Quotes on Skepticism

Skepticism is the highest duty and blind faith the one unpardonable sin.

The deepest, the only theme of human history, compared to which all others are of subordinate importance, is the conflict of skepticism with faith.

It is assumed that the skeptic has no bias; whereas he has a very obvious bias in favour of skepticism.

The opinions that are held with passion are always those for which no good ground exists; indeed the passion is the measure of the holders lack of rational conviction. Opinions in politics and religion are almost always held passionately.

If I am fool, it is, at least, a doubting one; and I envy no one the certainty of his self-approved wisdom.

...skepticism can never provide firm ground under a man's feet. And perhaps, after all, we need firm ground.

The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.

Old age is the lubricant of belief. When death knocks at the door, skepticism flies out the window. A serious cardiovascular fright and a person will even believe in Little Red Riding Hood.

I am too much of a sceptic to deny the possibility of anything...

You can get into a habit of thought in which you enjoy making fun of all those other people who don't see things as clearly as you do. We have to guard carefully against it.

It's a most distressing affliction to have a sentimental heart and a skeptical mind.

It is the tension between creativity and skepticism that has produced the stunning and unexpected findings of science.

If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.

Is it more probable that nature should go out of her course, or that a man should tell a lie? We have never seen, in our time, nature go out of her course; but we have good reason to believe that millions of lies have been told in the same time.

Skepticism is the agent of reason against organized irrationalism--and is therefore one of the keys to human social and civic decency.

It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.

I know of no society in human history that ever suffered because its people became too desirous of evidence in support of their core beliefs.