Randy Polito has a practice: before he makes any final declarative statement, he checks himself.
Not after. Not when someone corrects him. Before. While he still has the chance to stay quiet.
Here's the question he asks: \"Do I actually know this, or do I think I know this?\"
Because there's a difference. Knowing something means you've investigated. You've asked questions. You've considered multiple scenarios. You've looked at intentions, history, context. You've done the work.
Thinking you know something is faster. It feels like knowing. But it's just bias dressed up as certainty.
Randall Polito thinks about what's at stake when you make a declarative statement without actually investigating. Your words have weight. They travel. They shape how people see situations and each other.
If you declare someone wrong, you've potentially damaged their reputation. If you declare a situation hopeless, you've potentially destroyed someone's motivation. If you declare an action immoral, you've potentially ruined someone's credibility.
And you might be completely wrong.
Here's what Randy Polito has learned: before you make any final declarative statement, ask yourself:
Have I played out all the scenarios?
Not just the obvious one. Not just the story you assumed. Have you considered alternative explanations? Have you thought about the situations where you'd be wrong?
Do I know the intentions?
People's actions make sense when you understand their intentions. But most of the time, you don't know intentions. You guess. You assume. You project your own values onto their choices and decide what they must have meant.
Probably not.
Do I know the history?
Context is everything. Why is someone acting this way? What experiences led them here? What have they learned from their past? You probably don't know. And without that history, you're making judgments in a vacuum.
Do I know the context?
Is this person under stress you don't see? Are they dealing with something you don't know about? Are there pressures or constraints you haven't considered? Almost certainly yes. And almost certainly, you don't know what they are.
Probably not. So don't fill in the blanks.
Randall Polito thinks the most dangerous thing in the modern world is the confidence to declare without investigating. The internet rewards it. Social media rewards it. Outrage rewards it. You can make a declarative statement and get immediate validation from people who share your bias.
But the cost is real. You've damaged someone. You've spread misinformation. You've contributed to a culture where understanding takes a backseat to judgment.
Here's what Randy Polito does instead: he asks.
Before he declares, he asks. He gets curious. He investigates. He considers that he might be wrong. He considers that it might be a different book than the one he thought he was reading.
And when he's tempted to make a declarative statement—when he's certain he knows—he pauses. He checks himself. He asks: \"Is it wise to fill in the blanks here? Or should I just ask?\"
The answer is almost always: ask.
Randall Polito's rule: the more certain you are, the more you should check yourself. Because certainty is where bias hides.
— Randy Polito