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
The only freedom I care about is the freedom to do right; the freedom to do wrong I am ready to part with on the cheapest terms to anyone who will take it of me
Interpretation
What this quote means
True freedom is defined by the ability to choose what is right, rather than simply having the liberty to make wrong choices.
In this quote, Thomas Huxley emphasizes the idea that genuine freedom is not merely the absence of restrictions, but rather the moral integrity that guides our decisions. He expresses a willingness to relinquish the freedom to act wrongly, indicating a higher value placed on moral choices over mere liberty.
Themes
FreedomRightWrongMoralChoices
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about ethical leadership, this quote can be used to emphasize the importance of making moral choices.
More from Thomas Huxley
All quotes →The 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.
Thomas HuxleyRead
The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of childhood into maturity.
Thomas HuxleyRead
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
Similar quotes
A nation can assume that the addition of the words "under God" to its pledge of allegiance gives evidence that its citizens actually believe in God whereas all it really proves is that they believe in "believing" in God
Huston SmithRead
I don't understand why I'm not dead. When your heart breaks, you should die
Tony KushnerRead
That democratic socialism, the great utopia of the last few generations, is not only unachievable, but that to strive for it produces something so utterly different that few of those who wish it would be prepared to accept the consequences, many will not believe until the connection has been laid bare in all its aspects.
Friedrich August Von HayekRead
The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.
Muriel RukeyserRead
So, I looked up, and we were in this giant dome like a glass snowball, and Mark said that the amazing white stars were really only holes in the black glass of the dome, and when you went to heaven, the glass broke away, and there was nothing but a whole sheet of star white, which is brighter than anything but doesn't hurt your eyes. It was vast and open and thinly quiet, and I felt so small.
Stephen ChboskyRead
If you want to know everything about the market, go to the beach. Push and pull your hands with the waves. Some are bigger waves, some are smaller. But if you try to push the wave out when it's coming in, it'll never happen. The market is always right.
Ed SeykotaRead