Fisher Ames Quotes

The human mind can hardly remain entirely free from bias, and decisive opinions are often formed before a thorough examination of a subject from all its aspects has been made.

If I don't like someone and I start reading their stuff, it seems like my brain will just automatically start criticizing everything that's there. It's really hard to read a book without having all this outside information telling you what to think about it.

The same is the case with those opinions of man to which he has been accustomed from his youth; he likes them, defends them, and shuns the opposite views.

The discovery of truth is prevented more effectively, not by the false appearance things present and which mislead into error, not directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived opinion, by prejudice.

Belief is a very peculiar thing: we tend to put more store in a belief we like than a fact we hate.

We seldom find any person of good sense, except those who share our opinions.

Reasoning will never make a man correct an ill opinion, which by reasoning he never acquired

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

Men will die upon dogma but will not fall victim to a conclusion.

For those who do not think, it is best at least to rearrange their prejudices once in a while.

Unintelligent people always look for a scapegoat.

Some one has said that most of us don't think, we just occasionally rearrange our prejudices.

There are two things which cannot be attacked in front: ignorance and narrow-mindedness.

The tendency of the casual mind is to pick out or stumble upon a sample which supports or defies its prejudices, and then to make it representative of a whole class.

Opinions should not be allowed to become conclusions

Men can reason themselves into almost any sort of opinion if they are so inclined.

The habit of an opinion often leads to the complete conviction of its truth, it hides the weaker parts of it, and makes us incapable of accepting the proofs against it.

If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance with his instincts, he will accept it even on the slenderest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way.

It is curious to observe the triumph of slight incidents over the mind; and what incredible weight they have in forming and governing our opinions, both of men and things, that trifles light as air shall waft a belief into the soul, and plant it so immovable within it, that Euclid's demonstrations, could they be brought to batter it in breach, should not all have power to overthrow it!

If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do.

One sticks to an opinion because he prides himself on having come to it on his own, and another because he has taken great pains to learn it and is proud to have grasped it: and so both do so out of vanity.

The greatest obstacle to discovering the truth is being convinced that you already know it.

We are all apt to think that an opinion that differs from our own is a prejudice.

It is doubtless impossible to approach any human problems with a mind free from bias.

Logic: an instrument used for bolstering a prejudice.