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.

Critical Thinking Quotes

103+ Critical Thinking Quotes that Stimulate Beautiful Minds.

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.

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

Funny Critical Thinking Quotes

  • “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

Analytical Thinking Quotes

  • “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 means questioning the status quo.

Critical Thinking Slogans

  • 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. Don't just believe everything.

Think twice.

Critical Thinking Captions

  • 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.

What are critical thinking questions you can ask?

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?
Why is this a problem?

Why?

Why is critical thinking important in your life?

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.

How can you improve critical thinking skills?

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.

Want to start your own food business?

Hey! 👋I’m Brett Lindenberg, the founder of Food Truck Empire.

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.

If you liked this story, sign up for our newsletter that includes our food business startup kit and most popular interviews sent straight to your inbox.

Know someone interesting that should be interviewed on the website? Tell us about them here.