Modern man’s besetting temptation is to sacrifice his direct perceptions and spontaneous feelings to his reasoned reflections; to prefer in all circumstances the verdict of his intellect to that of his immediate intuitions.
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) English Humanist, Pacifist, Satirist, Short Story Writer
The conclusions of passion are the only reliable ones.
—Soren Kierkegaard (1813–55) Danish Philosopher, Theologian
Intuition is given only to him who has undergone long preparation to receive it.
—Louis Pasteur (1822–95) French Biologist
The intellect is always fooled by the heart.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
Nothing reaches the intellect before making its appearance in the senses.
—Latin Proverb
All our progress is an unfolding, like the vegetable bud. You have first an instinct, then an opinion, then a knowledge, as the plant has root, bud, and fruit. Trust the instinct to the end, though you can render no reason.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Trust your hunches… Hunches are usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level. Warning! Do not confuse your hunches with wishful thinking. This is the road to disaster.
—Joyce Brothers (1927–2013) American Psychologist, Advice Columnist
We do not wish ardently for what we desire only through reason.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
All of our reasoning ends in surrender to feeling.
—Blaise Pascal (1623–62) French Mathematician, Physicist, Theologian
Life is not governed by will or intention. Life is a question of nerves, and fibers, and slowly built-up cells in which thought hides itself and passion has its dreams.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
No one is more liable to make mistakes than the man who acts only on reflection.
—Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues (1715–47) French Moralist, Essayist, Writer
Instinct is untaught ability.
—Alexander Bain (1818–1903) Scottish Empirical Philosopher, Psychologist
Instinct is the nose of the mind.
—Delphine de Girardin (1804–55) French Novelist, Author
Cherish your emotions and never undervalue them.
—Robert Henri (1865–1929) American Painter, Teacher
A true history of human events would show that a far larger proportion of our acts are the results of sudden impulses and accident than of that reason of which we so much boast.
—Peter Cooper
I go by instinct … I don’t worry about experience.
—Barbra Streisand (b.1942) American Musician, Actor, Songwriter
Common sense is instinct. Enough of it is genius.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way.
—Florence Scovel Shinn (1871–1940) American Illustrator, Spiritual Writer
The shrewd guess, the fertile hypothesis, the courageous leap to a tentative conclusion—these are the most valuable coin of the thinker at work.
—Jerome Bruner (1915–2016) American Cognitive Psychologist
By learning to contact, listen to, and act on our intuition, we can directly connect to the higher power of the universe and allow it to become our guiding force.
—Shakti Gawain (1948–2018) American Author, Speaker, Consultant
Well-bred instinct meets reason half-way.
—George Santayana (1863–1952) Spanish-American Poet, Philosopher
I learned…that inspiration does not come like a bolt, nor is it kinetic, energetic striving, but it comes into us slowly and quietly and all the time, though we must regularly and every day give it a little chance to start flowing, prime it with a little solitude and idleness.
—Brenda Ueland (1891–1985) American Journalist Memoirist
To be faithful to your instincts and the impulses that carry you in the direction of the excellence you most desire and value … surely that is to lead the noble life.
—George Edward Woodberry (1855–1930) American Literary Critic, Poet
Once you get rid of the idea that you must please other people before you please yourself, and you begin to follow your own instincts—only then can you be successful. You become more satisfied, and when you are other people tend to be satisfied by what you do.
—Raquel Welch (1940–2023) American Actress, Singer
When a man begins to reason, he ceases to feel.
—French Proverb
Pure logic is the ruin of the spirit.
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900–44) French Novelist, Aviator
I follow my heart, for I can trust it.
—Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) German Poet, Dramatist
Analysis kills spontaneity. The grain once ground into flour springs and germinates no more.
—Henri Frederic Amiel (1821–81) Swiss Moral Philosopher, Poet, Critic
We are so clothed in rationalization and dissemblance that we can recognize but dimly the deep primal impulses that motivate us.
—James Ramsey Ullman (1907–71) American Writer, Mountaineer
Falling in love is one of the activities forbidden that tiresome person, the consistently reasonable man.
—Arthur Eddington (1882–1944) English Astronomer
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