

Related: 10 Best Critical Thinking Movies With Interesting Endings

Benefits of Critical Thinking

Developing critical thinking skills has numerous advantages that extend beyond individual decision-making. In educational settings, critical thinking fosters a deep understanding of subjects, encourages active engagement, and prepares students for lifelong learning. It equips them with the ability to ask probing questions, engage in meaningful discussions, and evaluate information critically, rather than accepting it at face value.

In professional contexts, critical thinking is highly valued by employers. It enables employees to analyze complex situations, consider multiple variables, and make informed decisions. Critical thinkers are also more adept at problem-solving, as they approach challenges with a systematic and analytical mindset, breaking down problems into manageable components.

Furthermore, critical thinking plays a vital role in democratic societies. Citizens who think critically are more likely to question authority, hold leaders accountable, and actively participate in public discourse. They are better equipped to analyze political arguments, distinguish between valid reasoning and fallacies, and make informed choices during elections.

Recommended: Interview Questions For Critical Thinking No One Tells About

Critical Thinking Quotes

• “Critical thinking is the ability to think for yourself and independently evaluate information, rather than simply accepting what you hear or read.” – Diane Halpern
• “Critical thinking is a survival tool, not just for our species but for our planet.” – Carl Sagan
• “Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better.” – Richard W. Paul
• “The first rule of critical thinking is to ask questions. Be willing to wonder.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is seeing things as they are, not as you want them to be.” – Unknown
• “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
• “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.” – Daniel J. Boorstin
• “The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” – Albert Einstein
• “Critical thinking is the ability to think independently and evaluate information objectively and accurately. It is an essential skill in a world filled with quick opinions, sound bites, and misinformation.” – Edwidge Danticat
• “I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” – Robert Frost
• “A problem well-stated is a problem half-solved.” – Charles Kettering
• “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust
• “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence.” – Albert Einstein
• “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” – Plutarch
• “Wisdom is not the product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” – Albert Einstein
• “Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas.” – Peter A. Facione
• “The value of critical thinking is not only in the answers it produces, but also in the questions it uncovers.” – Unknown
• “To think critically is to embrace uncertainty and ambiguity, and to be comfortable with asking challenging questions.” – Unknown
• “A critical thinker is someone who thinks with reason and objectivity, not influenced solely by emotions or personal biases.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating information to reach informed conclusions.” – Unknown
• “The greatest skill a critical thinker can possess is the ability to change their mind in the face of new evidence and reasoning.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is not about being right; it’s about being open to new perspectives and adjusting our beliefs accordingly.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is a process of continuous learning and improvement, honing our intellectual abilities to make sound judgments.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is like a mental muscle that needs to be exercised regularly to stay strong and agile.” – Unknown
• “The path of critical thinking is paved with curiosity, skepticism, and a commitment to truth-seeking.” – Unknown
• “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” – Plutarch
• “Critical thinking is the ability to think independently, solve problems creatively, and make rational decisions based on evidence and logic.” – Unknown
• “The mark of a well-educated mind is the ability to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
• “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
• “The essence of critical thinking is suspended judgment; the essence of this suspense is inquiry to determine whether or not the judgment is well-founded.” – John Dewey
• “Critical thinking is not just thinking, but thinking which entails self-improvement.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the ability to think independently, analyze information objectively, and make rational decisions.” – Unknown
• “The first rule of critical thinking is to question everything.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is a skill that enables you to analyze and evaluate information objectively and make reasoned judgments.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the key to unlocking the doors of understanding and knowledge.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is a self-directed, self-monitored, and self-disciplined thinking that strives to be fair, clear, and accurate.” – Linda Elder
• “Critical thinking is the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion.” – Unknown
• “The role of critical thinking is to break down problems into their component parts, analyze them, and develop creative solutions.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is like a compass that guides us through the maze of information and helps us make informed choices.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the art of being able to evaluate and analyze information objectively, rather than accepting it at face value.” – Unknown
• “The hallmark of a critical thinker is intellectual humility – the willingness to accept that one’s beliefs may be incorrect.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the ability to ask the right questions and challenge the status quo.” – Unknown
• “The essence of critical thinking is to suspend judgment, seek multiple perspectives, and examine the evidence before arriving at a conclusion.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is not a single skill, but a set of skills that work together to help us navigate the complexities of the world.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is not about being negative; it’s about being discerning and questioning what we are told.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the ability to think independently and make reasoned judgments based on evidence and logical reasoning.” – Unknown
• “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.” – Stephen Hawking
• “Critical thinking is the bridge between knowledge and wisdom.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the intellectual discipline of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information.” – Unknown
• “The mind is like a parachute; it works best when it’s open.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the foundation of rationality and the cornerstone of progress.” – Unknown
• “In a world of information overload, critical thinking is the key to sifting through the noise and finding the signal.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is not just about finding flaws in others’ arguments; it’s about critically examining our own beliefs and biases.” – Unknown
• “The purpose of critical thinking is to empower individuals to think for themselves, question authority, and arrive at their own informed conclusions.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is the art of asking the right questions, challenging assumptions, and seeking evidence to support or refute claims.” – Unknown
• “Critical thinking is not a destination; it’s a lifelong journey of intellectual growth and development.” – Unknown

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Module: Critical thinking

• C01. What is critical thinking?
• C02. Improve our thinking skills
• C03. Defining critical thinking
• C04. Teaching critical thinking
• C05. Beyond critical thinking
• C06. The Cognitive Reflection Test
• C07. Critical thinking assessment
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• C10. History of critical thinking

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Plato is dear to me but dearer still is truth. - Aristotle Absence of thought is indeed a powerful factor in human affairs, statistically speaking the most powerful, not just in the conduct of the many but in the conduct of all. - Hannah Arendt To think and to be fully alive are the same. - Hannah Arendt There are no dangerous thoughts; thinking itself is dangerous. - Hannah Arendt It is a strange desire to seek power and to lose liberty. - Francis Bacon Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider. - Francis Bacon If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties. - Francis Bacon All colours will agree in the dark. - Francis Bacon I carry my thoughts about with me for a long time, often for a very long time, before writing them down. - Ludwig van Beethoven The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think -- rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men. - Bill Beattie Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. - Buddha Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting. - Edmund Burke An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself. - Albert Camus The fact is that if you have not developed language, you simply don't have access to most of human experience, and if you don't have access to experience, then you're not going to be able to think properly. - Noam Chomsky Democratic societies can’t force people. Therefore they have to control what they think. - Noam Chomsky To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge. - Confucius To study and not think is futile. To think and not study is dangerous. - Confucius Acquire new knowledge whilst thinking over the old, and you may become a teacher of others. - Confucius Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. - Noam Chomsky It is all right to say exactly what you think if you have learned to think exactly. - Marcelene Cox Thinking is the hardest work in the world; and most of us will go to great lengths to avoid it. - Louise Dudley The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts. - Charles Darwin I think. Therefore, I am. - Descartes The most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning. - John Dewey We only think when we are confronted with a problem. - John Dewey We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience. - John Dewey Education is a social process; education is growth; education is not preparation for life but is life itself. - John Dewey Anyone who has begun to think, places some portion of the world in jeopardy. - John Dewey Genius was 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. - Thomas Edison Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction. - Albert Einstein I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right. - Albert Einstein The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible. - Albert Einstein Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. - Albert Einstein To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle requires creative imagination and marks real advances in science. - Albert Einstein Intellect annuls fate. So far as a man thinks, he is free. - Ralph Waldo Emerson What is the hardest task in the world? To think. - Ralph Waldo Emerson Be careful that you write accurately rather than much. - Erasmus The force of the temptation which urges us to seek for such evidence and appearances as are in favour of our desires, and to disregard those which oppose them, is wonderfully great. - Michael Faraday If you have knowledge, let others light their candle by it. - Margaret Fuller Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probably reason why so few engage in it. - Henry Ford Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. - Henry Ford All truly wise thoughts have been thought already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, till they take root in our personal experience. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Irrationally held truths may be more harmful than reasoned errors. - Thomas Henry Huxley The heart of man is made to reconcile the most glaring contradictions. - David Hume There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking. - Alfred Korzybski Blind commitment to a theory is not an intellectual virtue: it is an intellectual crime. - Lakatos New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common. - John Locke You see, but you do not observe. - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle It is a mistake to confound strangeness with mystery. - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Men are apt to mistake the strength of their feeling for the strength of their argument. The heated mind resents the chill touch and relentless scrutiny of logic. - William Gladstone What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure. - Samuel Johnson He who has imagination without learning has wings and no feet. - Joseph Joubert The ultimate court of appeal is observation and experiment ... not authority. - Thomas Henry Huxley A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices. - William James Genius means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way. - William James A problem well stated is a problem half solved. - Charles Franklin Kettering Creativity takes courage. - Henri Matisse He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak. - Michel Montaigne As often as a study is cultivated by narrow minds, they will draw from it narrow conclusions. - John Stuart Mill The logic of science is the logic of business and life. - John Stuart Mill What I understand by ‘philosopher’: a terrible explosive in the presence of which everything is in danger. - Friedrich Nietzsche I don’t know what I may seem to the world, but as to myself, I seem only to have been like a boy playing on the sea-shore and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me. - Isaac Newton The great composer does not set to work because he is inspired, but becomes inspired because he is working. - Ernest Newman You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star. - Nietzsche Only the mind cannot be sent into exile. - Ovid Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past. - George Orwell The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish squirting out ink. - George Orwell Man is but a reed, the weakest in nature, but he is a thinking reed. - Blaise Pascal The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas. - Linus Pauling Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. - Blaise Pascal Philosophical habits of mind do not come quicker through fiber optics. Clear thinking is not aided by better dot resolution. Understanding ourselves and feeling for others does not come with a software upgrade. - Linda Ray Pratt All life is problem solving. - Karl Popper No rational argument will have a rational effect on a man who does not want to adopt a rational attitude. - Karl Popper Good tests kill flawed theories; we remain alive to guess again. - Karl Popper Problems are to the mind what exercise is to the muscles; they toughen and make strong. - Norman Vincent Peale If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking. - George Smith Patton Science is built up of facts, as a house is built of stones; but an accumulation of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house. - Henri Poincarè Where observation is concerned, chance favours only the prepared mind. - Louis Pasteur The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web. - Pablo Picasso Thinking is like loving or dying. Each of us must do it for himself. - Josiah Royce Not to be absolutely certain is, I think, one of the essential things in rationality. - Bertrand Russell To acquire immunity to eloquence is of the utmost importance to the citizens of a democracy. - Bertrand Russell To understand the actual world as it is, not as we should wish it to be, is the beginning of wisdom. - Bertrand Russell The most essential characteristic of scientific technique is that it proceeds from experiment, not from tradition. - Bertrand Russell Every man, wherever he goes, is encompassed by a cloud of comforting convictions, which move with him like flies on a summer day. - Bertrand Russell We have, in fact, two kinds of morality side by side; one which we preach but do not practice, and another which we practice but seldom preach. - Bertrand Russell We all have a tendency to think that the world must conform to our prejudices. The opposite view involves some effort of thought, and most people would die sooner than think – in fact they do so. - Bertrand Russell The great majority of men and women, in ordinary times, pass through life without ever contemplating or criticising, as a whole, either their own conditions or those of the world at large. - Bertrand Russell Without effort and change, human life cannot remain good. It is not a finished Utopia that we ought to desire, but a world where imagination and hope are alive and active. - Bertrand Russell Even when all the experts agree, they may well be mistaken. - Bertrand Russell Good reasons must, of force, give place to better. - William Shakespeare The unexamined life is not worth living. - Socrates False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil. - Socrates The advantage of the incomprehensible is that it never loses its freshness. - Paul Valery Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience. - Mary Wollstonecraft The appetites will rule if the mind is vacant. - Mary Wollstonecraft I must be allowed to add some explanatory remarks to bring the subject home to reason—to that sluggish reason, which supinely takes opinions on trust, and obstinately supports them to spare itself the labour of thinking. - Mary Wollstonecraft Some women govern their husbands without degrading themselves, because intellect will always govern. - Mary Wollstonecraft The mind will ever be unstable that has only prejudices to rest on. - Mary Wollstonecraft

And last but not least, let us not forget this quote from the Greek philosopher Diogenes the Cynics:

One original thought is worth a thousand mindless quotings.

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34 Best Learning Quotes For Critical Thinking

Post by Team FM

Last Updated: February 13, 2023

Critical thinking is the ability to make any kind of decision with the help of facts and things around you. It helps people better understand themselves and the things around them. Here are some best inspirational critical thinking quotes that will help you to know the value of critical thinking in your life.

Quotes to Know What is Critical Thinking

1. “Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.” ― Ennis

2. “Critical thinking requires a lot of attention and brain function. When a critical thinking approach is applied to education, it helps the student’s brain function better and understands texts differently.” ― Ennis

Also find: Human Weakness Quotes

3. “The intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.” ― Wikipedia

4. “Disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence.” ― Wikipedia

5. “Purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as an explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, soteriological, or contextual considerations upon which that judgment is based.” ― Wikipedia

6. “The skill and propensity to engage in an activity with reflective skepticism.” ― Wikipedia

7. “An appraisal based on the careful analytical evaluation.” ― Wikipedia

8. “Critical thinking is a type of thinking pattern that requires people to be reflective, and pay attention to decision-making which guides their beliefs and actions. Critical thinking allows people to deduct with more logic, to process sophisticated information and look at various sides of an issue so they can produce more solid conclusions.” ― Wikipedia

9. “Critical thinking is essentially a questioning, challenging approach to knowledge and perceived wisdom. It involves ideas and information from an objective position and then questioning this information in the light of our own values, attitudes and personal philosophy.” ― Wikipedia

Best Thoughts on Critical Thinking

10. “Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better.” ― Richard Paul

11. “Critical Thinking has the potential to be a deeply creative process.” ― Pearl Zhu

12. “Critical Thinking is not automatic thinking. It takes extra effort to think critically.” ― Pearl Zhu

13. “Critical Thinking is also called structured thinking.” ― Pearl Zhu

14. “Critical Thinking brings insight into the situation.” ― Pearl Zhu

15. “Critical thinking doesn’t mean we disparage everything; it means that we try to distinguish between claims with evidence and those without.” ― Daniel J. Levitin

16. “Critical Thinking narrows and creative thinking expands, but they must work in tandem for problem-solving and decision making.” ― Pearl Zhu

17. “We of this age have discovered a shorter and more prudent method to become scholars and wits, without the fatigue of reading or of thinking.” ― Jonathan Swift

18. “Most people do not actually know how to think for themselves, and unfortunately that prevents them from even knowing it.” ― Bryant McGill

19. “Responsibility to yourself means refusing to let others do your thinking, talking, and naming for you; it means learning to respect and use your own brains and instincts; hence, grappling with hard work.” ― Adrienne Rich

20. “When you write a book, you spend day after day scanning and identifying the trees. When you’re done, you have to step back and look at the forest.” ― Stephen King

21. “Put your foot upon the neck of the fear of criticism by reaching a decision not to worry about what other people think, do, or say.” ― Napoleon Hill

22. “Those who make conversations impossible, make escalation inevitable.” ― Stefan Molyneux

23. “Whatever negative things people think and say about you are enough to bring you down provided you believe that it carries a weight that can push you hard. Don’t agree to accept what critics say; be prepared to silence them by doing what they think you can’t do!” ― Israelmore Ayivor

24. “Truth has nothing to do with the conclusion, and everything to do with the methodology.” ― Stefan Molyneux

25. “Most people do not actually know how to think for themselves, and unfortunately that prevents them from even knowing it.” ― Bryant McGill

26. “One of the most important things one can do in life is to brutally question every single thing you are taught.” ― Bryant McGill

Critical Thinking Quotes for Students

27. “Children are rarely taught critical thinking anymore, and society has become so antirational that basic reason and evidence are the new countercultures: thought is the new punk.” ― Stefan Molyneux

28. “Let the improvement of yourself keep you so busy that you have no time to criticize others.” ― Roy T. Bennett

29. “Do not indoctrinate your children. Teach them how to think for themselves, how to evaluate evidence, and how to disagree with you.” ― Richard Dawkins

30. “You have a brain and mind of your own. Use it, and reach your own decisions.” ― Napoleon Hill

31. “The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.” ― Christopher Hitchens

32. “Do not share your thoughts with people who think that what you are thinking is not worth thinking.” ― Michael Bassey Johnson

33. “Think independently and critically, but never forget to think with understanding and love.” ― Debasish Mridha

34. “Instead of complaining, discover ways, tactics, and tricks on how to reach out to people” ― Sunday Adelaja

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7 Powerful Critical Thinking Quotes – Deconstructed

• Self-improvement

Online, you often find yourself surrounded by extracts, maxims, carefully manufactured word combinations. Or if we can place them inside a single category: quotes. Quotes that make you feel hopeful about the future and comfortable with your past. And while reading those your mind gets pumped. When you close the browser. Open the door to life. You start making the same mistakes you ordinarily do.

The fad of sharing quotes never gets old.

I don’t know which one is more popular.

Sharing quotes of famous people like Albert Einstein or sharing cat memes. Probably something in between – an Einstein quote made like a cat meme.

What makes quotes a preferred online asset – for both consumption and creation – can be portrayed in two points:

• Quotes provide packed wisdom and a delusional state of awe.
• The person sharing quotes believes that he’s getting closer to smartness by the mare recitation of wisdom words.

Both of these, are heavily over-represented.

When you read a quote. While it might feel like you are collecting coins that pump your IQ. It’s just a temporary feeling of satisfaction.

You feel motivated – or smarter, or better, or all included. But this mixture of sensations completely vanishes when your finger scrolls down the page.

All of this, might make you wonder…

Why then create a whole post that talks about quotes – critical thinking quotes, as the title suggests?

Why Spend Time Pondering Critical Thinking Quotes?

The main value of words on a page is misunderstood.

We think that the actual words are the main nugget. That’s not the case.

Real gold is always under a layer of thick wrapping.

As we have to remove the packaging to get and use an item we’ve purchased. In a similar fashion, we need to unpack great quotes.

What I mean by unpacking is not just reading a strangely good word combination and then moving along. Rather, stopping to think about what the person said, why he said it, and what we can derive from these words that can make our lives less miserable.

That’s the essence of critical thinking .

You don’t just glance at something and think you understand it. No. You gently grab it. Hold it. And examine it from all sides. Look at it from the microscope of your consciousness to comprehend it. To find the real value hidden inside.

Quotes. Well-crafted words can acquire your attention.

But to leave a lasting impact on your mind. They need to be deconstructed.

That’s what we are going to do below.

I’m taking the best quotes from some of the great thinkers on critical thinking and inspecting them.

While I’m positive that you’ll be familiar with some of the citations below. I’m also sure that we’ll uncover more insights than you’ll ordinarily get when consuming words on a page.

Here we go…

7 Powerful Critical Thinking Quotes:

1. “the value of a college education is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think.” albert einstein.

What’s considered important in school is unusable in real life. You are trained and optimized around remembering facts about the past that make little positive difference about your future. We are rarely taught how to think properly. How to think better .

Surely having a broad understanding of our history is beneficial. Sadly, teachers embed a belief that we should know dates of past events with surgical precious.

And not only in schools. Modern media is also trying to convince us that we should master isolated facts. That richness is in knowing random inputs about all sorts of things.

That’s a phenomenon observed in the book Amusing Ourselves To Death . Ever since the telegraph was invented, we believe that we should learn about things that have a little positive impact on our lives.

For instance, solving a crossword puzzle might seem like a worthy exercise. But how answering 50+ completely random questions will help you in life?

The value in learning. Reading books. Watching videos even online. It’s not so much about remembering the facts. But about tailoring, adjusting how you think.

When you think better. You’ll perform better.

Thinking is the particle that pushes you in the right direction. Not holding all sorts of random facts.

2. “When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons.” Anaïs Nin

From an early age, we are steered towards certain beliefs and value systems. Some good. Some bad. Some awfully wicked.

Some of these are intentionally promoted by our teachers and parents – i.e., religion, good manners, etc. Some simply occur by the act of living and by our biological needs – desire for money, power, appreciation.

There is no harm in automatically adopting a behavior such as helping an old lady cross the street. But for most of the other things we hold in our heads, we should know why we have them.

For instance, these days it seems natural to be online. To have a social media profile and to participate in the never-ending race of awesomeness. Who got a new car? Who got a new job? Who went on vacation?

Involvement in the social media race seems so unquestionable.

But have you recently asked yourself, “Why are you really using social media?” Is it because you want to connect with others? Because it makes you feel motivated and inspired? Or because you feel the need to be inside because others are there, too? Because you want to showcase how much cooler you are than the rest of the walking undead?

I bet is the last part.

Too often, we watch and get things because others watch them and own them. But as Anaïs Nin above said. This blind obeying makes us mere automatons. We don’t hold the steering wheel of our lives. We are simply responding to the reaction of others. Which means that we are passengers on a bus that is headed towards somewhere. Somewhere we don’t know.

3. “If chess has any relationship to film-making. It would be in the way it helps you develop patience and discipline in choosing between alternatives at a time when an impulsive decision seems very attractive.” Stanley Kubrick

The only way an impulsive decision can be the best decision is when you’ve mastered a field . When you’re well-versed in a topic and extremely confident in your skills. In these situations, your intuition and tacit knowledge provide involuntarily a good answer. Plainly, you think fast.

This type of response – quick and precise – however. It’s usually only available to you in areas where you have extensive experience.

For the rest of the cases, the quote above stands.

Any activity that allows you to slow down and think before you act. That gives you room to consider the alternatives. Is an activity worth holding.

As you can’t win a chess game if you don’t pause and consider the contra moves of your opponent. You can’t win in life if you don’t pause and consider how what you do today can turn around and slap you back in the future.

4. “You do not win by struggling to the top of a caste system. You win by refusing to be trapped within one at all.” Naomi Wolf

As the authors of the book The Social Animal explain, we are social animals.

Our foundational particles push us towards relationships. We feel better when we are around other people.

But this comes with certain costs. When people are around other people. A natural hierarchy is formed. There is an alpha male/woman and people who want to take his/her place.

And even if you do reach the top position in your social circle. Which is also the case for any other tall structure formed by men – e.g., the corporate ladder. The battle is never over. You now have to defend your place.

A solution few are willing to accept is gently removing yourself from the modern rat race .

Take social media for example.

If you use it. You use it for validation. Every time you throw something in the endless abyss of filtered pictures, you are doing it to tell others that you are progressing in some way. But others are not sitting idle. They are, too, advancing. So the only way you can keep your position is to keep throwing status updates about how you are improving – even if you are not really improving.

This creates quite a stressful daily life. You no longer just live. Life becomes a sophisticated arena. There are no fist fights, however. The battle is for prestige – who is richer, better, smarter. Therefore, your day-to-day life becomes trying to figure out how to show to others that your life is good – even when life is bad.

The only way you can win this game is if you totally remove yourself from the equation.

You no longer share how life is treating you. Nor remain interested in how others apparently become richer and prettier. You just focus on the act of living.

5. “People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.” Søren Kierkegaard

Our desire to self-express is motivated by our need to feel valued. What we say is optimized not based on thinking. But optimized towards receiving – these days – likes and comments.

All of this means that we say a lot of things, but we don’t say anything important.

We just dump out more noise in the already noisy world. Hoping, praying, that others will notice us.

For the critical thinker, silence is more than the absence of noise. It’s opening the window and taking a breath of fresh air. A refreshing change from the polluted atmosphere.

Speaking because you can doesn’t mean that you necessarily should. Thinking, however, shouldn’t follow this logic. You should always think. Which will oftentimes lead to not speaking.

6. “Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” Marie Curie

We fear the unknown for a simple reason. The brain is constantly trying to predict what will happen next. What the other person will do, so we can prepare the body and the mind for our reaction.

When we face an unfamiliar situation. The brain simply freezes. It doesn’t know what to do. That’s why we tend to avoid things we don’t quite understand.

Paradoxically, the only way we can advance. The only way we can get outside our comfort zone is to put ourselves in positions we are not fully prepared for – e.g., a new job, facing a new challenge, a new field altogether.

So, when you find yourself struggling to find a good solution to a problem. Or you a presented with a hard-to-digest concept. This is a sign. It means that you don’t yet know the full story. You don’t completely understand the situation. What you need to do is to go and find it.

When you understand the problem. Learn more about difficult concepts. You will clear away the fog. You will be prepared. You’ll have the courage to move forward.

7. “I don’t care that they stole my idea. I care that they don’t have any of their own.” Nikola Tesla

Lack of critical thinking will lead to either stealing ideas or trying to discourage others to pursue their ideas.

Ideas. Fresh perspectives that suggest a certain course of action. These are needed for better decision-making and moving further ahead.

But how to have them?

Here’s where one more quote by Nikola Tesla enters on how to produce good ideas:

“Be alone, that is the secret of invention; be alone, that is when ideas are born.” Nikola Tesla

Some of the ideas that will emerge in your brain will be useless. That’s for sure. But that’s part of the process of generating great ideas and great thinking.

Each of us has an idea-generation style. A way to find solutions to problems. Some instantaneously generate reasonable ideas regardless of the location. Others are capable of doing this exercise only when alone.

Make things easier for yourself by figuring out how you think best. Do you have to be alone? Surrounded by others? Or a combination of both – a time around others and then taking some time away to process the information.

Some Closing Thoughts

Quotes shared online seem like a desperate attempt to capture the attention of other people.

Simply because you can quote someone doesn’t mean anything particular.

You found useful words said by someone else. Good. Now what?

To be sufficiently skillful at this critical thinking judo requires questioning and observation.

This also applies when we examine the words of great people. The people who said the things above.

One smart person saying something is as useful as finding a wrench on the street. If you don’t know how to use it. It will be of no use to you.

I hope that you found handy the deconstruction of some of the best quotes on critical thinking. But what I also hope is that the whole post provided you with a new way to approach words on a page.

Not just agreeing with what was said – regardless of who said it. But to try something new. Something different.

Take an idea. Hold it in your hand and look at it from all sides.

Then, after examining it. Ask yourself: “What’s true about this and what is not?”

Add to your critical thinking knowledge by reading the following:

• 9 Provoking Critical Thinking Questions to Ignite Deep Reflective Discourse
• 5 Critical Thinking Strategies To Sharpen Your Thinking
• Critical Thinking Process (Or Acting Wisely Even If You’re Not Very Bright)
• 7 Popular Self-Discipline Quotes Explained

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Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old critical thinking quotes, critical thinking sayings, and critical thinking proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

If there was one life skill everyone on the planet needed, it was the ability to think with critical objectivity Josh Lanyon

The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks. Christopher Hitchens

The purpose of critical thinking is rethinking: that is, reviewing, evaluating, and revising thought. Jon Stratton

Critical thinking relies on content, because you can't navigate masses of information if you have nothing to navigate to. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

We seem to have trouble with critical thinking. And our political system doesn't help. Barack Obama

Most people do not have a problem with you thinking for yourself, as long as your conclusions are the same as or at least compatible with their beliefs. Mokokoma Mokhonoana

The insecure leader will interpret critical thinking as critiscism. Andy Stanley

Critical Thinking has the potential to be a deeply creative process. Pearl Zhu

You have a brain and mind of your own. Use it, and reach your own decisions. Napoleon Hill

Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason so few engage in it. Henry Ford

We put too much of a premium on presenting and not enough on substance and critical thinking. Susan Cain

No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking. Voltaire

Negative thinking creates clouds at critical decision times. John C. Maxwell

Ignorance is always ready to admire itself. Procure yourself critical friends. Nicolas Boileau

For students, the evolution-creation discussion can be a useful exercise, for it can help develop their critical thinking skills. Ken Ham

All of the common core standards stuff about critical reading and critical thinking and so on can only be positive. James W. Loewen

Do not indoctrinate your children. Teach them how to think for themselves, how to evaluate evidence, and how to disagree with you. Richard Dawkins

Believe what you like, but don't believe everything you read without questioning it. Pauline Baynes

It's sort of a mental attitude about critical thinking and curiosity. It's about mindset of looking at the world in a playful and curious and creative way. Adam Savage

You need to answer questions on where, when and what to do Sunday Adelaja

Simply disabling specific critical thinking skills is all that is necessary for the god virus to take control of a person. Darrel Ray

The most fundamental attack on freedom is the attack on critical thinking skills. Travis Nichols

To some people critical thinking means you mustn't be critical of them only others Rassool Jibraeel Snyman

There is nothing more Islamic than critical thinking. Tariq Ramadan

Instead of complaining, discover ways, tactics and tricks on how to reach out to people Sunday Adelaja

Losing your job releases you to think effectively and make rational decisions Sunday Adelaja

The ability to reflect is associated with critical thinking and reasoning ability. And the capacity to be alone is one of the highest levels of development. It's important to know how to self-soothe and be confident of other people's love even when they're not there in front of you. Laurie Helgoe

Nothing is more conductive to peace of mind than not having any opinions at all. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Critical thinking is to a liberal education as faith is to religion. ... the converse was true also - faith is to a liberal education as critical thinking is to religion, irrelevant and even damaging. Jane Smiley

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle

Critical thinking is what leads to the next breakthroughs in any area. Roberta Michnick Golinkoff

It is especially important to encourage unorthodox thinking when the situation is critical Boris Yeltsin

Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve. Roger Lewin

Learn to use your brain power. Critical thinking is the key to creative problem solving in business. Richard Branson

What I'm looking for in my interaction is critical thinking on the part of the person pitching to me. Brad Feld

Discourse and critical thinking are essential tools when it comes to securing progress in a democratic society. But in the end, unity and engaged participation are what make it happen. Aberjhani

To learn that it's easier to be told by others what to think and believe than it is to think for yourself. Neil deGrasse Tyson

In unanimity there may well be either cowardice or uncritical thinking. Donald Rumsfeld

Keeping an open mind is a virtue, but not so open that your brains fall out. Bertrand Russell

Thinking isn't to agree or disagree-that's voting. Robert Frost

Where all men think alike, no man thinks very much. Walter Lippmann

There is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the labor of thinking. Thomas A. Edison

Life has taught me to think, but thinking has not taught me to live. Alexander Herzen

A man thinks as well through his legs and arms as his brain. Thoreau

Our is an age which is proud of machines that think, and suspicious of the men who try to. Howard Mumford Jones

There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking. Alfred Korzybski

Thinking is more interesting than knowing, but less interesting than looking. Goethe

Life always gives you plenty to think about, but seldom enough to think with. Evan Esar

The more we think of some people, the less we think of them. Evan Esar

For every man who is always telling you what he thinks, there is another who is always telling you what others think. Evan Esar

Many a man who thinks he is thinking, is merely digesting yesterday's newspaper. Evan Esar

Your way of thinking starts with individual thoughts, whether good, bad or ugly. John A. Andrews

I refused to let small thinking chart my course in life. John A. Andrews

If we think with a mindset of giving, we entertain abundance, and if we think with an attitude of withholding, we invite lack. As the source gives to the stream so ought the stream to impart to the ocean. John A. Andrews

Critical thinking involves first discovering the who, what, when, and how of things. Bell Hooks

Critical thinkers are clear as to the purpose at hand and the question at issue. Bell Hooks

Critical thinking is an interactive process, one that demands participation on the part of teacher and students alike. Bell Hooks

Keeping an open mind is an essential requirement of critical thinking. Bell Hooks

Critical thinking requires us to use our imagination, seeing things from perspectives other than our own and envisioning the likely consequences of our position. Bell Hooks

We all use thinking skills everyday to help us learn, make decisions, and solve problems. Ellie Weiler

Critical thinking skills are the foundation for all other types of learning. Ellie Weiler

Unlike current events, thinking skills never change. Ellie Weiler

Once thinking skills are mastered, students are able to tackle new challenges with the ability to think them through and discover solutions. Ellie Weiler

Critical thinking is essential as a tool of inquiry. Aveyard

Critical thinking is a liberating force in education and a powerful resource in one's personal and civic life. Aveyard

While not synonymous with good thinking, critical thinking is a pervasive and self-rectifying human phenomenon. Aveyard

Critical thinkers are able to look for flaws in argument and resist claims that have no support. Aveyard

Critical thinkers are more likely to engage in productive and positive activity due to their continual questioning of their knowledge, assumptions and perspectives. Aveyard

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Supplement to Critical Thinking

This supplement elaborates on the history of the articulation, promotion and adoption of critical thinking as an educational goal.

John Dewey (1910: 74, 82) introduced the term ‘critical thinking’ as the name of an educational goal, which he identified with a scientific attitude of mind. More commonly, he called the goal ‘reflective thought’, ‘reflective thinking’, ‘reflection’, or just ‘thought’ or ‘thinking’. He describes his book as written for two purposes. The first was to help people to appreciate the kinship of children’s native curiosity, fertile imagination and love of experimental inquiry to the scientific attitude. The second was to help people to consider how recognizing this kinship in educational practice “would make for individual happiness and the reduction of social waste” (iii). He notes that the ideas in the book obtained concreteness in the Laboratory School in Chicago.

Dewey’s ideas were put into practice by some of the schools that participated in the Eight-Year Study in the 1930s sponsored by the Progressive Education Association in the United States. For this study, 300 colleges agreed to consider for admission graduates of 30 selected secondary schools or school systems from around the country who experimented with the content and methods of teaching, even if the graduates had not completed the then-prescribed secondary school curriculum. One purpose of the study was to discover through exploration and experimentation how secondary schools in the United States could serve youth more effectively (Aikin 1942). Each experimental school was free to change the curriculum as it saw fit, but the schools agreed that teaching methods and the life of the school should conform to the idea (previously advocated by Dewey) that people develop through doing things that are meaningful to them, and that the main purpose of the secondary school was to lead young people to understand, appreciate and live the democratic way of life characteristic of the United States (Aikin 1942: 17–18). In particular, school officials believed that young people in a democracy should develop the habit of reflective thinking and skill in solving problems (Aikin 1942: 81). Students’ work in the classroom thus consisted more often of a problem to be solved than a lesson to be learned. Especially in mathematics and science, the schools made a point of giving students experience in clear, logical thinking as they solved problems. The report of one experimental school, the University School of Ohio State University, articulated this goal of improving students’ thinking:

Critical or reflective thinking originates with the sensing of a problem. It is a quality of thought operating in an effort to solve the problem and to reach a tentative conclusion which is supported by all available data. It is really a process of problem solving requiring the use of creative insight, intellectual honesty, and sound judgment. It is the basis of the method of scientific inquiry. The success of democracy depends to a large extent on the disposition and ability of citizens to think critically and reflectively about the problems which must of necessity confront them, and to improve the quality of their thinking is one of the major goals of education. (Commission on the Relation of School and College of the Progressive Education Association 1943: 745–746)

The Eight-Year Study had an evaluation staff, which developed, in consultation with the schools, tests to measure aspects of student progress that fell outside the focus of the traditional curriculum. The evaluation staff classified many of the schools’ stated objectives under the generic heading “clear thinking” or “critical thinking” (Smith, Tyler, & Evaluation Staff 1942: 35–36). To develop tests of achievement of this broad goal, they distinguished five overlapping aspects of it: ability to interpret data, abilities associated with an understanding of the nature of proof, and the abilities to apply principles of science, of social studies and of logical reasoning. The Eight-Year Study also had a college staff, directed by a committee of college administrators, whose task was to determine how well the experimental schools had prepared their graduates for college. The college staff compared the performance of 1,475 college students from the experimental schools with an equal number of graduates from conventional schools, matched in pairs by sex, age, race, scholastic aptitude scores, home and community background, interests, and probable future. They concluded that, on 18 measures of student success, the graduates of the experimental schools did a somewhat better job than the comparison group. The graduates from the six most traditional of the experimental schools showed no large or consistent differences. The graduates from the six most experimental schools, on the other hand, had much greater differences in their favour. The graduates of the two most experimental schools, the college staff reported:

… surpassed their comparison groups by wide margins in academic achievement, intellectual curiosity, scientific approach to problems, and interest in contemporary affairs. The differences in their favor were even greater in general resourcefulness, in enjoyment of reading, [in] participation in the arts, in winning non-academic honors, and in all aspects of college life except possibly participation in sports and social activities. (Aikin 1942: 114)

One of these schools was a private school with students from privileged families and the other the experimental section of a public school with students from non-privileged families. The college staff reported that the graduates of the two schools were indistinguishable from each other in terms of college success.

In 1933 Dewey issued an extensively rewritten edition of his How We Think (Dewey 1910), with the sub-title “A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process”. Although the restatement retains the basic structure and content of the original book, Dewey made a number of changes. He rewrote and simplified his logical analysis of the process of reflection, made his ideas clearer and more definite, replaced the terms ‘induction’ and ‘deduction’ by the phrases ‘control of data and evidence’ and ‘control of reasoning and concepts’, added more illustrations, rearranged chapters, and revised the parts on teaching to reflect changes in schools since 1910. In particular, he objected to one-sided practices of some “experimental” and “progressive” schools that allowed children freedom but gave them no guidance, citing as objectionable practices novelty and variety for their own sake, experiences and activities with real materials but of no educational significance, treating random and disconnected activity as if it were an experiment, failure to summarize net accomplishment at the end of an inquiry, non-educative projects, and treatment of the teacher as a negligible factor rather than as “the intellectual leader of a social group” (Dewey 1933: 273). Without explaining his reasons, Dewey eliminated the previous edition’s uses of the words ‘critical’ and ‘uncritical’, thus settling firmly on ‘reflection’ or ‘reflective thinking’ as the preferred term for his subject-matter. In the revised edition, the word ‘critical’ occurs only once, where Dewey writes that “a person may not be sufficiently critical about the ideas that occur to him” (1933: 16, italics in original); being critical is thus a component of reflection, not the whole of it. In contrast, the Eight-Year Study by the Progressive Education Association treated ‘critical thinking’ and ‘reflective thinking’ as synonyms.

In the same period, Dewey collaborated on a history of the Laboratory School in Chicago with two former teachers from the school (Mayhew & Edwards 1936). The history describes the school’s curriculum and organization, activities aimed at developing skills, parents’ involvement, and the habits of mind that the children acquired. A concluding chapter evaluates the school’s achievements, counting as a success its staging of the curriculum to correspond to the natural development of the growing child. In two appendices, the authors describe the evolution of Dewey’s principles of education and Dewey himself describes the theory of the Chicago experiment (Dewey 1936).

Glaser (1941) reports in his doctoral dissertation the method and results of an experiment in the development of critical thinking conducted in the fall of 1938. He defines critical thinking as Dewey defined reflective thinking:

Critical thinking calls for a persistent effort to examine any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the evidence that supports it and the further conclusions to which it tends. (Glaser 1941: 6; cf. Dewey 1910: 6; Dewey 1933: 9)

In the experiment, eight lesson units directed at improving critical thinking abilities were taught to four grade 12 high school classes, with pre-test and post-test of the students using the Otis Quick-Scoring Mental Ability Test and the Watson-Glaser Tests of Critical Thinking (developed in collaboration with Glaser’s dissertation sponsor, Goodwin Watson). The average gain in scores on these tests was greater to a statistically significant degree among the students who received the lessons in critical thinking than among the students in a control group of four grade 12 high school classes taking the usual curriculum in English. Glaser concludes:

The aspect of critical thinking which appears most susceptible to general improvement is the attitude of being disposed to consider in a thoughtful way the problems and subjects that come within the range of one’s experience. An attitude of wanting evidence for beliefs is more subject to general transfer. Development of skill in applying the methods of logical inquiry and reasoning, however, appears to be specifically related to, and in fact limited by, the acquisition of pertinent knowledge and facts concerning the problem or subject matter toward which the thinking is to be directed. (Glaser 1941: 175)

Retest scores and observable behaviour indicated that students in the intervention group retained their growth in ability to think critically for at least six months after the special instruction.

In 1948 a group of U.S. college examiners decided to develop taxonomies of educational objectives with a common vocabulary that they could use for communicating with each other about test items. The first of these taxonomies, for the cognitive domain, appeared in 1956 (Bloom et al. 1956), and included critical thinking objectives. It has become known as Bloom’s taxonomy. A second taxonomy, for the affective domain (Krathwohl, Bloom, & Masia 1964), and a third taxonomy, for the psychomotor domain (Simpson 1966–67), appeared later. Each of the taxonomies is hierarchical, with achievement of a higher educational objective alleged to require achievement of corresponding lower educational objectives.

Bloom’s taxonomy has six major categories. From lowest to highest, they are knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Within each category, there are sub-categories, also arranged hierarchically from the educationally prior to the educationally posterior. The lowest category, though called ‘knowledge’, is confined to objectives of remembering information and being able to recall or recognize it, without much transformation beyond organizing it (Bloom et al. 1956: 28–29). The five higher categories are collectively termed “intellectual abilities and skills” (Bloom et al. 1956: 204). The term is simply another name for critical thinking abilities and skills:

Although information or knowledge is recognized as an important outcome of education, very few teachers would be satisfied to regard this as the primary or the sole outcome of instruction. What is needed is some evidence that the students can do something with their knowledge, that is, that they can apply the information to new situations and problems. It is also expected that students will acquire generalized techniques for dealing with new problems and new materials. Thus, it is expected that when the student encounters a new problem or situation, he will select an appropriate technique for attacking it and will bring to bear the necessary information, both facts and principles. This has been labeled “critical thinking” by some, “reflective thinking” by Dewey and others, and “problem solving” by still others. In the taxonomy, we have used the term “intellectual abilities and skills”. (Bloom et al. 1956: 38)

Comprehension and application objectives, as their names imply, involve understanding and applying information. Critical thinking abilities and skills show up in the three highest categories of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The condensed version of Bloom’s taxonomy (Bloom et al. 1956: 201–207) gives the following examples of objectives at these levels:

• analysis objectives : ability to recognize unstated assumptions, ability to check the consistency of hypotheses with given information and assumptions, ability to recognize the general techniques used in advertising, propaganda and other persuasive materials
• synthesis objectives : organizing ideas and statements in writing, ability to propose ways of testing a hypothesis, ability to formulate and modify hypotheses
• evaluation objectives : ability to indicate logical fallacies, comparison of major theories about particular cultures

The analysis, synthesis and evaluation objectives in Bloom’s taxonomy collectively came to be called the “higher-order thinking skills” (Tankersley 2005: chap. 5). Although the analysis-synthesis-evaluation sequence mimics phases in Dewey’s (1933) logical analysis of the reflective thinking process, it has not generally been adopted as a model of a critical thinking process. While commending the inspirational value of its ratio of five categories of thinking objectives to one category of recall objectives, Ennis (1981b) points out that the categories lack criteria applicable across topics and domains. For example, analysis in chemistry is so different from analysis in literature that there is not much point in teaching analysis as a general type of thinking. Further, the postulated hierarchy seems questionable at the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. For example, ability to indicate logical fallacies hardly seems more complex than the ability to organize statements and ideas in writing.

A revised version of Bloom’s taxonomy (Anderson et al. 2001) distinguishes the intended cognitive process in an educational objective (such as being able to recall, to compare or to check) from the objective’s informational content (“knowledge”), which may be factual, conceptual, procedural, or metacognitive. The result is a so-called “Taxonomy Table” with four rows for the kinds of informational content and six columns for the six main types of cognitive process. The authors name the types of cognitive process by verbs, to indicate their status as mental activities. They change the name of the ‘comprehension’ category to ‘understand’ and of the ‘synthesis’ category to ’create’, and switch the order of synthesis and evaluation. The result is a list of six main types of cognitive process aimed at by teachers: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. The authors retain the idea of a hierarchy of increasing complexity, but acknowledge some overlap, for example between understanding and applying. And they retain the idea that critical thinking and problem solving cut across the more complex cognitive processes. The terms ‘critical thinking’ and ‘problem solving’, they write:

are widely used and tend to become touchstones of curriculum emphasis. Both generally include a variety of activities that might be classified in disparate cells of the Taxonomy Table. That is, in any given instance, objectives that involve problem solving and critical thinking most likely call for cognitive processes in several categories on the process dimension. For example, to think critically about an issue probably involves some Conceptual knowledge to Analyze the issue. Then, one can Evaluate different perspectives in terms of the criteria and, perhaps, Create a novel, yet defensible perspective on this issue. (Anderson et al. 2001: 269–270; italics in original)

In the revised taxonomy, only a few sub-categories, such as inferring, have enough commonality to be treated as a distinct critical thinking ability that could be taught and assessed as a general ability.

A landmark contribution to philosophical scholarship on the concept of critical thinking was a 1962 article in the Harvard Educational Review by Robert H. Ennis, with the title “A concept of critical thinking: A proposed basis for research in the teaching and evaluation of critical thinking ability” (Ennis 1962). Ennis took as his starting-point a conception of critical thinking put forward by B. Othanel Smith:

We shall consider thinking in terms of the operations involved in the examination of statements which we, or others, may believe. A speaker declares, for example, that “Freedom means that the decisions in America’s productive effort are made not in the minds of a bureaucracy but in the free market”. Now if we set about to find out what this statement means and to determine whether to accept or reject it, we would be engaged in thinking which, for lack of a better term, we shall call critical thinking. If one wishes to say that this is only a form of problem-solving in which the purpose is to decide whether or not what is said is dependable, we shall not object. But for our purposes we choose to call it critical thinking. (Smith 1953: 130)

Adding a normative component to this conception, Ennis defined critical thinking as “the correct assessing of statements” (Ennis 1962: 83). On the basis of this definition, he distinguished 12 “aspects” of critical thinking corresponding to types or aspects of statements, such as judging whether an observation statement is reliable and grasping the meaning of a statement. He noted that he did not include judging value statements. Cutting across the 12 aspects, he distinguished three dimensions of critical thinking: logical (judging relationships between meanings of words and statements), criterial (knowledge of the criteria for judging statements), and pragmatic (the impression of the background purpose). For each aspect, Ennis described the applicable dimensions, including criteria. He proposed the resulting construct as a basis for developing specifications for critical thinking tests and for research on instructional methods and levels.

In the 1970s and 1980s there was an upsurge of attention to the development of thinking skills. The annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Educational Reform has attracted since its start in 1980 tens of thousands of educators from all levels. In 1983 the College Entrance Examination Board proclaimed reasoning as one of six basic academic competencies needed by college students (College Board 1983). Departments of education in the United States and around the world began to include thinking objectives in their curriculum guidelines for school subjects. For example, Ontario’s social sciences and humanities curriculum guideline for secondary schools requires “the use of critical and creative thinking skills and/or processes” as a goal of instruction and assessment in each subject and course (Ontario Ministry of Education 2013: 30). The document describes critical thinking as follows:

Critical thinking is the process of thinking about ideas or situations in order to understand them fully, identify their implications, make a judgement, and/or guide decision making. Critical thinking includes skills such as questioning, predicting, analysing, synthesizing, examining opinions, identifying values and issues, detecting bias, and distinguishing between alternatives. Students who are taught these skills become critical thinkers who can move beyond superficial conclusions to a deeper understanding of the issues they are examining. They are able to engage in an inquiry process in which they explore complex and multifaceted issues, and questions for which there may be no clear-cut answers (Ontario Ministry of Education 2013: 46).

Sweden makes schools responsible for ensuring that each pupil who completes compulsory school “can make use of critical thinking and independently formulate standpoints based on knowledge and ethical considerations” (Skolverket 2018: 12). Subject syllabi incorporate this requirement, and items testing critical thinking skills appear on national tests that are a required step toward university admission. For example, the core content of biology, physics and chemistry in years 7-9 includes critical examination of sources of information and arguments encountered by pupils in different sources and social discussions related to these sciences, in both digital and other media. (Skolverket 2018: 170, 181, 192). Correspondingly, in year 9 the national tests require using knowledge of biology, physics or chemistry “to investigate information, communicate and come to a decision on issues concerning health, energy, technology, the environment, use of natural resources and ecological sustainability” (see the message from the School Board ). Other jurisdictions similarly embed critical thinking objectives in curriculum guidelines.

At the college level, a new wave of introductory logic textbooks, pioneered by Kahane (1971), applied the tools of logic to contemporary social and political issues. Popular contemporary textbooks of this sort include those by Bailin and Battersby (2016b), Boardman, Cavender and Kahane (2018), Browne and Keeley (2018), Groarke and Tindale (2012), and Moore and Parker (2020). In their wake, colleges and universities in North America transformed their introductory logic course into a general education service course with a title like ‘critical thinking’ or ‘reasoning’. In 1980, the trustees of California’s state university and colleges approved as a general education requirement a course in critical thinking, described as follows:

Instruction in critical thinking is to be designed to achieve an understanding of the relationship of language to logic, which should lead to the ability to analyze, criticize, and advocate ideas, to reason inductively and deductively, and to reach factual or judgmental conclusions based on sound inferences drawn from unambiguous statements of knowledge or belief. The minimal competence to be expected at the successful conclusion of instruction in critical thinking should be the ability to distinguish fact from judgment, belief from knowledge, and skills in elementary inductive and deductive processes, including an understanding of the formal and informal fallacies of language and thought. (Dumke 1980)

Since December 1983, the Association for Informal Logic and Critical Thinking has sponsored sessions at the three annual divisional meetings of the American Philosophical Association. In December 1987, the Committee on Pre-College Philosophy of the American Philosophical Association invited Peter Facione to make a systematic inquiry into the current state of critical thinking and critical thinking assessment. Facione assembled a group of 46 other academic philosophers and psychologists to participate in a multi-round Delphi process, whose product was entitled Critical Thinking: A Statement of Expert Consensus for Purposes of Educational Assessment and Instruction (Facione 1990a). The statement listed abilities and dispositions that should be the goals of a lower-level undergraduate course in critical thinking. Researchers in nine European countries determined which of these skills and dispositions employers expect of university graduates (Dominguez 2018 a), compared those expectations to critical thinking educational practices in post-secondary educational institutions (Dominguez 2018b), developed a course on critical thinking education for university teachers (Dominguez 2018c) and proposed in response to identified gaps between expectations and practices an “educational protocol” that post-secondary educational institutions in Europe could use to develop critical thinking (Elen et al. 2019).

Copyright © 2022 by David Hitchcock < hitchckd @ mcmaster . ca >

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103+ Critical Thinking Quotes that Stimulate Beautiful Minds

In some career paths blinding following instructions is what’s required for the job. The fast-food industry would be one example where following regimented cook times and cleaning processes without question is important. But if you hope to rise up through the ranks to become a people manager or want to operate a small business, you’ll need to develop critical thinking skills to achieve your goals.

But how can someone improve their thinking skills exactly? Fortunately, there are many ways you can enhance brain power that I share at the end of this blog post. I also share 103 quotes about that stress the importance of working out your mind on a daily basis.

Page Contents

Critical Thinking Quotes

Funny critical thinking quotes, analytical thinking quotes, critical thinking slogans, critical thinking captions, what are critical thinking questions you can ask, why is critical thinking important in your life, how can you improve critical thinking skills.

Critical Thinking Quotes.

• “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we create them.” – Anonymous
• “The value of a college education is not the learning of many facts, but the training of the mind to think.” – Anonymous
• “If there was one life skill everyone on the planet needed, it was the ability to think with critical objectivity.” – Anonymous
• “Much of today’s education focuses on obedience skills rather than critical thinking skills.”- Bryant McGill
• “It is a mark of an intelligent mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Anonymous
• “The important thing is not to stop questioning.” – Anonymous
• “The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject.” – Anonymous
• “Critical thinking and curiosity are the key to creativity.” – Anonymous

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.” –

• “Critical thinking is what leads to the next breakthroughs in any area.” – Roberta Michnick Golinkoff
• “It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it.” – Joseph Joubert
• “The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.” – John Kenneth Galbraith
• “Where there is no critical thinking, there is no progress. If the children are our future, then critical thinking must be their guide.” – Dale McGowan

Related Reading: 115+ Budgeting Quotes That Help You Save More Each Week 

• “Believe what you like but don’t believe everything you read without questioning it.” – Pauline Baynes
• “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” – Anonymous
• “How might we modify our beliefs in the light of additional information?” – Anonymous
• “Time given to thought is the greatest time saver of all.” – Norman Cousins
• “Children must be taught how to think not what to think.” – Margaret Mead
• “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably why so few engage in it.” – Henry Ford

“Thinking is a skilled work. It is not true that we are naturally endowed with the ability to think clearly and logically – without learning how, or without practicing.” – A.E. Mander

• “How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct.” – Benjamin Franklin
• “Even a book that is made up for only untruths can greatly improve us intellectually.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana
• “The insecure leader will interpret critical thinking as criticism.” – Andy Stanely
• “When your critical thinking doesn’t work, think emotionally and let your heart decide what’s right or wrong.” – Anonymous
• “We are approaching a new age of synthesis. Knowledge cannot merely be a degree or skill, it demands a broader vision, capabilities in critical thinking and logical deduction without which we cannot have constructive progress.” – Li Ka Shing
• “By allowing yourself to consider different perspectives, you might find yourself hitting upon solutions you hadn’t previously considered.” – Anonymous

How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct.

• “Women spend more time thinking about men what men think than men actually spend thinking.” – Anonymous
• “Someday, I will solve my problems with critical thinking, but today it will be with chocolate.” – Anonymous
• “Common sense is a genius dressed in its working clothes.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.” – David Ogivly
• “I don’t think inside the box and I don’t think outside the box. I don’t even know where the box is.” – Anonymous
• “If everyone is thinking alike then somebody isn’t thinking.” – George S. Patton
• “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” – Albert Einstein
• “I tend to have a very analytical mind, I’m constantly thinking about how things can be better or different.” – Andy Biersack
• “Learn to be as analytical about things of which you are credulous as you are of those you criticize.” – Idries Shah
• “AI will do analytical thinking, while humans will wrap that analysis in warmth and compassion.” – Kai-Fu Lee
• “Languages are true analytical methods.” – Antoine Lavoisier
• “A lack of analytical skills could keep you from making progress in your career.” – Deborah Murray

“You can over analyze anything. I constantly have to tell myself, ‘Sabrina, stop thinking’. There are people who are just analytical. It’s part of your gene makeup or too much caffeine.” – Sabrina Lloyd

• “Even the most analytical thinkers are predictably irrational: the really smart ones acknowledge and address their irrationalities.” – Dan Ariely
• “Systems thinking is contextual, which is the opposite of analytical thinking. Analysis means taking something apart in order to understand it; systems thinking means putting it into context of a larger whole.” – Fritjof Capra
• “The advantage of an analytical approach is that it is widely applicable, and that it can provide a considerable amount of quantitative information even with a relatively poor resolving power.” – Christian de Duve
• “From an analytical perspective you’re thinking ‘2 percent sucks’ but it’s like the pink elephant in the room. Everyone knows it’s there.” – Paul Kim

“To be successful, suspend your worries and your analytical thinking and just concentrate on reading the script as it is without any judgement.” – Robbins Blair

• “My business is the analytical framework.” – Todd Gitlin
• “Why is it that our young kids across America can solve the most complex problems in a video game involving executive decision making and analytical thinking, yet we accept the fact that they can’t add or read?” – Naveen Jain
• “The need is not for the creation of new analytical techniques specially designed for the negotiation process, but rather for the creative use of analytical thinking that exploits existing techniques.” – Howard Raiffa
• “Creative and analytical thinking are not mutually exclusive. We should work to make them mutually supportive to engage the whole brains of our students.” – Amy Benjamin
• “They’re thinking. They’re getting more analytical of the game. It’s not whip the ball down field and chase after it. There’s a thought process to what they’re trying to do.” – Pam Edwards

Critical thinking means questioning the status quo.

• Critical Thinking Feeds The Mind
• You’ll Never Feel Stupid
• Critical Thinking Should Be Everyone’s Hobby
• It’s Not For Everyone
• It’s Only For The Few Chosen Ones
• It Opens Up A New World
• It Exercises The Mind
• Think Before You Judge Anything Or Anyone
• It’s A Game For The Geniuses
• It’s Fun While It Lasts
• Don’t Just Believe Everything
• Stop, Think Then Decide
• It’s A Skill Not Everyone Is Born With
• Lucky If You Have It In Your Blood
• Make An Effort To Do It
• Never Hold Judgement Before Questioning Things
• It’s The Way You Know Something Is Right Or Wrong
• Be One Of The Few Critical Thinkers
• It’s A Good Exercise For Your Mind

Related Reading: 159+ Quotes about Smiling and Moving on From Hardships with Grace 

• It Creates A Creative Process In Your Mind
• Always Analyzing Facts
• Not Afraid Of Facts
• Only Believe The Truth
• Always Think Before Judging
• Taking The Time To Analyze Things Before Judging Them
• Active Conceptualizing And Evaluating Information
• We Stick To The Truth
• Always Unbiased Analysis
• Reasoned Judgements All The Way
• Judging Things Based On Facts Only
• Deep Thinking And Studying Facts
• Creative Ways To Solve Problems
• Problem Solving With Critical Thinking
• You’re Not Always Right
• Not All Information Online Is Correct
• Researching Is Your Best Friend
• There’s No Harm In Questioning Facts Presented To You
• Knowledge Is Power
• Find Time To Enhance Your Critical Thinking Skills
• Keep An Eye For New Information

Think twice.

• If critical thinking was breakfast, everyone would be geniuses.
• Some people are so lazy to think, what more critical thinking?
• It’s one thing that people lack these days.
• I wish doctors would subscribe critical thinking pills to those who need them.
• It’s in the blood.
• I love exercising my mind by critical thinking about almost everything that comes my way.
• Once in a while, everyone should spend time a day doing critical thinking.
• It doesn’t hurt to at least try and become a critical thinker.
• Some people work so hard to exercise their bodies but not their minds.
• Men who are critical thinkers are sexy.
• Before deciding to do something, please spend some time thinking about it.
• It can save you from embarrassment.
• Want to be unique? Be a critical thinker.
• Critical thinking should be formed a club with invite-only members.
• Lazy people are not critical thinkers.
• Critical thinking can help you solve problems.
• You don’t always have to prove to people you’re right. You just show and tell them about critical thinking.
• Don’t have a hobby? Then spend time improving your critical thinking skills.

You can encourage critical thinking by asking the right questions. Here are some examples you can use. More often than not there are no specific right or wrong answers to these questions. But they do offer insights into the mind of someone being interviewed.

• How do you know this?
• Who can benefit from this?
• Do you agree or disagree about his?
• Who did you hear this information from?
• Who is greatly affected by this?
• How would you solve world hunger?
• Why is this important?
• Can how this affect the lives of people?
• How would you improve throughput in this restaurant?
• When is this acceptable?
• How can you solve this issue?
• What does the issue mean to you?
• How can we be affected by this issue?
• How does this harm others?
• Why is this a problem?
• How can we change this problem?
• What do we do to solve this problem?

Critical thinking is the practice of making reasoned judgments based on facts and information. By practicing critical thinking, you are able to make better decision in life and at work.

The skill of critical thinking helps you identify wrong or misleading information that results in bad life choices. It also allows us to be creative by not just thinking about how we can solve our problems, but also considering different ways to get a project done.

People without strong critical thinking skills are also less likely to reflect on their daily activities. They aren’t curious whether or not there is a better way to do things. They have a tendency to get stuck into a routine.

The good news is anyone can improve their critical thinking skills through practice. Here are different ways to  improve in this area of your life.

Question what you read.  Whether it’s an article online or a report from a newspaper, never believe anything at first glance. Always ask yourself “is this information accurate?” “How did they come up with this realization?”. Spend a little time researching the data and other information provided to get a sense of whether or not the conclusion is accurate.

Always consider more than one point of view.  It’s easy to be deceived and forced into an opinion by other people. Avoid that from happening by always considering the other side of the story. You might be surprised to find how logical the counter points are.

Related Reading: 97+ Critical Thinking Questions to Test Employee Decision Making 

Practice active listening.  When someone is sharing their opinion about something, listen to what they have to say to have a clear picture of their perspective and where they’re coming from. Listen without judgment and put yourself in another person’s shoes to help you have an open mind. Don’t rush to judgement.

Spot biased information.  We are surrounded by so much information. From news articles online to social media and newspapers… information is everywhere. To help improve your critical thinking skills, you must be able to spot biased or slanted content. This information may be shared through appealing emotions to the readers. Before believing anything, ask yourself “What is really the point of this information?”

Always ask questions.  Don’t just accept anything other people tell you. Question their claims. Asking questions can help you know more about a certain topic whether it’s about history, geography, or simple things such as sports and hobbies you’re not familiar with. It’s also a great start to a conversation with people who might be experts or more familiar with the topic at hand.

Always do your research.  When you’re not familiar with something, it’s no harm to go and do your own research. Research and note taking exercises helps the brain process and handle more information.

Critical thinking is a vital skill that can help people in so many ways. The way we make decisions in our lives have something to do with the way we decide on things. If you have no critical thinking skills that can help you make the right decision, you are more likely to be mislead.

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We interview successful founders and share the stories behind their food trucks, restaurants, food and beverage brands. By sharing these stories, I want to help others get started.

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28 Incredible Examples of Critical Thinkers (Past and Present!)

Looking for examples of critical thinkers? Check out this guide to discover 28 incredible critical thinkers from the past and present.

Danny Newman

In search for examples of critical thinkers? I hope this post helps!

American entrepreneur Henry Ford famously said :

“Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason so few engage in it.”

Of course, all of us think! Heck, researchers estimate that the average adult makes about 35,000 decisions every single day – all of which require a degree of thought.

No, it’s more likely that Henry Ford was talking about the type of thinking that critical thinkers do.

But what is critical thinking, exactly? Who are some examples of critical thinkers from the past and in modern society?

And what can we learn from them?

Let’s find out.

First up, what is critical thinking? The next section should help with the meaning of critical thinking…

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What Is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking describes a scientific attitude of mind with the goal of reflective thought. It includes perceiving a problem, making an effort to solve it, and reaching a conclusion that’s supported by data.

Fun fact: The term itself was first used in the 1930s by the American education reformist John Dewey (more on him later).

Here are some examples of critical thinking in action:

• A triage doctor analyses different cases and decides which patient to treat first
• An architect evaluates different materials and decides which best fits a construction project
• A parent mediates an argument between their children, listening to both sides of the story before reaching a decision
• A business owner reads customer feedback forms and uses the information to create a new training plan for employees
• A lawyer reviews evidence to determine whether to pursue the case or settle out of court
• A professional boxer steps into the ring and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of his opponent

As you can see, critical thinking applies not just to scientific theory and research but to every aspect of life.

It’s no wonder that employers value critical thinking as an essential soft skill in the workplace.

Next up: some of the major critical thinkers from history…

Past Examples of Critical Thinkers

The term ‘critical thinking’ might be a modern invention, but history is full of brilliant people who used these principles long before we had a name for it.

Here’s a rundown of major critical thinkers from history:

1. Confucius (6th century BC)

Confucius lived over 2,500 years ago in ancient China, but he’s still considered to be one of the most critical thinkers in human history.

Among his famous ancient texts about philosophy, he’s also credited with the original Golden Rule : “Do not do to others what you do not want to be done to you.”

2. Socrates (5th century BC)

One of the most famous Greek philosophers, Socrates challenged the common people to think for themselves and question… well, pretty much everything!

He suggested that even the best leaders were at risk of becoming irrational and making poor decisions, which might seem obvious today, but was a radical concept at the time.

3. Plato (5th century BC)

Socrates taught many students, but none of them were as influential as Plato.

He’s best remembered for founding The Academy – the ancient Greek centre for learning and philosophy, as well as his teachings on justice, equality, and beauty.

4. Aristotle (4th century BC)

Socrates taught Plato, and Plato taught Aristotle — one of the greatest students ever to study at The Academy.

Aristotle is best known for his theories about life, death, and the immortality of the soul, as well as his contemplations about the universe, nature, and creation.

5. Jesus (1st century CE)

The founder of Christianity and, depending on your beliefs, one of the most influential people to ever live, Jesus’ teachings focused on love, faith, and the Kingdom of God.

In his famous Sermon on the Mount, he also offered insightful advice on such subjects as honesty, integrity, fidelity, and spirituality.

6. Abu Nasr Al-Farabi (870-950)

Persian linguist, philosopher, and intellectual Abu Nasr Al-Farabi is called “The Second Teacher” (behind Aristotle) and is credited with introducing Greek philosophy to the Muslim world.

He’s also remembered for his contributions to mathematics, physics, music, ethics, and politics.

7. Saint Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274)

Born in medieval Italy, Saint Thomas Aquinas is recognised by the Roman Catholic Church as its most influential theologian and philosopher.

He expressed many then-radical ideas about God, spirituality, and the nature of truth, but he welcomed criticism and opposing viewpoints and championed fact-based reasoning.

8. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

Major advancements in physics, motion, mathematics, astronomy, the scientific method — you name it, Galileo gave it to us .

Many of his discoveries caused an uproar among the staunch religious circles of his day, but his personal motto was “a defender of truth in the face of ignorance.”

9. Rene Descartes (1596–1650)

French scientist, philosopher, and mathematician Rene Descartes is best remembered for his statement, “I think, therefore I am.”

He wrote extensively about the human mind and the senses, as well as our ability to accurately perceive and judge situations.

10. Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727)

If there was one culminating figure from the 17th century Scientific Revolution, Sir Isaac Newton claims the title.

He was renowned for rigorously testing each of his theories, which led to the foundations of everything we now know about gravity, physical optics, and the laws of motion.

11. Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)

Colonial America produced one of the greatest critical thinkers of all time — Benjamin Franklin. Printer, publisher, writer, inventor, scientist, and statesman, some of his most significant inventions include the lightning rod, bifocal glasses, swim fins, and the urinary catheter.

Another example of people from past with Critical thinking skills is Charles Darwin…

12. Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

English-born Charles Darwin is synonymous with his scientific theory of evolution, which shook the religious foundations of his day.

He was the first to suggest that humans and animals share a common ancestor and is best known for his research in the Galapagos Islands as well as his book The Origin of the Species .

13. Sarah Margaret Fuller (1810-1850)

American activist Sarah Margaret Fuller was well ahead of her time, challenging the traditional role of women in education, society, and employment.

She’s best known for her landmark book, Woman in the Nineteenth Century , as well as for being the first woman ever allowed to use the Harvard College library.

14. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

Playwright, literary critic, Nobel Prize winner, and socialist propagandist, Irish-born George Bernard Shaw revolutionised the world of comedic drama.

His writing was deeply philosophical, focusing on social tensions at the time, and he drew criticism for being a devout pacifist and antiwar activist during the two World Wars.

15. John Dewey (1859–1952)

The first to coin the term ‘critical thinking’ in the world of education, American John Dewey believed that social reform needed to start in our schools.

He pioneered the concept of inquiry-based learning, which modern educators continue to use in schools and universities around the world.

16. Marie Curie (1867-1934)

Polish-born French physicist Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only woman to win Nobel Prizes in two different fields (physics and chemistry).

She was one of the pioneers in the field of radioactivity and laid the way for our modern x-ray machines and various cancer treatments.

17. Albert Einstein (1879–1955)

Perhaps one of the greatest minds of all time, German-born Albert Einstein is synonymous with the world of physics.

He developed the theory of relativity and received the Nobel Prize in 1921 for his work on the photoelectric effect and electromagnetic radiation.

18. Edwin Hubble (1889-1953)

American astronomer Edwin Hubble wasn’t content with looking up at the stars — he wanted to understand the world beyond our planet (and even our galaxy).

He not only discovered galaxies beyond the Milky Way but also proved that the universe is expanding.

It’s no wonder they named the revolutionary Hubble Space Telescope after him!

Hunting for critical thinking examples from modern times? Here they are…

Modern Examples of Critical Thinking

Our journey through history has been fascinating, but what about modern times?

Here are more examples of critical thinkers from the 20th and 21st centuries.

19. Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986)

A bold and even radical feminist, French author Simone de Beauvoir wasn’t afraid to challenge society’s view of the sexes.

Her book The Second Sex heralded gender equality and women’s individuality, paving the way for every modern women’s rights movement of the 20th century.

20. Noah Chomsky (born in 1928)

Regarded as the father of modern linguistics, US-born Avram Noah Chomsky started what’s now known as the “cognitive revolution.”

He’s best known for his work in the fields of language and cognitive psychology, with the view that language is uniquely human (and biologically based).

He’s also a political dissident who speaks out about US politics, foreign policies, and international culture.

21. Maya Angelou (1928–2014)

Famed author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings , American author Maya Angelou is best known for her writings that explore racism, economics, and sexual oppression.

She was also highly active during the American civil rights movement and spoke out fearlessly alongside other activists like Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X.

Familiar with Martin Luther King, Jr? He is included on our list of modern examples of critical thinking…

22. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

Leader of the civil rights movement that led to the end of racial segregation in America, Martin Luther King Jr was fearless in his nonviolent pursuit of equality.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 before sadly being assassinated in 1968.

23. Alasdair MacIntyre (born in 1929)

Scottish philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre is regarded as one of the greatest moral thinkers and activists of the 20th century.

He’s written extensively on the subjects of political philosophy, ethics, and theology and is best known for his book After Virtue.

His viewpoints range from traditional Marxism and Catholicism to Neo-Aristotelian theories.

24. Dian Fossey (1932-1985)

American zoologist and conservationist Dian Fossey spent decades in Africa and became the world’s leading expert on mountain gorillas.

She’s best known for her book Gorillas in the Mist and her courageous public battle against poachers.

Sadly, she was murdered by an unknown assailant (likely the poachers she struggled against) in Rwanda in 1985.

25. Amartya Sen (born in 1933)

Economist Amartya Sen has dedicated his life to solving the problems of poverty, famine, and economic disparity in his home country of India (and beyond).

He’s worked extensively on identifying and mitigating the causes of famine, as well as developing a more sophisticated system for measuring poverty.

In 1998 he won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.

26. Stanislav Petrov (1939-2017)

He may not wear a superhero cape, but this man actually saved the planet from nuclear war.

On September 26, 1983, Soviet officer Stanislav Petrov saw a report of an incoming American missile strike.

Luckily for the world, Petrov used his critical thinking skills to determine the report was false and halt the nuclear counter strike, saving an estimated 2 billion lives in the process!

27. Stephen Hawking (1942–2018)

Few critical thinkers have impacted the world scientifically, socially, and culturally as much as Stephen Hawking .

Despite his lifelong battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease, Hawking’s work on theoretical physics, quantum mechanics, and the space-time continuum forever changed the world of science.

28. Elon Musk (born in 1971)

PayPal. SpaceX. Tesla. Twitter. Behind virtually every major scientific advancement and revolution of the 21st century, one name stands behind it — South Africa’s own Elon Musk .

He’s nowhere near finished, either, with projects such as the Boring Company (a tunnelling startup) and Neuralink (a brain-computer interface technology firm) also in the pipeline.

Harness Your Own Critical Thinking Skills

As we’ve discussed, critical thinking is hardly a modern development.

From early thinkers like Confucius and Socrates to the most brilliant minds today, these examples of critical thinkers have contributed untold wisdom to our society.

No, you may not singlehandedly halt a nuclear missile strike, but you can harness the power of critical thinking for yourself. Make it your personal goal to work on your critical thinking skills and you’re sure to experience success in all aspects of life!

What else do you need to succeed? How about a healthy dose of self-confidence?

Read this post next for some awesome quotes on believing in yourself and your own worth.

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5 Critical Thinking Quotes That Will Instantly Sharpen Your Mind

Anthony Metivier | June 14, 2021 | Thinking

Let’s fix that right now.

I taught critical thinking for four years and here are some of the quotes I’ve never forgotten.

They helped me improve my thinking and many others too.

Let’s dive in.

The 5 Best Critical Thinking Quotes For People Who Want Laser Sharp Minds

Is there a best place to start?

I believe so.

It’s with humility. 

One: Start With What You Don’t Know

And Socrates was one of the first to nail down just how important humility is if you want to think well.

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”

This is probably one of the first and most important logical thinking quotes. 

It makes mathematical sense, for one thing.  

There’s so much to know, and only one life to live. 

By being intellectually honest that there will always be more to learn than any individual person could ever hope to know, you’ll be more open to collaborating with others.

And that’s exactly what Socrates did, leading to Plato’s Dialogues. It is one of the finest examples of collaborative thinking history has ever produced. 

Remember this quote and repeat it often. It will keep you open, curious and humble.

Two: An Imperfect Circle Only You Can Fix

Few people know the name Wilfred Bion now, but he was an important psychoanalyst in his time. In fact, he was even president of the British Psychoanalytical Society for some time.

When he noted that “thinking has to be called into existence to cope with thoughts,” Bion hit on something very important. It’s the core of what spiritual traditions have been struggling with for thousands of years: psychological suffering.

What Bion is essentially talking about is meta thinking or meta cognition. And as he warned his fellow psychoanalysts, how we think about thinking can either create more suffering or the release from suffering.

So as a quick exercise, ask yourself: Does how you think about your thinking increase or reduce your suffering? 

If you’re having problems, give this TEDx Talk and its simple suggestion a try:

By practicing an awareness of the difference between your thoughts and your thoughts about your thoughts, great peace and better thinking is possible.

As Bion says, you can call simple thoughts into existence to “neutralize” the thoughts that cause distress.

Three: The Reality Check

Marcus Aurelius does not strike me as a depressed person. 

But he certainly was a realistic person. And as a morning exercise, he reminded himself of all the good things in the world, without leaving out the bad.

Let’s look at the full quote in context:

“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own – not of the same blood and birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him. We were born to work together like feet, hands and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are unnatural.”

― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Why commit this quote to memory? 

The answer is simple:

To keep yourself balanced and to think critically as you go throughout your day. 

Inspired by Marcus Aurelius, I think of it this way:

The scales of justice are constantly thrown out of balance. Being ignorant of that fact helps no one. But cultivating discernment about this truth can help us better navigate the world. 

Four: Cherish And Seek Originality

A lot of people copied Nikola Tesla. 

But instead of getting mad, he said:

“I don’t care that they stole my idea …  I care that they don’t have any of their own.”

What makes this a great quote about critical thinking?

Tesla noticed the real behavior and the real problem. 

In a word, a lot of people suffer from scarcity-thinking. They don’t believe in themselves. And that leads them into behaviors that reduce their abilities to generate unique ideas.

Tesla, like Einstein, practiced something like image streaming . 

And not just for a few minutes. The practice went on over years. 

As Einstein said, ““It is not that I’m so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.”

As a result of sticking with visualization and working through problems longer than others were willing to do, powerful ideas emerged. These ideas went on to positively impact millions of people.

Tesla knew that if only more people would engage in deeper thinking, they would not have to steal the ideas of others.

That said, there’s nothing wrong with getting inspired by others. Check out these critical thinking examples if you need a starting point for coming up with ideas of your own.

Five: Don’t Settle Too Quickly

Joseph Joubert knew the dangers of deciding too quickly. As the inspector-general of universities for Napoleon, it was his job to ensure that intellectual conversations were flourishing. 

More importantly, he wanted to make sure that debates continued to happen, especially when certain parties wanted to shut them down.

That’s why he said:

“It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it.”

The next time you find yourself dodging an argument, stop and remember this quote. Debating is almost always worth it, even if you cannot always come to a consensus. 

A Few Resources That Help You Take Action From These Quotes on Critical Thinking

Going over famous critical thinking quotes is one thing.

Remembering them forever is another. 

If you’d like to commit these quotes to memory, I suggest you learn how to use a Memory Palace . It’s a fun and easy way to use a location (like your home or a classroom) to remember any information. 

Here’s where to learn all about the technique with some videos and worksheets:

For more on critical thinking, check out these resources:

• 11 Benefits of Critical Thinking That Rapidly Improve Your Life
• 9 Critical Thinking Strategies That Lifelong Learners Need To Know
• Reflective Thinking: 5 Powerful Thought Strategies For Improving Your Life
• The 7 Main Types Of Thinking (And How To Improve Them)
• Independent Thinking: 7 Tips On Becoming An Individual Thinker
• 3 Ways to Improve Your Reasoning Skills (With Examples)
• How to Think Logically (And Permanently Solve Serious Problems)
• Objective vs. Subjective Reasoning: Everything You Need to Know
• How to Think Faster And Avoid 9 Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making

I hope you enjoy going through them.

Why bother?

Well, as I often like to say (another quote for you): 

“Content may be king, but context is god.”

The more you know, the more you can know, especially when you read these critical thinking books .

One more before we go:

“I don’t write a book so that it will be the final word; I write a book so that other books are possible, not necessarily written by me.” ― Michel Foucault

Like Foucault, I write these blog posts so that posts from others become possible.

So let me know in the comments:

What are your favorite quotes about thinking? And why have they created an impact in your life?

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