That which has always been accepted by everyone, everywhere, is almost certain to be false.
Paul ValeryRead
That which has been believed by everyone, always and everywhere, has every chance of being false.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Common beliefs are not necessarily true.
This quote by Paul Valery suggests a critical perspective on widely accepted notions. It highlights how the prevalence of a belief does not guarantee its truth, urging individuals to think independently and question the validity of commonly held ideas.
Themes
BeliefTruthPhilosophyCritical ThinkingIndependence
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about scientific skepticism, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of questioning accepted norms.
More from Paul Valery
All quotes βOh, hasten not this loving act, Rapture where self and not-self meet: My life has been the awaiting you, Your footfall was my own heart's beat.
Paul ValeryRead
The history of thought may be summed up in these words: it is absurd by what it seeks and great by what it finds.
Paul ValeryRead
The world acquires value only through its extremes and endures only through moderation; extremists make the world great, the moderates give it stability.
Paul ValeryRead
It would be impossible to "love" anyone or anything one knew completely. Love is directed towards what lies hidden in its object.
Paul ValeryRead
You have certainly observed the curious fact that a given word which is perfectly clear when you hear it or use it in everyday language, and which does not give rise to any difficulty when it is engaged in the rapid movement of an ordinary sentence becomes magically embarrassing, introduces a strange resistance, frustrates any effort at definition as soon as you take it out of circulation to examine it separately and look for its meaning after taking away its instantaneous function.
Paul ValeryRead
Similar quotes
Heathenism is a state of mind. You can take it that I'm referring to one who does not see his world. He has no mental light. He destroys almost unwittingly. He cannot feel any Gods presence in his life. He is the 21st century man.
David BowieRead
In a world where everyone is behaving honestly, any dishonesty constitutes a big infraction. But, in a world where many people are behaving dishonestly, and the news is filled with stories of their infractions, even big infractions can feel small to the perpetrator.
Dan ArielyRead
The imagination disposes of everything. It creates beauty, justice, and happiness, which are the whole of the world.
Blaise PascalRead
To take revenge halfheartedly is to court disaster; either condemn or crown your hatred.
Pierre CorneilleRead
To preserve the freedom of the human mind then and freedom of the press, every spirit should be ready to devote itself to martyrdom; for as long as we may think as we will, and speak as we think, the condition of man will proceed in improvement
Thomas JeffersonRead
Going from PayPal, I thought: 'Well, what are some of the other problems that are likely to most affect the future of humanity?' Not from the perspective, 'What's the best way to make money?'
Elon MuskRead