Who never doubted, never half believed. Where doubt is, there truth is - it is her shadow.
Interpretation
Doubt is essential for discovering truth, as it signifies a deeper contemplation of beliefs.
This quote by Ambrose Bierce suggests that the presence of doubt is a critical component of belief and understanding. It emphasizes that certainty without doubt can lead to superficial belief, implying that true knowledge and insight require questioning and grappling with uncertainty. In this sense, doubt is portrayed as a necessary companion to truth, as it prompts a deeper exploration of the concepts we hold to be true.
In practice
In a philosophical discussion on the nature of truth, one might quote this to emphasize the importance of doubt.
PALM, n. A species of tree . . . of which the familiar "itching palm" ("Palma hominis") is most widely distributed . . . . This noble vegetable exudes a kind of invisible gum, which may be detected by applying to the bark a piece of gold or silver.
Human nature is pretty well balanced; for every lacking virtue there is a rough substitute that will serve at a pinch--as cunning is the wisdom of the unwise, and ferocity the courage of the coward.
Indigestion: A disease which the patient and his friends frequently mistake for deep religious conviction and concern for the salvation of mankind. As the simple Red Man of the Western Wild put it, with, it must be confessed, a certain force: 'Plenty well, no pray; big belly ache, heap God.'
Disobey n:To celebrate with an appropriate ceremony the maturity of a command
NOUMENON, n. That which exists, as distinguished from that which merely seems to exist, the latter being a phenomenon. The noumenon is a bit difficult to locate; it can be apprehended only by a process of reasoning - which is a phenomenon.
PARDON, v. To remit a penalty and restore to the life of crime. To add to the lure of crime the temptation of ingratitude.
No particular thought can be mind's natural state, only silence. Not the idea of silence, but silence itself. When the mind is in its natural state, it reverts to silence spontaneously after every experience, or, rather, every experience happens against the background of silence.
Strong hope is a much greater stimulant of life than any single realised joy could be.
The agnostic, the skeptic, is neurotic, but this does not imply a false philosophy; it implies the discovery of facts to which he does not know how to adapt himself. The intellectual who tries to escape from neurosis by escaping from the facts is merely acting on the principle that βwhere ignorance is bliss, βtis folly to be wise.
Two of the hardest words in the language to rhyme are life and love. Of all words!
We believe that the spreading out and perpetuity of the institution of slavery impairs the general welfare. We believe - nay, we know, that that is the only thing that has ever threatened the perpetuity of the Union itself.
Novels can change attitudes. Maybe we should speak quietly otherwise politicians will use novels as propaganda.
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