No amount of manifest absurdity... could deter those who wanted to believe from believing.
Bernard LevinRead
Ask a man which way he is going to vote, and he will probably tell you. Ask him, however, why, and vagueness is all.
Interpretation
People often know their choices but lack the reasoning behind them.
This quote highlights the difference between knowing what one is going to do, such as voting, and understanding the motivations and reasoning behind that choice. It suggests that while individuals can easily express their decisions, delving into the reasons can reveal a lack of clarity or understanding, exposing the complexity of human decision-making.
In practice
During a political discussion, you can quote this to emphasize the importance of understanding one's beliefs.
No amount of manifest absurdity... could deter those who wanted to believe from believing.
What has happened to architecture since the second world war that the only passers-by who can contemplate it without pain are those equipped with a white stick and a dog?
If we expected self-reliance of family groups, if we expected hardiness and resilience and initiative on the part of individuals, and if we rewarded initiative instead of dependence on government, we would not only ameliorate many of the family-related social problems we see at present, but we would also reduce our vulnerability to terrorism. People who are hardy, resilient, and self reliant are a lot harder to terrorize.
There are two modes of acquiring knowledge, namely by reasoning and experience. Reasoning draws a conclusion and makes us grant the conclusion, but does not make the conclusion certain, nor does it remove doubt so that the mind may rest on the intuition of truth, unless the mind discovers it by the path of experience.
There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.
Simplicity and sincerity generally go hand in hand, as both proceed from a love of truth.
There is an invisible strength within us; when it recognizes two opposing objects of desire, it grows stronger.
Whoever refuses to remember the inhumanity is prone to new risks of infection.
I can focus on writing, or I can get lost in wonderfully fun but endless conversations and produce nothing new at all. I count on those people who enjoy my work to understand this.
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