Inconsistent. Fickle. Flip-flopper. These are the insults we throw at people – particularly politicians – who change their minds. But is it really so bad to change your mind?
Well, that depends on why you’re changing your mind.
The insults above are meant to be aimed at those who change their mind for expediency – because it’s politically or economically convenient. They have no moral compass, no firmly held set of values. They follow the herd, bending to the will of public opinion, even if the public is an ill-informed angry mob.
But it’s also possible to change your mind for a good reason – because you’ve learned something or come to a new understanding of the situation. If you care about the truth more than you care about being right, you’re not compromising your values when you change your mind; you’re living up to them. You’re humble enough to admit when you’re wrong and brave enough to do so publicly.
“It would be better if we’d never been wrong in the first place, sure, but the second-best thing is to change our minds now.” –Ryan Holiday1
Perhaps some cherished belief of yours has been proven wrong. It’s okay. No one gets through life being right about everything. It’s far smarter to change your mind in light of new evidence than to persist in a belief that’s clearly incorrect.
Perhaps you’ve always voted for one political party, but more and more it seems like that party has changed. They don’t seem to represent your values anymore. It’s absurd to keep voting for them just out of consistency. Times change, and so can you.
Perhaps something bad has happened to you. Or rather, you’ve convinced yourself that it was bad. What if this problem is actually an opportunity? What if there’s a lesson to be learned that’ll be worth more to you in the long run than the cost of your current trouble? In my experience, you have to first open your mind to the possibility that this problem is actually a gift before you have a chance to unwrap it. Something happened, and nothing can change that. But you are free to change your mind about what it means.
Your Mind Should Change As You Age
Here’s how Ryan Holiday colorfully puts it in Wisdom Takes Work:
“The philosopher Diogenes the Cynic was once confronted about something he used to believe. ‘And there was once a day when I would piss in my bed … but no longer.’”1
When you grow up, you naturally grow out of the childish beliefs you once held. If you don’t, you’ll look awfully immature.
And here’s the secret: You’re never done growing up! Every one of us has foolish ideas floating around in our heads. And every one of us is irrationally committed to holding onto those beliefs. If, when we face the facts, it becomes clear that our ideas are wrong, we should discard them.
“Wisdom is the ability to go through life ready to change your mind. This doesn’t mean we abandon our values because they’re inconvenient, but our thinking is supposed to evolve. We are supposed to grow. New things are going to come to light.” –Ryan Holiday1
Stubbornness is Stupid
There are plenty of people who refuse to change their minds when faced with contradictory facts. Such people never admit they’re wrong because they think it’s a sign of weakness. They double down on their mistakes because they think that’s the way to save face.1 These are stupid, dangerous people, particularly when they’re in positions of power.
Confronted by such a person who was criticizing him for changing his position on a particular topic, John Maynard Keynes replied, “When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?”1
Progress Requires We Change Our Minds
Think of all the immorality that used to be acceptable: slavery, child labor, denying women the right to vote. The world got better because people changed their minds.
Similarly, progress in our personal lives requires changing our minds about who we are. I was, for over a decade, a marijuana user. For most of that time, I could not imagine living any other way. And I stayed stuck in that lifestyle far longer than I should have. Then, one day, I changed my mind about who I was and how I would spend the rest of my life. I’ve been clean and sober ever since.
We think things have to be a certain way, but maybe they don’t. We think certain things are true, but maybe they aren’t. We have to be willing to confront the possibility that we’re wrong, that we need to change. If we don’t, who knows how long we’ll continue down the wrong path?
So yes, it’s okay to change your mind, as long as you have a good reason for changing your mind. In fact, the ability to do so is a sign of mental flexibility and wisdom.
P.S. I subscribe to Tangle for thoughtful, moderate commentary on the biggest news stories. Their style of analysis keeps my biases in check and often forces me to change my mind. They’re not paying me to advertise for them. I just think they’re great.
1Holiday, Ryan. Wisdom Takes Work. Portfolio, 2025.
Chris Loper has been writing about self-improvement and helping busy adults with habit formation since 2017.
He also writes an education blog for parents and students for Northwest Educational Services.
Along with Greg Smith, Chris is the cocreator of Parenting for Academic Success, a series of transformative classes that create empowered parents, confident students, and harmonious families.
His most recent endeavor combines his academic and habit-formation expertise to help students thrive in college. Visit SmartCollegeHabits.com to learn more.
In 2021, Chris published a humorous memoir titled Wood Floats and Other Brilliant Observations, a book that blends crazy stories with practical life lessons.
He lives in Issaquah, WA where he is the owner of South Cove Tutoring.