WIST Quotations

Cicero, Marcus Tullius -- (Attributed)

Dave — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 13:32:30 +0000

There is no better way to convince others than first to convince oneself.

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC) Roman orator, statesman, philosopher
(Attributed)
(Source)

In Martin Luther, Table Talk (1566) [tr. Smith & Gallinger (1915)].

Mencken, H. L. -- In Defense of Women (1918)

Dave — Fri, 22 May 2015 15:14:56 +0000

The curse of man, and the cause of nearly all his woes, is his stupendous capacity for believing the incredible.

H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American writer and journalist [Henry Lewis Mencken]
In Defense of Women (1918)

Whedon, Joss -- Serenity (2005)

Dave — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 12:29:12 +0000

BOOK: Only one thing is gonna walk you though this, Mal: belief.

MAL: You know I always look to you for counsel, but sermons make me sleepy, Shepherd. I ain’t looking for help on high. That’s a long wait for a train don’t come.

BOOK: When I talk about belief, why do you always assume I’m talking about God?

Joss Whedon (b. 1964) American screenwriter, author, producer [Joseph Hill Whedon]
Serenity (2005)

Hook, Sydney -- Political Power and Personal Freedom, ch. 28 “Socialism Without Utopia: A Rejoinder to Max Eastman”(1959)

Dave — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 12:32:18 +0000

More important than any belief a man holds is the way he holds it. Any fool or fanatic can embrace a doctrine. Even if true, it remains a dogma unless it is evaluated in the light of its alternatives, and the relevant evidence for them.

Sidney Hook (1902-1989) American philosopher
Political Power and Personal Freedom, ch. 28 “Socialism Without Utopia: A Rejoinder to Max Eastman”(1959)

France, Anatole -- Speech, Académie Française (24 Dec 1896)

Dave — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 13:06:04 +0000

To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.

Anatole France (1844-1924) French poet, journalist, novelist, Nobel Laureate [pseud. of Jaques-Anatole-François Thibault]
Speech, Académie Française (24 Dec 1896)

Burroughs, John -- The Light of Day, “The Modern Skeptic” (1900)

Dave — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 17:12:34 +0000

It is always easier to believe than to deny. Our minds are naturally affirmative.

John Burroughs (1837-1921) American naturalist
The Light of Day, “The Modern Skeptic” (1900)

Burke, Edmund -- (Attributed)

Dave — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 13:08:03 +0000

If an idiot were to tell you the same story every day for a year, you would end by believing it.

Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Anglo-Irish statesman, orator, philosopher
(Attributed)

Cited in J.F. Boyes, Lacon in Council (1865). Also attributed to Horace Mann.

France, Anatole -- (Spurious)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.

[Si 50 millions de personnes disent une bêtise, c’est quand même une bêtise.]

Anatole France (1844-1924) French poet, journalist, novelist, Nobel Laureate [pseud. of Jaques-Anatole-François Thibault]
(Spurious)

Sometimes also misattributed to Bertrand Russell. The closest to this specific quotation comes from W. Somerset Maugham. More information about this quotation, including the source of this misattribution and an analogous phrase France did use: If Fifty Million People Say a Foolish Thing, It Is Still a Foolish Thing – Quote Investigator.