Cautiousness in judgment is nowadays to be recommended to each and every one: if we gained only one incontestable truth every ten years from each of our philosophical writers the harvest we reaped would be sufficient.
—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742–99) German Philosopher, Physicist
Skepticism becomes the mark and even the pose of the educated mind. It is no longer directed against this and that article of the older creeds but is rather a bias against any kind of far-reaching ideas, and a denial of systematic participation on the part of such ideas in the intelligent direction of affairs.
—John Dewey (1859–1952) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Educator
Skepticism has never founded empires, established principles, or changed the world’s heart.—The great doers in history have always been men of faith.
—Edwin Hubbell Chapin (1814–80) American Preacher, Poet
There is something pagan in me that I cannot shake off. In short, I deny nothing, but doubt everything.
—Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron) (1788–1824) English Romantic Poet
The poison of skepticism becomes, like alcoholism, tuberculosis, and some other diseases, much more virulent in a hitherto virgin soil.
—Simone Weil (1909–1943) French Philosopher, Political Activist
Lord I disbelieve—help thou my unbelief.
—E. M. Forster (1879–1970) English Novelist, Short Story Writer, Essayist
Skepticism, as I said, is not intellectual only; it is moral also; a chronic atrophy and disease of the whole soul. A man lives by believing something; not by debating and arguing about many things. A sad case for him when all that he can manage to believe is something he can button in his pocket, and with one or the other organ eat and digest! Lower than that he will not get.
—Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish Historian, Essayist
The skeptic does not mean him who doubts, but him who investigates or researches, as opposed to him who asserts and thinks that he has found.
—Miguel de Unamuno (1864–1936) Spanish Educator, Philosopher, Author
We, when we sow the seeds of doubt deeper than the most up-to-date and modish free-thought has ever dreamed of doing, we well know what we are about. Only out of radical skeptics, out of moral chaos, can the Absolute spring, the anointed Terror of which the time has need.
—Thomas Mann (1875–1955) German Novelist, Short Story Writer, Social Critic, Philanthropist, Essayist
Do not let yourself be tainted with a barren skepticism.
—Louis Pasteur (1822–95) French Biologist
The path of sound credence is through the thick forest of skepticism.
—George Jean Nathan (1882–1958) American Drama Critic, Editor
Skepticism is the beginning of Faith.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
Truth, Sir, is a cow which will yield such people no more milk, and so they are gone to milk the bull.
—Samuel Johnson (1709–84) British Essayist
Skeptics are never deceived.
—French Proverb
Skepticism, is that anything more than we used to mean when we said, “Well, what have we here?”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963) American Poet
Believe nothing and be on your guard against everything.
—Latin Proverb
There is a kind of courtesy in skepticism. It would be an offense against polite conventions to press our doubts too far.
—George Santayana (1863–1952) Spanish-American Poet, Philosopher
If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank.
—Woody Allen (b.1935) American Film Actor, Director
If I am fool, it is, at least, a doubting one; and I envy no one the certainty of his self-approved wisdom.
—Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron) (1788–1824) English Romantic Poet
Skepticism is unbelief in cause and effect.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
The empiricist… thinks he believes only what he sees, but he is much better at believing than at seeing.
—George Santayana (1863–1952) Spanish-American Poet, Philosopher
Nearly all the powerful people of this age are unbelievers, the best of them in doubt and misery, the most in plodding hesitation, doing as well as they can, what practical work lies at hand.
—John Ruskin (1819–1900) English Writer, Art Critic
Great intellects are skeptical.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
Skepticism is the chastity of the intellect.
—George Santayana (1863–1952) Spanish-American Poet, Philosopher
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