A guy called up, and in his lead, he said, 'We've talked before. I used to be with US but now I'm for SELF.' And I was like, 'I guess we know everything now, don't we?' ... I kind of laughed and I went, 'I guess a lot of people are like that.' And he paused and went, 'Uhhh: what?' And I said, 'Oh, nothing.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker describes a conversation about switching loyalties and mocks the pretentiousness of claiming absolute knowledge.
- In plain terms
- They joke about people who think they know everything after changing sides.
- What can you take from it?
- Beware of overconfidence after a shift in belief.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do people claim certainty after a change?
- How does humor reveal truth?
Another view
Sometimes confidence can be genuine and useful.
More from Penn Jillette
I've always wanted to make the world a more rational place. I'm still working on it.
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