It is wrong for a man to say that he is certain of the objective truth of any proposition unless he can produce evidence which logically justifies that certainty.
Thomas HuxleyRead
My experience of the world is that things left to themselves don't get right.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Left unattended, circumstances and situations often deteriorate and do not improve on their own.
This quote by Thomas Huxley emphasizes the necessity of active engagement and intervention in order to bring about positive change. It suggests that passivity leads to decay and that one must take responsibility to ensure improvement in the world around them.
Themes
ResponsibilityChangeActionInterventionImprovement
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about community service, one could use this quote to encourage involvement in local issues.
More from Thomas Huxley
All quotes βThe child who has been taught to make an accurate elevation, plan, and section of a pint pot has had an admirable training in accuracy of eye and hand.
Thomas HuxleyRead
Let us have "sweet girl graduates" by all means. They will be none the less sweet for a little wisdom; and the "golden hair" will not curl less gracefully outside the head by reason of there being brains within.
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The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of childhood into maturity.
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It is the first duty of a hypothesis to be intelligible.
Thomas HuxleyRead
Of the few innocent pleasures left to men past middle life, the jamming of common sense down the throats of fools is perhaps the keenest.
Thomas HuxleyRead
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