Salomon saith, There is no new thing upon the earth. So that as Plato had an imagination, that all knowledge was but remembrance; so Salomon giveth his sentence, that all novelty is but oblivion.
Francis BaconRead
The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses.
Interpretation
Superstition arises from selective observation of events that confirm beliefs while ignoring those that contradict them.
This quote by Francis Bacon suggests that superstition is a product of human cognitive bias, where individuals notice and remember instances that support their beliefs but overlook those that do not. This selective observation can lead to a flawed understanding of reality, reinforcing irrational beliefs based on incomplete evidence.
In practice
In a discussion about the origins of superstitions at a psychology seminar.
Salomon saith, There is no new thing upon the earth. So that as Plato had an imagination, that all knowledge was but remembrance; so Salomon giveth his sentence, that all novelty is but oblivion.
Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.
Truth emerges more readily from error than from confusion.
Great art is always a way of concentrating, reinventing what is called fact, what we know of our existence- a reconcentration… tearing away the veils, the attitudes people acquire of their time and earlier time. Really good artists tear down those veils
Wise men make more opportunities than they find.
Knowledge and human power are synonymous.
In the past, men created witches: now they create mental patients.
America has made no reparation to the Vietnamese, nothing. We are the richest people in the world and they are among the poorest. We savaged them, though they had never hurt us, and we cannot find it in our hearts, our honor, to give them help-because the government of Vietnam is Communist. And perhaps because they won.
The more one lives alone on the river or in the open country, the clearer it becomes that nothing is more beautiful or great than to perform the ordinary duties of one's daily life simply and naturally.
When people are deeply affected by the Word, they tell it to other people.
If only everyone could know and live with their inner craziness. Would the world be a worse place for it? No, people would be fairer and happier.
But the Emperor has nothing at all on!
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