Penn Jillette Quotes

Don't fall into the trap of believing so deeply in your own ideology that you cannot even see the flaws in it.

This is how humans are: We question all our beliefs, except for the ones that we really believe in, and those we never think to question.

Doubt your doubts before you doubt your beliefs.

With most people disbelief in a thing is founded on a blind belief in some other thing.

There are mighty few people who think what they think they think.

I am always easy of belief when the creed pleases me.

I've always been more comfortable sinking while clutching a good theory than swimming with an ugly fact.

Who wants to hear that he is wrong when he can be told that he is right? …. We are losing the ability to change our mind because of our media.

There are a lot of scientists or other people who can be very skeptical or rational within their field, but they may well not do that in other aspects of their lives, when it comes to things like religion, or what have you. People have this amazing gift for being selective with their curiosity and skepticism.

You can convince yourself of just about anything when you want to believe a conspiracy theory.

I regard belief as a form of brain damage.

The biggest problem we have as human beings is that we confuse our beliefs with reality.

We do the same thing in our own lives, embracing information that supports what we already prefer or vindicates choices we previously made.After all, it feels better to justify our opinions rather than challenge them, to contemplate only the pros and relegate the cons to the back of our minds. However, if we want to make the most of choice, we have to be willing to make ourselves uncomfortable. The question is, if we are willing, how exactly do we go about fortifying ourselves against these biases?

We all have a tendency to think that the world must conform to our prejudices. The opposite view involves some effort of thought, and most people would die sooner than think in fact they do so.

Though as he'd say, what is 'belief' but a willingness to suspend the negatives?

The "passion for incredulity" can produce as much self-deception as the uncritical will to believe.

The investigator should have a robust faith - and yet not believe.

I wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't believed it.

There's nothing that can help you understand your beliefs more than trying to explain them to an inquisitive child.

The belief of our Reason is an Exercise of Faith, and Faith is an Act of Reason.

All of us should be on guard against beliefs that flatter ourselves. At the very least, we should check such beliefs against facts.

A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.

Faith itself is a horrible mechanism that stunts the growth of ideas. It also stunts the act of questioning, and it does this by pushing the idea that you have to have faith - and that nothing has to be proven.

I have written too much history to have faith in it; and if anyone thinks I'm wrong, I am inclined to agree with him.