Jean-Paul Sartre Quotes

We must never assume that which is incapable of proof.

Why is it people who want the truth never believe it when they hear it?

It is foolish to be convinced without evidence, but it is equally foolish to refuse to be convinced by real evidence.

It annoys me that the burden of proof is on us. It should be "You came up with the idea. Why do you believe it?" I could tell you I've got superpowers. But I can't go up to people saying "Prove I can't fly." They'd go: "What do you mean 'Prove you can't fly'? Prove you can!"

Skeptics question the validity of a particular claim by calling for evidence to prove or disprove it.

A proof tells us where to concentrate our doubts.

Proof tells us where to concentrate our doubts.

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

Faith is a cop-out. If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can’t be taken on its own merits.

In my opinion, it helps enormously to know why something is true, rather than being told it is true, for why should you believe me? Never believe anything on the authority of a single person but seek confirmation — and reason is the best confirmation

There is no such thing as absolute proof. There is only evidence.

Argument is not always truth.

The more you think you know, the more closed-minded you'll be.

Don't fall into the trap of believing so deeply in your own ideology that you cannot even see the flaws in it.

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.

When you spring to an idea, and decide it is truth, without evidence, you blind yourself to other possibilities.

[One's] inability to invalidate your hypothesis is not at all the same thing as proving it true.

It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.

It's very difficult to lie to yourself about certain things. I'm not necessarily convinced about how information is gathered and I don't think the credence that's given to it is valid.

Education ought to foster the wish for truth, not the conviction that some particular creed is the truth.

When we are in the grasp of illusion - or, for that matter, whenever we have a new idea - instead of searching for ways to prove our ideas wrong, we usually attempt to prove them correct. Psychologists call this the confirmation bias, and it presents a major impediment of our ability to break free from the misinterpretation of randomness.

When you can prove me wrong, then call me blind.

Usually when we hear or read something new, we just compare it to our own ideas. If it is the same, we accept it and say that it is correct. If it is not, we say it is incorrect. In either case, we learn nothing.

Forbear to spew out reason from your mind, but rather ponder everything with keen judgment; and if it seems true, own yourself vanquished, but, if it is false, gird up your loins to fight.