The world is never as it seems

The world is never as it seems. What looks dirty or terrible may actually be the opposite.

— from The Instruments (Awareness/Perception/Expectations) · GB writing

In the book

Next, perception, because it is the one we trust most and should trust least. The world is not always — or ever — exactly as it seems; a dirty, miserable ferry ride may, on a second look, turn out to be something else entirely. We never see reality directly; we see only a model of it, built from imperfect observations — and wisdom never forgets the difference. […] Say what you expect, ask what they expect, and you will avoid a thousand collisions that awareness alone could never have prevented. The world, finally, is never quite as it seems. So hold your readings humbly, keep your perspective, and remember your one great freedom: that you get to choose, every single day, what view you take of whatever you are given. — The Instruments (Awareness/Perception/Expectations)

Related