Walter Bagehot Quotes

Only reason can convince us of those three fundamental truths without a recognition of which there can be no effective liberty: that what we believe is not necessarily good; and that all questions are open.

There is a distinct difference between having an open mind and having a hole in your head from which your brain leaks out.

This is one of the great social functions of science - to free people from superstition

Incredulity is not wisdom, but the worst kind of folly. It is folly, because it causes ignorance and mistake, with all the consequents of these; and it is very bad, as being accompanied with disingenuity, obstinacy, rudeness, uncharitableness, and the like bad dispositions; from which credulity itself, the other extreme sort of folly, is exempt.

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 teach people to be flexible, scientific and logical in their thinking and therefore to be less prone to brainwashing by the therapist.

Being both stupid and ignorant is an accomplishment.

When blithe to argument I come, Though armed with facts, and merry, May Providence protect me from The fool as adversary, Whose mind to him a kingdom is Where reason lacks dominion, Who calls conviction prejudice And prejudice opinion.

Men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their readiness to doubt.

Liberty is the possibility of doubting, the possibility of making a mistake, the possibility of searching and experimenting, the possibility of saying No to any authority - literary, artistic, philosophic, religious, social and even political.

He who dares not reason, is a slave.

I shall never be a heretic; I may err in dispute, but I do not wish to decide anything finally; on the other hand, I am not bound by the opinions of men.

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.

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.

He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; and he that dares not reason is a slave.

To have doubted one's own first principles is the mark of a civilized man.

Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt.

The stupidity of people comes from having an answer for everything. The wisdom of the novel comes from having a question for everything.

Liberalism is an attitude rather than a set of dogmas - an attitude that insists upon questioning all plausible and self-evident propositions, seeking not to reject them but to find out what evidence there is to support them rather than their possible alternatives.

I realized there are no lobbyists for critical thinking, and I realized there are no lobbyists for bravery.

We absolutely must leave room for doubt or there is no progress and no learning. There is no learning without having to pose a question. And a question requires doubt. People search for certainty. But there is no certainty.

Incredulity is not wisdom.

I shall not commit the fashionable stupidity of regarding everything I cannot explain as a fraud.

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

We have found it of paramount importance that in order to progress, we must recognize our ignorance and leave room for doubt.