Eliminate the phrase "I believe"

When saying, “I believe this means…” I think people say this because they are insecure or unsure if their interpretation of the topic is correct or not. By saying “I believe” the statement turns into an opinion and it covers up the fact that the person may not know the answer to the question or the topic. I may be guilty of using “I believe” in this context as well. Not only is “I believe” used in blog topics, it’s always a common saying in schools.

I think the use of “I believe” in the classrooms of America also comes from this whole notion that it’s comical to see someone else make a mistake in class. Students today imply through their laughter and mistreatment of others that it is not acceptable to make a mistake without being ridiculed. By saying “I believe” you are signaling the fact that you realize that you may be incorrect about your understanding of the topic and if you say “I believe” you think you will be less likely to be ridiculed by your classmates. Though “I believe” is a term used widely in today’s society, I would like to limit the mentality from which the phrase stems.

Personally, I think using “I believe” in this context is negative. Students should not ridicule each other when we make mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes. For an example, there was a famous interview where Albert Einstein was asked by a reporter if he felt like a failure because it took him over 200 attempts to successfully create a light bulb. He responded, “I didn’t fail, I just came up with 200 ways not to create a light bulb, and the mistakes I made led me to solve the problem.” Even Albert Einstein, arguably one of the smartest scientists that ever lived, made mistakes. It’s widely known that Einstein struggled in school as a child and was dyslexic. I’m sure he made plenty of mistakes over the course of his academic career. Yet, Einstein still turned out to be a great scientist and some people would call him a “genius”. If Einstein made mistakes, we can make mistakes.

If Einstein made mistakes and he turned out to be a great scientist, then students do not need to mask their possible mistakes with phrases like “I believe” or “So, what I hear you saying is…”. Students should have pride in their work and, more importantly, have pride in themselves enough to speak confidently on topics or answer tough questions. Generally, what’s “at stake” is you are selling yourself short, projecting a lack of confidence to your peers, and preventing yourself from understanding the material because you are afraid to make mistakes. As a student, if you have this behavior, and continue it in your professional career, it can impede you from reaching your full potential. I believe limiting the phrase “I believe” will make us better students and better professionals in the future.