This quote is about the nature of belief and thought. It suggests that when we entertain a thought, we either accept it as true (believe it) or we challenge it (question it). There’s no middle ground. In other words, our mind doesn’t passively entertain thoughts; it actively engages with them, either by endorsing them or by scrutinizing them.

The quote speaks to the importance of critical thinking. By ‘questioning’ what we think, we are not accepting our thoughts at face value but rather, we are evaluating them, checking them against our experiences, our values, our knowledge, and our intuition. This is a vital skill in a world where we are constantly bombarded with information and misinformation. Questioning our thoughts allows us to separate truth from falsehood, and wisdom from folly.

In the context of personal development, this quote can be seen as an encouragement to cultivate self-awareness and introspection. By becoming more aware of our thoughts and questioning them, we can identify and challenge negative thought patterns that may be holding us back. This is a key aspect of cognitive-behavioral therapy, a widely used psychological treatment.

Furthermore, the quote also underscores the role of belief in shaping our reality. What we believe, we perceive, and what we perceive, we experience. Therefore, by choosing to believe or question our thoughts, we are in essence choosing our reality. This is a powerful idea that lies at the heart of many personal development philosophies and practices.

In today’s world, this quote is particularly relevant. In the age of social media and “fake news”, the ability to question and critically evaluate our thoughts and the information we consume is more important than ever. At the same time, in a world that is increasingly recognizing the importance of mental health, the quote’s emphasis on introspection and self-awareness is a timely reminder of the need to take care of our inner world.