[Ads-l] Quote Origin: Common Sense Is That Which Tells Us the World Is Flat

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The saying in the subject line has been attributed to physicist Albert
Einstein, playwright George Bernard Shaw, English professor S. I.
Hayakawa, economist Stuart Chase, writer Robert Anton Wilson, and
others.

This notion can be expressed in many ways which makes it hard to
trace. Here is an overview with examples, dates, and attributions.

1866: Common sense … led into grave errors. Such doctrines as … the
world is flat (Anonymous)

1872: Common sense … convinces us that the world is flat, and that the
sun, moon, and stars are our satellites (Anonymous)

1884: Common-sense teaches us, even to-day, that the world is flat
(Minot Judson Savage)

1923: Common sense says the world is flat: science says it is
spherical (Harry Roberts)

1924: In the Middle Ages people believed that the earth was flat, for
which they had at least the evidence of their senses (George Bernard
Shaw)

1940: Good common sense makes it plain that the earth is flat and
stands still (Edward Kasner and James Newman)

1948: Common sense tells us that the world is flat, that the sun goes
around the earth, that heavy bodies always fall faster than light
bodies (Stuart Chase)

1949: Common sense … defined … as that which tells you that the world
is flat (Attributed to Stuart Chase by S. I. Hayakawa)

1957: Common sense is what tells you the world is flat (Attributed to
Stuart Chase by K. C. Ingram)

1962: Common sense as the faculty which tells us the world is flat
(Attributed to Stuart Chase by Robert T. Oliver)

1966: Common sense is what tells you the world is flat (Attributed to
an anonymous wag by Robert A Golde)

1974: Common sense is what tells you that the world is flat (Principia
Discordia)

1979: Common sense also tells us that the world is flat (Donald Kennedy)

1990: Common sense tells us the earth is flat (Attributed to Albert
Einstein by Robert Anton Wilson)

1997: Common sense is that which tells us that the world is flat
(Attributed to George Bernard Shaw by Adam Przeworski and Fernando
Limongi)

1998: Common sense is something that tells us the world is flat
(Attributed to Percy Bridgman by Stephen Booth)

2000: Common sense is what tells you that the world is flat (Anonymous)

The Quote Investigator article has more details:
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/14/flat-world/

In conclusion, the saying evolved over time. The originator remains
anonymous. Different phrasings have distinct nuances. Minot Judson
Savage employed a concise instance in 1884.

The attribution to Albert Enstein is unsupported. Einstein received
credit in 1990 which was many years after his death. The attribution
to George Bernard Shaw is unsupported. Shaw received credit in 1997
which was many years after his death. Also, Shaw wrote a thematically
related remark in 1924. Stuart Chase employed an instance in 1948, but
the saying was already in circulation.

Here are links to two other recent QI articles:

Quote Origin: The Best Argument Against Democracy Is a Five-Minute
Talk with the Average Voter
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/10/democracy-five/

Quote Origin: As I Looked Out into the Night Sky, Across All Those
Infinite Stars It Made Me Realise How Insignificant They Are
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2026/07/07/night-sky/

Feedback welcome,
Garson O'Toole

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