"You must understand that seeing is believing, but also know that believing is seeing"
About this Quote
The intent is motivational, but the subtext is more tactical than inspirational. Waitley is smuggling in a theory of agency: you can change outcomes by changing what you notice, and you can change what you notice by changing what you expect. That is classic Waitley-era personal development (late 20th-century American optimism, corporate training culture, sports psychology): belief as a performance tool, not a theological claim. The line is built to be recited before a sales call, a workout, a risky life choice.
It also carries a quiet warning. "Believing is seeing" describes vision boards and placebo effects, but it also describes propaganda, conspiracy thinking, and confirmation bias. The quote works because it flatters both halves of the modern psyche: the part that wants proof and the part that wants permission to leap. It leaves you with an uncomfortable power: your worldview can be evidence-driven, or evidence can be worldview-driven, and you rarely get to tell which mode you are in while it is happening.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Waitley, Denis. (2026, January 18). You must understand that seeing is believing, but also know that believing is seeing. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/you-must-understand-that-seeing-is-believing-but-6388/
Chicago Style
Waitley, Denis. "You must understand that seeing is believing, but also know that believing is seeing." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/you-must-understand-that-seeing-is-believing-but-6388/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"You must understand that seeing is believing, but also know that believing is seeing." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/you-must-understand-that-seeing-is-believing-but-6388/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.











