I will follow my logic, no matter where it goes, after it has consulted with my heart. If you ever come to a conclusion without calling the heart in, you will come to a bad conclusion.
Robert Green IngersollRead
The church hates a thinker precisely for the same reason a robber dislikes a sheriff, or a thief despises the prosecuting witness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that institutions often fear critical thinkers who challenge their authority.
In this quote, Robert Green Ingersoll compares the disdain that institutions like the church hold towards thinkers to the animosity a robber has towards law enforcement. It highlights the idea that those in power or in authority may view critical thinking as a threat, as it challenges their established beliefs and practices, much like criminals dislike those who expose their wrongdoings. The analogy underlines the tension between free thought and institutional control, emphasizing that questioning and intellectual inquiry can be seen as dangerous to those who prefer to maintain the status quo.
Themes
ThinkerChurchAuthorityCritical ThinkingIntellectual Inquiry
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion on the importance of free speech in academic institutions.
More from Robert Green Ingersoll
All quotes βIf the guardians of society, the protectors of 'young persons,' could have had their way, we should have known nothing of Byron or Shelley. The voices that thrill the world would now be silent.
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The religion that has to be supported by law is without value, not only, but a fraud and a curse. The religious argument that has to be supported by a musket is hardly worth making.
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There is no slavery but ignorance.
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In all ages the people have honored those who dishonored them. They have worshiped their destroyers; they have canonized the most gigantic liars, and buried the great thieves in marble and gold. Under the loftiest monuments sleeps the dust of murder.
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I believe that there is something far nobler than loyalty to any particular man. Loyalty to the truth as we perceive it - loyalty to our duty as we know it - loyalty to the ideals of our brain and heart - is, to my mind, far greater and far nobler than loyalty to the life of any particular man or God. . . .
Robert Green IngersollRead
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