Skepticism Quotes - Page 8

• Science is the refusal to believe on the basis of hope.

  Carrie Snow

  Believe, Science, Belief

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• In my utter impotence to test the authenticity of the report of my senses, to know whether the impressions they make on me correspond with outlying objects, what difference does it make, whether Orion is up there in heaven, or some god paints the image in the firmament of the soul?

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Knowledge, Differences, Heaven

  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ronald A. Bosco, Joel Myerson (2015). “Ralph Waldo Emerson”, p.54, Harvard University Press

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• God never jests with us, and will not compromise the end of nature, by permitting any inconsequence in its procession.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  God, Knowledge, Compromise

  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Robert Ernest Spiller, Alfred Riggs Ferguson, Joseph Slater, Jean Ferguson Carr (1971). “The Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Nature, addresses, and lectures”, p.29, Harvard University Press

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• What is desperately needed... is the skepticism and the sense of history that a liberal arts education provides.

  Felix Rohatyn

  Art, Needed, Art Education

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• If a man have a strong faith he can indulge in the luxury of skepticism.

  Friedrich Nietzsche

  Life, Faith, Strong

  Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (2007). “Twilight of the Idols with the Antichrist and Ecce Homo”, p.54, Wordsworth Editions

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• Skepticism can keep us from blessing, can keep us trapped in two minds.

  John Ortberg

  Blessing, Two, Mind

  John Ortberg (2010). “Know Doubt: The Importance of Embracing Uncertainty in Your Faith (Large Print 16pt)”, p.147, ReadHowYouWant.com

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• In my life, the only certainty is to be uncertain. I'm an unbeliever who believes in skepticism. I'm only sure about being unsure.

  Christopher Hitchens

  Believe, Uncertain, Certainty

  Source: www.usatoday.com

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• Skepticism is a religion very rich in evangelists but very short on saviors.

  Robert Breault

  Belief, Rich, Savior

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• For every expert there is an equal and opposite expert.

  Jasper Fforde

  Science, Opposites, Experts

  Jasper Fforde (2011). “One of our Thursdays is Missing: Thursday Next”, p.122, Hachette UK

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• Through fear of resembling one another, through horror of having to submit, through uncertainty as well, through skepticism and complexity, there is a multitude of individual little beliefs for the triumph of strange little individuals.

  Andre Gide

  Littles, Triumph, Belief

  Andre Gide (2017). “Pretexts: Reflections on Literature and Morality”, p.34, Routledge

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• To believe in luck, if it were not a solecism so to use the word believe, is skepticism.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Mistake, Believe, Errors

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson (Illustrated)”, p.3925, Delphi Classics

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• I prefer credulity to skepticism and cynicism for there is more promise in almost anything than in nothing at all.

  Ralph Barton Perry

  Promise, Cynicism, Gullibility

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• In childhood our credulity serves us well. It helps us to pack, with extraordinary rapidity, our skulls full of the wisdom of our parents and our ancestors. But if we don't grow out of it in the fullness of time, our ... nature makes us a sitting target for astrologers, mediums, gurus, evangelists, and quacks. We need to replace the automatic credulity of childhood with the constructive skepticism of adult science.

  Richard Dawkins

  Skulls, Childhood, Parent

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• Bull-markets are born on pessimism, grow on skepticism, mature on optimism and die on euphoria.

  John Templeton

  Optimistic, Optimism, Investing

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• ...it is absurd to try to confine our knowledge and belief to matters which are conclusively established by sound deductive arguments. The demand for certainty will inevitably be disappointed, leaving skepticism in command of almost every issue.

  J. L. Mackie

  Philosophical, Issues, Leaving

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• There are all kinds of devices invented for the protection and preservation of countries: defensive barriers, forts, trenches, and the like... But prudent minds have as a natural gift one safeguard which is the common possession of all, and this applies especially to the dealings of democracies. What is this safeguard? Skepticism. This you must preserve. This you must retain. If you can keep this, you need fear no harm.

  Demosthenes

  Trust, Country, Mind

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• How to read writers on writing: With respect, amusement, and skepticism. They will contradict one another-as they should-for each writer brings an individual history to the writing task. There is no single theology here.

  Donald Murray

  Writing, Tasks, Amusement

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• My parents were not scientists. They knew almost nothing about science. But in introducing me simultaneously to skepticism and to wonder, they taught me the two uneasily cohabiting modes of thought that are central to the scientific method.

  Carl Sagan

  Science, Two, Parent

  Carl Sagan (2011). “Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark”, p.13, Ballantine Books

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• I am opposed to any form of tyranny over the mind of man.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Religious, Men, Faith Religion

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• Capital punishment, like the rest of the criminal justice system, is a government program, so skepticism is in order.

  George Will

  Government, Order, Punishment

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• Because of the complexity of the problem, environmental skepticism was once tenable. No longer. It is time to flip from skepticism to activism.

  Michael Shermer

  Environmental, Flip, Global Warming

  Michael Shermer (2016). “Skeptic: Viewing the World with a Rational Eye”, p.36, Henry Holt and Company

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• Setting skepticism aside, even briefly, can make for very interesting explorations. It is not necessary that we change any of our beliefs. It is necessary that we examine them.

  Julia Cameron

  Inspirational, Interesting, Belief

  Julia Cameron (2012). “The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity”, p.78, Souvenir Press

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• One could argue [Bob] Corker has been more supportive of [Donald] Trump`s foreign policy skepticism of the establishment than anybody else.

  Chuck Todd

  Supportive, Bob, Arguing

  Source: www.msnbc.com

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• I definitely was attracted to similar things in punk and science. They both depend on a healthy dose of skepticism.

  Greg Graffin

  Healthy, Punk, Dose

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• Although individuals may be highly intelligent, they are sometimes dogged by skepticism and doubts. They are clever, but they tend to be hesitant and skeptical and are never really able to settle down. These people are the least receptive.

  Dalai Lama

  Clever, Humility, Pride

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