Why it was said

Robert Cialdini opens Influence with this line to frame the book's subject: the mental shortcuts that let us act without weighing everything, and the way those shortcuts are exploited by people who know them.

What it actually means

Shortcuts are necessary; nobody can evaluate every claim from scratch. The danger Cialdini describes is the second half of the sentence: when a shortcut is simpler than the situation, it fires on a fake trigger. A price that signals quality, a crowd that signals safety, a favour that demands return. The book is a catalogue of shortcuts that are usually right and the situations in which they are deliberately made wrong.

How to use it

1. 1When you feel a quick yes forming, name the shortcut: reciprocity, scarcity, social proof, authority, liking, consistency.
2. 2Ask whether the trigger is real or manufactured before acting on it.