One of the little-celebrated powers of Presidents (and other high government officials) is to listen to their critics with just enough sympathy to ensure their silence.
John Kenneth GalbraithRead
Faced with having to change our views or prove that there is no need to do so, most of us immediately get busy on the proof.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People often resist changing their opinions and instead seek arguments to support their existing views.
This quote by John Kenneth Galbraith highlights a common human tendency to cling to personal beliefs, especially when confronted with the possibility of changing them. Rather than reflecting on the validity of their views, individuals often choose to fortify them with evidence, demonstrating a reluctance to embrace change or consider alternative perspectives.
Themes
ChangeBeliefsPerspectivesResistanceProof
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about climate change, one might say, 'As John Kenneth Galbraith noted, many people prefer to prove their own views rather than reconsider them.'
More from John Kenneth Galbraith
All quotes βIf all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
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The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
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All successful revolutions are the kicking in of a rotten door.
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Money differs from an automobile or mistress in being equally important to those who have it and those who do not.
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People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage.
John Kenneth GalbraithRead
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In other words, a person who is fanatic in matters of religion, and clings to certain ideas about the nature of God and the universe, becomes a person who has no faith at all.
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More-radical scholars insist that an inherent clash exists between science and our long-held conceptions about consciousness and moral agency: if you accept that our brains are a myriad of smaller components, you must reject such notions as character, praise, blame, and free will.
Paul BloomRead