Theodore Dalrymple Quotes

There is no man so blind as one who has made up his mind.

How many of us persist in a precipitate course which, but for a moment of heedlessness we might never have entered upon, simply because we hate to change our minds.

A man will never change his mind if he have no mind to change.

Narrowness of mind is often the cause of obstinacy; we do not easily believe beyond what we see.

Smallness of mind is the cause of stubbornness, and we do not credit readily what is beyond our view.

Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still.

In the choice between changing ones mind and proving there's no need to do so, most people get busy on the proof.

Sometimes you get politicians who dig their feet into the sand and aren't willing to listen to another voice.

Like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one's mind.

You are not going to change the minds of people who are looking for attention.

Most men … can seldom discern even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as obliges them to admit the falsity of conclusions they have formed, perhaps with much difficulty — conclusions of which they are proud, which they have taught to others, and on which they have built their lives

People are stubborn, and sometimes even if change is good, people will always oppose change.

I don't like to be proved wrong.

There's no point in arguing with me- in my mind, I'm always right.

The strength of the donkey mind lies in adopting a course inversely as the arguments urged, which, well considered, requires as great a mental force as the direct sequence.

In order to keep an open mind, I am trying to avoid learning anything.

Firmness or stiffness of the mind is not from adherence to truth, but submission to prejudice.

Pride... limits or stops progression. The proud are not easily taught. They won't change their minds to accept truths, because to do so implies they have been wrong.

Stubbornness and stupidity are twins.

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.

I'm impervious to logic.

You can be dogmatic, like Donald Trump, and say don't tell me any of the facts, I have made up my mind, I don't want to hear anything, or you can say, look, trade can be good or it can be bad, depending on the rules.

The mind that doggedly insists on prejudice often has not intelligence enough to change.

If men were stubborn just in proportion as they were right, stubbornness would take her seat among the virtues; but men are generally stubborn just in proportion as they are ignorant and wrong.

One of the main faults of a fool is that he never changes his mind.