“A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts.”
This can strike you as either humorous or motivational, as there’s a high chance that this quote appeared on your social media feed with a meme or motivational quote-style video. But there’s a deeper meaning behind this quote – traditionally attributed to famous British philosopher Alan Watts – with some potential insight into the neuroscience of metacognition.
The common interpretation portrays this as a warning about overthinking and its ill effects, which is supported by the rest of the quote: “So he loses touch with reality, and lives in a world of illusion.”
But what if the problem is not thinking too much, but thinking without reflection or accountability? Depending on one’s perspective, it can be seen differently with a more beneficial, positive element to it.
Before going into the details of that, a story may help lay the foundation for this different perspective.
The original sin
When Adam (as) committed his “original sin”, as the Christians refer to it, he faced certain consequences. The Quran mentions that he turned towards God and took responsibility for his mistake and due to the absence of disobedience in him, God Almighty forgave him and honoured him further. (Surah Taha, Ch.20: V.116)
This was a noble example of taking accountability, as Rumi beautifully encapsulates:
“‘We’ve wronged ourselves’: when Adam thus confessed
“He still knew acts are God’s – he spoke the best:
“Out of respect he said it was his sin,
“Through bearing this, more favour he would win;
“He then repented . God said, ‘Didn’t I
“‘Create that crime in you – Why did you lie?
“‘Wasn’t it all because of my decree?
“‘Why did you take responsibility?’
“He said, ‘Through fear I kept respect for you.’
“God said, ‘I’ve kept in mind your actions too.’
“Whoever shows respect, respect will meet:
“Bring halva and you’ll eat an almond sweet.” (The Masnavi [English], Book 1, Oxford University Press, 2004, pp. 93-94)
Adam (as) was able to take a step back and evaluate his actions, ultimately coming to the conclusion that he ought to take responsibility. This remorse that he felt acted as a kind of internal justice, which can be understood from Kahlil Gibran’s eloquent statement:
“And how shall you punish those whose remorse is greater than their misdeeds?
“Is not remorse the justice which is administered by that very law which you would fain serve?” (The Prophet, 2002, p. 49)
Beyond its spiritual significance, there is also some biological benefit associated with taking accountability, as modern neuroscience confirms.
The neuroscience of metacognition
The ability to think about one’s thoughts, evaluate them and take responsibility is known as “metacognition”, a form of intelligence which has many benefits according to studies in the field of neuroscience.
A key element of this neurobiologically grounded concept is that through its strong association with the anterior prefrontal cortex (PFC), those with greater metacognitive ability are able to make better, more accurate self-assessments, adjust their behaviour after making mistakes and show greater cognitive control and accountability.
This highlights the distinction between primary cognition, which is linked to simply doing a task and metacognition, which allows a person to monitor, evaluate and correct oneself.
By stepping outside one’s thoughts to observe how the mind works, one can notice thinking patterns, question assumptions and recognise when their thoughts might be biased, emotional or misaligned. This weakens automatic loops in the limbic system and improves focus, clarity and long-term thinking – which essentially means that a person can shift from reflexive, emotional reactions into intentional, thought-through responses. Through this ability, a person can improve their psychological capabilities.
The Quranic perspective on self-accountability
The ability to self-assess and evaluate oneself is a noble pursuit, as it is encouraged by the Holy Quran. It encourages Muslims to do muhasabah (self-examine their actions): “O ye who believe! fear Allah; and let [every] soul look to what it sends forth for the morrow. And fear Allah; verily Allah is Well-Aware of what you do.” (Surah al-Hashr, Ch.59: V.19)
Inner moral awareness is given significance through self-reproach: “And I do call to witness the self-accusing soul, [that the Day of Judgment is a certainty].” (Surah al-Qiyamah, Ch.75: V.3)
Nafs al-lawwamah (the self-accusing soul) is the conscience-driven self that questions, reproaches and evaluates itself. Hence, this mindset is a divinely acknowledged psychological state rather than weakness. Then the theme of personal responsibility and moral ownership is also highlighted:
“He who follows the right way follows it only [for the good] of his [own] soul: and he who goes astray, goes astray only to his [own] loss.” (Surah Bani Isra’il, Ch.17: V.16)
Personal moral agency is established here. No other person can take responsibility for anything good or bad you do – which is a stark contrast to the Christian belief of salvation through which Jesus (as) supposedly takes on humanity’s inherent sin and absolves mankind from any responsibility.
Islam’s guidance on moral self-reflection
These Quranic sentiments are echoed by the Holy Prophet (sa) as well. At one instance he states: “The clever person is the one who holds himself accountable and works for what is after death. And the incapable is the one who follows his desires and merely hopes in Allah.” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, Kitab sifatul qiyamah, Hadith 2459)
The Promised Messiah (as) has commented on this state on many occasions. Once, when a person with experiencing spiritual ailments approached him, he advised:
“[…] nafs-e-lawwamah [the reproving self] which perpetrates evil but constantly remains distressed, ashamed of the evil, and keeps on repenting. Such a person is not enslaved by the self, and – to a certain extent – it is vital to be in this state. One should not be disheartened at this because there are great spiritual rewards to be earned from it, and eventually Allah the Exalted Himself sends down spiritual light and tranquillity.” (Malfuzat [English], 2024, Vol. 7, p. 184)
In light of this, the reproving self becomes something that signals moral awareness rather than moral decay. Hence, Muslims have plenty of encouragement to employ habits of self-reflection which will naturally lead to self-improvement. Thus, there is clear emphasis in Islamic teachings on self-accountability and modern science finds itself in accordance with divine injunctions once again.