72 Examples of Assumptions

John Spacey, updated on April 15, 2024

An assumption is an opinion that is strongly accepted as true without much thought. The person making the assumption believes the opinion to be obvious, intuitive and common sense such that they do not question it. In many cases, people make assumptions without realizing it. Assumptions can be correct or incorrect. They serve a function by simplifying cognitive processes and helping you deal with uncertainty. This being said, unchecked assumptions are a common source of irrational thinking, disagreement, failure and unfair treatment. The following are illustrative examples of assumptions.

Morning is the most productive time of day.	Good things happen to good people.
They don’t like me.	We need to hire someone with a university degree.
We need to use technology ____ for the project.	Good hairstylists are usually in their 20s.
The project will take about a month.	They are smart.
I look better in dark clothing.	I gained weight because of stress.
Minimalists care about the environment.	He was a star athlete, so he will be good at closing sales.
Our last product did well, so our next product will do even better.	Smaller competitors are weak and don’t represent a threat to us.
Domestic products are higher quality.	Products from ____ are low quality.
Brand ____ is high quality.	They would never hire someone like me.
I’ve been out of the job market for a while so nobody will hire me now.	That bicyclist is turning left. [fast moving situation such as driving]
We will always be friends.	That guy is guilty.
Everyone agrees about that issue.	He is a happy employee.
He isn’t the type to quit.	Society won’t change all that much.
People in the past were unhappy with the social values of their day.	Education leads to success.
Schools are driven by altruistic motives.	Quiet people are shy.
Shy people are nice.	Technology makes life easier.
Life is fair / unfair.	People who fail just didn’t work hard enough.
I’m unlucky.	Taking risks is bad.
People in the countryside are more friendly.	Cities are more dangerous than the countryside.
The media is biased.	Social media is a bad habit.
The new hire will respect me due to my years of experience.	This customer isn’t very smart.
Salespeople are always trying to trick customers.	The budget for that project should be around ____ dollars.
That customer will always be loyal.	Our products are the highest quality.
Our competitors are incompetent.	Employees tell us what they really think in the non-anonymous employee survey.
Employee satisfaction increases productivity.	Employee engagement boosts profits.
Work-life balance makes for more productive employees.	Celebrating employee birthdays increases employee satisfaction.
Employees are less/more productive working from home.	That delivery will be on time.
That employee can change their ways.	Blue is the most popular color for everything.
An earthquake can’t happen here.	Engineers are weird.
I will be rich someday.	I’m destined for greatness.
If you adopt audacious goals good things will happen.	Failure only makes you stronger.
I have a better sense of justice than others.	I understand the world better than others.
I understand others better than they understand themselves.	Reading makes you smarter.
Television makes you less smart.	Competition is bad / good.
People are motivated purely by greed and a quest for power.	People who are alone are lonely.
People from that age group are like this.	People with glasses are smart.

Assumptions aren't inherently bad -- particularly if you state, document and communicate them. For example, in a business plan for a restaurant you may state the assumption that the economy and restaurant industry will continue to operate normally. This may be a reasonable assumption to make that allows the business plan to ignore rare but high impact risks such as large scale disruptions to the economy.

Summary

Assumptions are statements that you hold to be true without knowing that they are true based on evidence. These are necessary as a means to deal with uncertainties in strategy, planning, decision making and everyday life. Although often helpful and pragmatic, assumptions are by definition not particularly accurate and are a common source of misjudgement.

Definitions: Assumptions Examples
Type	Assumptions
Definition (1)	An opinion that is strongly accepted as true without much thought.
Definition (2)	Something that is regarded as obvious, self-evident and common sense by an individual, group, institution or culture.
Definition (3)	A statement that you hold to be true for some pragmatic purpose without any process of justification or proof.
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