Galileo Galilei Quotes

Intellectual modesty is humility as to what I know; intellectual humility is modesty as to what I do not know

I wish I were dumber so I could be more certain about my opinions. It looks fun.

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.

Doubt is not below knowledge, but above it.

In philosophy you're never 100% sure. You're always undermining what you think you know. That's always been my philosophy and my intellectual ethos.

The greater the knowledge, the greater the doubt.

The hardest part about gaining any new idea is sweeping out the false idea occupying that niche. As long as that niche is occupied, evidence and proof and logical demonstration get nowhere. But once the niche is emptied of the wrong idea that has been filling it:; once you can honestly say, "I don't know", then it becomes possible to get at the truth.

I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It.

I'm suspicious of too much certainty in the pursuit of understanding just because I think people are limited in their understanding.

So as grave and learned men may doubt, without any imputation to them; for the most learned doubteth most, and the more ignorant for the most part are the more bold and peremptory.

If you want to stay in for the long haul, and lead a life that is free from illusions either propagated by you or embraced by you, then I suggest you learn to recognize and avoid the symptoms of the zealot and the person who knows he is right. For the dissenter, the skeptical mentality is at least as important as any armor of principle.

I know too much to be a sceptic and too little to be a dogmatist.

True science teaches, above all, to doubt and to be ignorant.

Doubt grows with knowledge.

What is important is that one utilizes one's intellect and not to be 100 percent sure about one's convictions. One should always leave room for doubt.

I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn't wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine.

Not to be absolutely certain is, I think, one of the essential things in rationality.

To expect truth to come from thinking signifies that we mistake the need to think with the urge to know.

A mind that questions everything, unless strong enough to bear the weight of its ignorance, risks questioning itself and being engulfed in doubt.

No one is infallible, and no one can claim a monopoly on truth or virtue. It would be contradictory for skepticism to seek to translate itself into a new faith.

One of the hardest tasks as a human being is knowing when to keep an open mind, and when not to.

I have learned to be less confident in the conclusions of human reason, and give more credit to the honesty of contrary opinions.

Only the fools are certain and assured.

On the one hand, philosophy is to keep us thinking about things that we may come to know, and on the other hand to keep us modestly aware of how much that seems like knowledge isn't knowledge

I determine nothing; I do not comprehend things; I suspend judgment; I examine.