Thomas Sowell Quotes

If the facts change, I’ll change my opinion. What do you do, Sir?

What should we think of someone who never admits error, never entertains doubt but adheres unflinchingly to the same ideas all his life, regardless of new evidence? Doubt and skepticism are signs of rationality. When we are too certain of our opinions, we run the risk of ignoring any evidence that conflicts with our views. It is doubt that shows we are still thinking, still willing to reexamine hardened beliefs when confronted with new facts and new evidence.

By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out.

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 take what I see work. I'm a strict believer in the scientific principle of believing nothing, only taking the best evidence available at the present time, interpreting it as best you can, and leaving your mind open to the fact that new evidence will appear tomorrow.

I always try to have an open mind, but there is a difference between having an open mind and having a hole in the head.

There's nothing wrong with changing your position to fit the facts; there's everything wrong with changing the facts to fit your position.

Neither truth, reason, nor justice consists in stubbornness of assertion, nor in the repetition of error.

Every man has a right to his opinion, but no man has the right to be wrong in his facts.

Question everything!

When hearing something unusual, do not preemptively reject it, for that would be folly. Indeed, horrible things may be true, and familiar and praised things may prove to be lies. Truth is truth unto itself, not because people say it is.

Yet you must not cling to the words of the old sages either; they, too, may not be right. Even if you believe them, you should be alert so that, in the event that something superior comes along, you may follow that.

Some people have facts; these can be proven. Some people have theories; these can be disproven. But people with opinions are mindless and have their minds made up about it.

I have been saying this from the beginning: people are going to say whatever they want to say or believe whatever they want to believe. I say this to people: stick to the facts.

More frightening than any particular beliefs or policies is an utter lack of any sense of a need to test those beliefs and policies against hard evidence. Mistakes can be corrected by those who pay attention to facts, but dogmatism will not be corrected by those who are wedded to a vision.

Any lazy or biased fool can have opinions; making judgments is the hard work of responsible and compassionate people.

Seek truth from facts.

We must always think about things, and we must think about things as they are, not as they are said to be.

If you shut the door to all errors, truth will be shut out.

Skepticism is a virtue in history as well as in philosophy.

I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them.

Let the winds of evidence blow you about as though you are a leaf, with no direction of your own. Beware lest you fight a rearguard retreat against the evidence, grudgingly conceding each foot of ground only when forced, feeling cheated. Surrender to the truth as quickly as you can.

Skepticism is not a position that you stake out ahead of time and stick to no matter what.

Look at the evidence and to be willing to question your own truths, and to be willing to scrutinize things that you hold dearly because that way, that transparency, that self-awareness, will protect you from ever becoming somebody that whose beliefs somehow make them have myopic vision about what could be.

Oxford also taught me something else - it taught me scepticism.