The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers.

Dave Barry, a Pulitzer Prize–winning American humor columnist, often built his comedy around everyday irrationalities and social self-deceptions. This line comes from his observational humor about driving culture—an arena where people routinely judge others harshly while excusing their own mistakes. The joke also echoes a well-known psychological finding (the “better-than-average effect”), in which most people rate themselves as above average on desirable traits. Barry’s formulation broadens the premise into a mock-universal truth, using the language of inclusivity (“regardless of…”) to set up the punchline about a shared, flattering delusion.

The quote satirizes human self-assessment: we crave a positive self-image and therefore overestimate our competence, even in measurable domains like driving. By presenting this bias as the one belief that “unites all human beings,” Barry highlights how pervasive and cross-cultural self-enhancement can be. The humor depends on a logical impossibility—everyone cannot be above average—revealing the gap between statistical reality and personal conviction. Beyond the joke, it points to why conflicts on the road (and elsewhere) escalate: if we assume we are competent and others are the problem, we become less reflective, less patient, and more certain of our own righteousness.