60 Assumption Quotes To Help You Understand Why We Make Them

By Danielle Dahl

Writer, Ph.D Candidate and Inspirational quote curator

Published September 24, 2022

As people, we almost can’t help but make assumptions, but these assumption quotes point out how they can be problematic.

What do I mean when I say we almost can’t help it?

You see, according to Dr. David McCormick (from the Yale School of Medicine) our brains require an immense amount of energy to function.

He states “There are over one hundred billion cells in our brain and each of them makes over ten thousand connections with other brain cells.

While the large number of possible combinations of cell connections allows for higher-ordered thinking, this is a big problem evolutionarily in terms of energy cost.”

The reason we make assumptions is that our brain had to come up with a way to efficiently process situations and information.

It is nearly an automatic process for many situations in our lives.

Even though certain assumptions are nearly impossible to avoid, there are reasons why we should avoid them when we can.

These assumption quotes illustrate why you should never assume things, so keep reading!

Don’t forget to also check out these positive thinking quotes for a new perspective.

If you enjoy this article, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily motivation.

Browse our entire collection of inspirational quotes for more motivating ideas and concepts.

Thought-provoking assumption quotes

1. “Assumptions close doors. Intrigue opens them.” ― Sam Owen

2. “Assumptions equal a loss of pride and the sting of defeat.” ― Donna Lynn Hope

You will also enjoy our article on arrogant quotes.

3. “Assuming less does not make you naive, it makes you a better listener.” ― Terry A O’Neal

4. “Be careful of what you assume, what you assume often becomes what you consume.” ― Constance Friday

5. “Incorrect assumptions lie at the root of every failure. Have the courage to test your assumptions.” ― Brian Tracy

6. “Sometimes our bad feelings are only assumptions and speculations doing dark dances in our heads.” ― Bonnie Lyn Smith

7. “It’s always your assumptions about you, about others, about future that make reality worse than it actually is.” ― Dragos Bratasanu

8. “Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” ― Isaac Asimov

9. “Assumptions are unopened windows that foolish birds fly into, and their broken bodies are evidence gathered too late.” ― Bryan Davis

10. “Every time we make assumptions about what other people feel, do or think, we imprison them and us in a separate reality.” ― Franco Santoro

Assumption quotes about assuming things

11. “An assumption is the joke; truth the punchline.” ― Criss Jami

12. “Assumption is the mother of the screw-up.” — Angelo Donghia

13. “Taking any assumptions into study is bad science.” ― Lewis N. Roe

14. “You can’t make assumptions when you’re dealing with health issues.” ― Adam Clayton

15. “Your assumptions are always wrong. Even a one rupee coin have two sides.” ― Allan Bridjith

16. “Never ASSUME, because when you ASSUME, you make an ASS of U and ME.” — Felix Unger

17. “There was no Jedi so wise that he could not be undone by his own assumptions.” ― Claudia Gray

18. “The assumption that humans could be a reliable back-up for the system was a total fallacy.” ― Astro Teller

19. “Assuming things is the equivalent of sleepwalking blindfolded on a cliff edge fully expecting a safety net to be there to break the fall should you topple over the precipice.” ― Stewart Stafford

20. “Assumptions are dangerous things to make, and like all dangerous things to make―bombs, for instance, or strawberry shortcake―if you make even the tiniest mistake you can find yourself in terrible trouble.” ― Lemony Snicket

Assumption quotes about life

21. “Assumptions allow the best in life to pass you by.” ― John Sales

22. “We make the assumption that everyone sees life the way we do.” — Miguel Angel Ruiz

23. “Having our fundamental assumptions about life challenged is never a comfortable thing.” ― Maajid Nawaz

24. “Men can only be happy when they don’t not assume that the object of life is happiness.” — George Orwell

25. “She decided to see how her life would change if she dropped the assumption she needed fixing.” — Unknown

26. “We all make basic assumptions about things in life, but sometimes those assumptions are wrong.” ― Darren Shan

27. “Cast aside any predictions or assumptions that you have about life – what you think is going to happen never does.” — Stewart Stafford

28. “How would your life be different if…You stopped making negative judgmental assumptions about people you encounter?” ― Steve Maraboli

29. “Invite people into your life who don’t look or act like you. You might find they challenge your assumptions and make you grow.” — Mellody Hobson

30. “I have learned throughout my life as a composer chiefly through my mistakes and pursuits of false assumptions, not by my exposure to founts of wisdom and knowledge.” — Igor Stravinsky

Assumption quotes about relationships

31. “In relationships it is best to assume nothing.” — Jessica Zafra

32. “Assumptions are the termites of relationships.” — Henry Winkler

33. “Never assume that the guy understands that you and he have a relationship” — Dave Barry

34. “Assumption and lack of communication are the number one relationship killers.” — Unknown

35. “No one ever gets tired of loving. But everyone gets tired of waiting, assuming, hearing lies, and hurting.” — Megan Fox

36. “The fall of relationships draws from assumptions, what is not known, and acceptance of what is not seen.” — Joshua Brand

37. “Love can only consist in failure…on the fallacious assumption that it is a relationship. But it is not. It is a production of truth.” — Alain Badiou

38. “The most hurtful thing to me is when people try to put assumptions on me and my relationship because that is not OK.” — Gigi Hadid

39. “Don’t hesitate to open up to the ones you love… Don’t let them make assumptions… tell them how you feel… for the words left unspoken often break hearts… and break relationships too.” — Neena Gupta

40. “Everyone declares that love is irrational, and yet every time this statement is proven correct, they profess amazement. They seem to assume that love will make an exception in their case. It never does.” — Jessica Zafra

Assumption quotes about never assuming anything

41. “One should never assume anything” — Dick Francis

42. “Never assume someone is smarter than you.” — Bethenny Frankel

43. “Never assume you understand. Ask the questions.” — Brian Tracy

44. “Never assume you are alone, because you never truly are.” — Mandi Lynn

45. “Never assume you know where someone else is coming from.” — Blake Crouch

46. “I never assume anything. I anticipate the possibilities and allow my imagination to create the future.” — Lionel Suggs

47. “Never assume people’s motives. It’s the easiest way to find yourself upset over nothing or misjudging people.” — LeCrae

48. “Regarding the creative: never assume you’re the master, only the student. Your audience will determine if you’re masterful.” — Don Roff

49. “Never assume you can survive the future because you’ve survived the past. Everyone thinks that, and they’ve all been wrong eventually.” — Daniel Abraham

50. “All too often arrogance accompanies strength, and we must never assume that justice is on the side of the strong. The use of power must always be accompanied by moral choice.” — Theodore Bikel

Assumption Quotes To Help You Let Them Go

51. The most misleading assumptions are the ones you don’t even know you’re making.” — Douglas Adams

52. “Most deadly errors arise from obsolete assumptions.” — Frank Herbert

53. The harder you fight to hold on to specific assumptions, the more likely there’s gold in letting go of them.” — John Seely Brown

54. “Next to the assumption of power was the responsibility of relinquishing it.” — Benjamin Disraeli

55. Ignorance is brought about by assumption.” — T. D. Jakes

56. “The problem with assumptions is that we believe they are the truth.” — Miguel Angel Ruiz

57. The assumption of an absolute determinism is the essential foundation of every scientific enquiry.” — Max Planck

58. “You must stick to your conviction, but be ready to abandon your assumptions.” — Denis Waitley

59. Until we know the assumptions in which we are drenched, we cannot know ourselves.” — Adrienne Rich

60. “The way to keep yourself from making assumptions is to ask questions.” — Miguel Angel Ruiz

So what is the deal with assumptions?

So, is it a good or a bad thing to make assumptions?

It really isn’t that cut and dry!

You see, making an assumption helps you to make a decision.

Making a decision is infinitely better than not making one—even if you end up making a “bad” one!

Look at it this way if you were in a dangerous situation and you made an assumption based on previous experiences in a split second and it saved your life you would be grateful.

If you were unable to process the rapid information and couldn’t make a decision, then something might happen to you.

The reason we think of assumptions as bad is that our brain often lumps information together and we can get it wrong.

Just because a current situation feels like a past one, doesn’t mean they are the same.

If in your past relationships your partner always lied to you, then you might assume a new partner is doing the same thing.