John Stuart Mill Quotes

Dogmatism and skepticism are both, in a sense, absolute philosophies; one is certain of knowing, the other of not knowing. What philosophy should dissipate is certainty, whether of knowledge or ignorance.

The more educated we are, the less we are prepared to tolerate views contrary to our own.

The more you think you know, the more closed-minded you'll be.

The mind will ever be unstable that has only prejudices to rest on.

It does take great maturity to understand that the opinion we are arguing for is merely the hypothesis we favor, necessarily imperfect, probably transitory, which only very limited minds can declare to be a certainty or a truth.

The ignorant are to be found as much among the educated as among the uneducated.

I'm not really opposed to people changing their minds. I'm much more concerned with people who never change their minds no matter what new information is available.

He that cometh to seek after knowledge, with a mind to scorn, shall be sure to find matter for his humour, but no matter for his instruction.

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.

A goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.

Only feeble minds are paralyzed by facts.

Change your mind about something significant every day.

Just because you've got a mind like a hammer doesn't mean you have to treat everyone else like a nail

I don't care if it's politics, religion or football. I believe you have to keep opening your mind. And shut your mouth sometimes!

Usually when we hear or read something new, we just compare it to our own ideas. If it is the same, we accept it and say that it is correct. If it is not, we say it is incorrect. In either case, we learn nothing.

Certainty is a closing of the mind. To create something new you must have doubt.

There is an almost universal tendency, perhaps an inborn tendency, to suspect the good faith of a man who holds opinions that differ from our own opinions. It obviously endangers the freedom and the objectivity of our discussion if we attack a person instead of attacking an opinion or, more precisely, a theory.

Anyone who makes up their mind about an issue before they hear the issue is a fool.

People who were right a lot of the time were people who often changed their minds.

The true enemy of man is generalization.

The people who are right a lot often change their minds.

It is the mark of the mind untrained to take its own processes as valid for all men, and its own judgments for absolute truth.

Belief gets in the way of learning.

Condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance