There are all kinds of stupid people that annoy me but what annoys me most is a lazy argument.
Interpretation
The quote expresses frustration towards those who engage in unproductive or lazy reasoning in arguments.
Christopher Hitchens highlights a particular irritation he has with people who present weak or lazy arguments in discussions. In his view, such arguments not only lack depth and thoughtfulness but also undermine meaningful discourse, making it difficult to engage in productive conversations. This statement underscores the importance of critical thinking and the need to articulate one's thoughts and opinions with care and rigor.
In practice
In a debate about climate change, I used this quote to emphasize the need for well-researched arguments.
In a public dialogue with Salman in London he [Edward Said] had once described the Palestinian plight as one where his people, expelled and dispossessed by Jewish victors, were in the unique historical position of being 'the victims of the victims': there was something quasi-Christian, I thought, in the apparent humility of that statement.
What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
Never ask while you are doing it if what you are doing is fun. Don't introduce even your most reliably witty acquaintance as someone who will set the table on a roar.
[E]xceptional claims demand exceptional evidence.
The worst days are when you feel foggy in the head - chemo-brain they call it. It's awful because you feel boring. As well as bored. And stupid. And resigned.
Let me tell you something: for hundreds of thousands of years, this kind of discussion would have been impossible to have, or those like us would have been having it at the risk of our lives. Religion now comes to us in this smiley-face, ingratiating way β because itβs had to give so much more ground and because we know so much more. But youβve got no right to forget the way it behaved when it was strong, and when it really did believe that it had God on its side.
Accountability is essential to personal growth, as well as team growth. How can you improve if you're never wrong? If you don't admit a mistake and take responsibility for it, you're bound to make the same one again.
People who know little are usually great talkers, while men who know much say little.
But when I know that the glass is already broken, every minute with it is precious.
Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.
Your temperament is what you write with, but it's also how you deal with the world.
I would rather discover one true cause than gain the kingdom of Persia.
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