Critical and creative thinking constitute important learning outcomes at doctoral level across the world. While the literature on doctoral education illuminates this matter through the lens of experienced senior researchers, the doctoral students' own perspective is missing. Based upon interviews with 14 doctoral students from four disciplines at different universities in Sweden, this study addresses the meanings and conditions of critical and creative thinking according to the students' learning experiences. The results show that critical and creative thinking are understood in a number of ways, revealing tensions between the two phenomena. Moreover, the results indicate that critical thinking often overshadows creative thinking in practice. As a consequence, many students develop a defensive research approach, rather than nurturing an open and independent mind. A crucial factor for improving students' critical and creative thinking appears to be encouraging their sense of agency in pragmatic action.