Daniel Kahneman
Nobel laureate for prospect theory and cognitive biases
Most quoted
"A general 'law of least effort' applies to cognitive as well as physical exertion. The law states that if there are several ways of achieving the same goal, people will eventually gravitate to the least demanding course of action."
— from Thinking, Fast and Slow, 2011
"The confidence we experience as we make a judgment is not a reasoned evaluation of the probability that it is right. Confidence is a feeling, which reflects the coherence of the information and the cognitive ease of processing it."
— from Thinking, Fast and Slow, 2011
"The sunk-cost fallacy is the idea that people are reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial."
— from Interview/Lecture
All quotes by Daniel Kahneman (309)
The most important thing is to be curious.
The future is not something we discover, it's something we create.
We often confuse the ease of recall with the frequency of occurrence.
The greatest challenge is to overcome our own biases.
The world is not as orderly as we would like it to be.
The power of the default option is enormous.
We are not rational agents, but rather intuitive thinkers.
The most important thing is to be open to new ideas.
The human mind is a wonderful, but flawed, instrument.
The only way to improve your thinking is to slow down.
We are more influenced by vivid examples than by statistical data.
The most important thing is to be aware of your own limitations.
The world is full of surprises, and we are not very good at predicting them.
The power of inertia is immense.
We are not as rational as we think we are.
The most important thing is to be able to change your mind.
The human mind is a master of self-deception.
We're not thinking machines that feel; we're feeling machines that think.
The ultimate test of an explanation is not whether it is true, but whether it is useful.
The only way to learn to play golf is to hit the ball.
Contemporaries of Daniel Kahneman
Other Psychologys born within 50 years of Daniel Kahneman (1934–2024).