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In practical life we are compelled to follow what is most probable ; in speculative thought we are compelled to follow truth.
Baruch Spinoza
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Interpretation

What this quote means

We often act based on what is likely to happen, but in our thoughts, we must seek the truth.

This quote by Baruch Spinoza emphasizes the distinction between practical decision-making and speculative thinking. In everyday life, we often choose actions based on probabilities and expected outcomes, navigating the uncertainties of life. However, in the realm of thought and philosophy, our pursuit should be directed toward the truth, regardless of its likelihood or practicality. This highlights the duality of human experience, where practicality may sometimes conflict with deeper truths.

Themes

TruthProbabilityLifeDecision-MakingPhilosophy

In practice

Example use cases

In a philosophy class discussing the nature of truth.

More from Baruch Spinoza

The greatest pride, or the greatest despondency, is the greatest ignorance of one's self.
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A man is as much affected pleasurably or painfully by the image of a thing past or future as by the image of a thing present.
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He who seeks to regulate everything by law is more likely to arouse vices than to reform them. It is best to grant what cannot be abolished, even though it be in itself harmful. How many evils spring from luxury, envy, avarice, drunkenness and the like, yet these are tolerated because they cannot be prevented by legal enactments.
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No one doubts but that we imagine time from the very fact that we imagine other bodies to be moved slower or faster or equally fast. We are accustomed to determine duration by the aid of some measure of motion.
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Fear cannot be without hope nor hope without fear. [They are the two sides of a coin, so learning how to manage fear through learning, understanding, rationality, controlled imagination, preparation, mental focus (including distraction) and a gratitude attitude is very helpful.]
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He who wishes to revenge injuries by reciprocal hatred will live in misery. But he who endeavors to drive away hatred by means of love, fights with pleasure and confidence; he resists equally one or many men, and scarcely needs at all the help of fortune. Those whom he conquers yield joyfully
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