My wife and I have been binge-watching Suits (nine seasons streaming on Prime) for the past month.
Great show. Sharp writing. Big emotions. Beautiful people.
But there’s something even more fascinating going on…

Nearly every character lives on top of the Ladder of Inference.

If you haven’t heard the term before, here’s the quick version:

The Ladder of Inference explains how we go from seeing something to believing something to acting on something — often without realizing that the “something” we’re reacting to is actually made up.

It goes like this:

1. Observable Data – Something happens.
2. Selected Data – We notice only a few pieces and ignore the rest.
3. Meaning – We add interpretations.
4. Assumptions – We fill in the blanks.
5. Conclusions – We decide what’s true.
6. Beliefs – We lock that story in as reality.
7. Actions – We act as if the belief is fact.

And once we’re up that ladder?
We defend our position like it’s life and death… even when we’re dead wrong.

Here is the video that inspired this post: The Ladder of Inference Creates Bad Judgment

Which brings me back to Suits and the episode where it became really clear for me.

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Harvey Specter’s Ladder: Season 5, Episode 5

In Season 5, Episode 5, Travis (played by Eric Close) tells Harvey (Gabriel Macht) that he’s a changed man.
Harvey’s reaction?

He sprints up the ladder two rungs at a time.

• Meaning added: “He’s setting me up.”
• Assumption: “He wants revenge.”
• Conclusion: “He’s playing me.”
• Belief: “Travis is the same old enemy.”
• Action: Treat him as a threat.

And because Harvey believes this, he sees only the “evidence” that supports it.

That’s the tricky part of the ladder.
Once we pick the story, we collect proof like a lawyer collecting exhibits.

(Side note: Lawyers doing this on purpose (climbing ladders) are expected. Doing it with your personal life is where things go sideways.) Stay tuned, because part two of this post is coming in two days.

But the beauty of watching a show like Suits is that we see what the characters don’t.

We see Harvey’s belief, not reality, steering the wheel.

Just like real life.

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Louis Litt: Running While Carrying the Ladder

If Harvey climbs the ladder, Louis Litt drags it around everywhere he goes.

Louis (Rick Hoffman) doesn’t even need a triggering event.
He wakes up halfway up the ladder most mornings.

• Someone hesitates? He’s being betrayed.
• Someone looks sideways? They hate him.
• Someone is late to a meeting? They’re plotting a coup.

He loops meaning, assumptions, judgment, and catastrophizing faster than most of us can tie our shoes.

And it gets him into trouble… constantly.
Satisfying to watch. Hard to live.

Many of us know and work with Louis.
Some of us are Louis on certain days.

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Mike Ross: Climb Fast, Get Down Fast

Mike (Patrick J. Adams) also climbs the ladder; he’s human, but unlike Harvey and Louis, he doesn’t get stuck there.

He has just enough clarity, insight, and self-awareness to pause, look down, and realize:

“Wait… maybe this is my thinking talking, not the truth.”

And because he pops back down, he sees solutions the others can’t.
Which is a perfect Three Principles lesson in disguise.

A clearer mind sees more options.
A mind caught in contaminated thought only sees trouble.

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Donna and Gretchen: The Ladder-Proof Duo

Then there are Donna (Sarah Rafferty) and Gretchen (Aloma Wright).

Two characters who seem almost immune to the ladder.

They don’t overreact.
They don’t assume the worst.
They don’t fill in blanks with drama.
They don’t get tangled in emotional weather.

Instead, they:

• Stay grounded.
• Observe without judgment.
• Act from wisdom, not insecurity.
• Gently pull others off their ladders.

In many ways, Donna and Gretchen represent what a calm, clear mind looks like in action.

And honestly, they save the firm more often than the lawyers admit.

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Why We Love Watching Other People’s Ladders

Part of the joy of Suits is watching people:

• Assume things that aren’t true
• Believe stories that never happened
• Act on those beliefs
• Blow things up
• Then discovered they were wrong the whole time

It’s drama.
Comedy.
Tragedy.
Humanity.

And it mirrors our own psychological lives.

Because the truth is, we all have ladders. We climb them far more often than we notice.

The only difference?

In real life, we don’t have background music warning us we’re about to make a terrible decision.

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Why Understanding the Ladder Matters

Here’s the real value:

When we understand how the ladder works, we don’t fall for our mind’s illusions as easily.

We begin to see:

• “Oh… this is me adding meaning.”
• “That’s an assumption, not a fact.”
• “I’m climbing the ladder. No wonder I feel tense.”
• “If I wait another minute, I might see something new.”
• “My feeling is telling me my thinking is off, not that the situation is bad.”

That gap, that tiny moment of seeing, is where wisdom lives.

It’s where better choices come from.

It’s where relationships get repaired instead of inflamed.

It’s where we avoid unnecessary battles.

It’s where our own Donna or Gretchen shows up.

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A Simple Way to Help Yourself Going Forward

Here’s a gentle practice:

Next time you feel the surge, the irritation, the certainty, the “I KNOW exactly what’s going on here” moment, just pause long enough to ask:

“Am I reacting to reality… or to my version of it?”

You don’t need to dismantle the ladder.
You don’t need to analyze the steps.
You don’t need techniques.

Just awareness.

Because the moment you see the ladder is the moment you stop climbing it.

That’s where clarity comes in.
That’s where fresh thought shows up.
That’s where solutions appear.

And that’s where life stops being an episode of Suits
and starts becoming something far more enjoyable.

Much love,

Here is a little of the show and the noted characters.

Here is one of a serious nature (pun intended)