Walter Lippmann Quotes

The opposition is indispensable. A good statesman, like any other sensible human being, always learns more from his opponents than from his fervent supporters.

Whatever is proposed, it is much easier to find reasons for rejecting than embracing.

A ContraPoints video is never going to be framed as 'I'm so offended by this idea.' It's not, 'I'm so intimidated by my opponent's big, masculine brain.' It's more, 'I'm bored of you, and also, you're a dum-dum.'

I feel like with anything you choose to do in this world, there are always gonna be people who disagree. But I've had a lot more supporters than critics.

When you are young, you need to know the reality because when you are in your bubble, you believe that, always, all you do is right. And sometimes you need people who say, 'Hey, come on, what happened with you?'

I not only could not stifle controversy among your readers.. I welcome it. This Administration intends to be candid about its errors; for as a wise man once said: "An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it." We intend to accept full responsibility for our errors; and we expect you to point them out when we miss them.

For every expert there is an equal and opposite expert.

Balance every thought with its opposition. Because the marriage of them is the destruction of illusion.

Every organization should tolerate rebels who tell the emperor he has no clothes

To be against rationalization is not the same as to be opposed to reasoning.

Get a friend to tell you your faults, or better still, welcome an enemy who will watch you keenly and sting you savagely. What a blessing such an irritating critic will be to a wise man, what an intolerable nuisance to a fool!

It's always wise to seek the truth in our opponents' error, and the error in our own truth.

I've always favoured proposition over opposition. But we will oppose the government when it's off track. We'll support positive suggestions that we'll bring forward and support the government when it's making progress.

Bosses and leaders everywhere should cherish the people who bring them bad news, disappointing data or hard problems.

Consistently wise decisions can only be made by those whose wisdom is constantly challenged.

Science when well-digested is nothing but good sense and reason.

What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth.... [Instead] reason and persuasion are the only practicable instruments. To make way for these, free enquiry must be indulged; and how can we wish others to indulge it while we refuse it ourselves?

Let’s never forget that whatever brilliant ideas you have or hear, that the opposite may also be true.

If you think your belief is based upon reason, you will support it by argument rather than by persecution, and will abandon it if the argument goes against you. But if your belief is based upon faith, you will realize that argument is useless, and will therefore resort to force either in the form of persecution or by stunting or distorting the minds of the young in what is called 'education.'

Tell me what you think and then tell me what the really smart person in the room who disagrees with you thinks.

Reason and calm judgment, the qualities specially belonging to a leader.

Love your haters - they're your biggest fans

A contrarian at heart, I am often guided by what I disagree with and don't want.

If opponents of all important truths do not exist, it is indispensable to imagine them and supply them with the strongest arguments which the most skillful devil's advocate can conjure up.

To have opposition ? We have it, and you can go and meet with them. We have some of them within the government, we have some of them outside the government. They are opposition. We have it.