Only Fools Speak in Absolutes

There is a way I know half-witted and dumb people: they speak in absolutes.

It’s one of the fastest giveaways. People who lack depth in thinking love sweeping statements like “always,” “never,” “everyone,” “no one.”

It's lazy, it's rigid. It sounds confident but usually reveals just how shallow a person's thought process is.

Real life doesn’t work like in black and white, it's messy, it’s grey. Almost nothing is black and white and people who ignore the what ifs, the nuances, the variables, those are the ones who crash hardest when reality doesn't play by their rules.

One timeless example is found in the Bible — the parable of the rich man. This guy had a booming business, stacked up wealth, and started making big plans. He told himself, “I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. Then I will say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.’” (Luke 12:18-19)

Classic absolutist move. Full confidence in a future he didn’t control. But God called him a fool — “This very night your life will be demanded from you.” All his plans, all his certainty, gone in a blink.

That’s the danger of speaking and thinking in absolutes. You assume too much, you forget that things change, that people change, that life can humble you in ways you never saw coming.

Trusting someone absolutely? Dangerous. Making decisions without room for exceptions or contingencies? Reckless. Speaking as though your perspective is the only one that exists? Foolish.

Take remote work for example, some say it’s always better. Really? Try telling that to a team that needs high collaboration or to someone stuck in a cramped apartment.

Or politics — “This side is evil, that side is righteous.” Please. If you can’t find nuance, you’re not paying attention. You’re just repeating what your echo chamber fed you.

Even in personal relationships — “You never support me.” “You always do this.” Absolutes don’t just miss the mark; they kill dialogue. They leave no room for grace or growth.

The wise ones? They speak with margin. “Usually,” “seems,” “could be,” “based on what I know.” They understand that language should reflect reality and reality is complicated.

Next time you hear someone drop an absolute, pause. Ask yourself: are they being clear, or just careless? Are they speaking from thought, or from ego?

In the end, only fools speak in absolutes. The world isn't simple so do not think simple, do not speak simple and do not trust those who do.