Home / Topics / Evidence Quotes

Evidence Quotes

Browse 2987 quotes about Evidence.

Evidence Quotes

“Fiction seems to be more effective at changing beliefs than nonfiction, which is designed to persuade through argument and evidence. Studies show that when we read nonfiction, we read with our shields up. We are critical and skeptical. But when we are absorbed in a story, we drop our intellectual guard. We are moved emotionally, and this seems to make us rubbery and easy to shape.”

Stories Shows Seems Belief Easy Fiction Study Shapes Intellectual Evidence Argument Moved Critical Nonfiction Skeptical Shields

Author:Jonathan Gottschall

“If we are uncritical we shall always find what we want: we shall look for, and find, confirmations, and we shall look away from, and not see, whatever might be dangerous to our pet theories. In this way it is only too easy to obtain what appears to be overwhelming evidence in favor of a theory which, if approached critically, would have been refuted.”

Ifs Way Want Looks Has Beens Might Easy Dangerous Theory Evidence Favors Pet Overwhelming Confirmation Refutation

Book:The Poverty of Historicism

Source: The Poverty of Historicism

“Minds fettered by this doctrine no longer inquire concerning a proposition whether it is attested by sufficient evidence, but whether it accords with Scripture; they do not search for facts as such, but for facts that will bear out their doctrine. It is easy to see that this mental habit blunts not only the perception of truth, but the sense of truthfulness, and that the man whose faith drives him into fallacies treads close upon the precipice of falsehood.”

Source: The Essays of George Eliot: Top Novelist Focus

“Long may it remain in this mixed world a question not easy of decision, which is the more beautiful evidence of the Almighty's goodness, the soft white hand formed for the ministrations of sympathy and tenderness, or the rough hard hand which the heart softens, teaches, and guides in a moment.”

World Heart May Long Hard Moments Hands Beautiful Easy White Decision Teach Goodness Evidence Guides Rough Tenderness Providence Almighty

Author:Charles Dickens

“The only conclusive evidence of a man's sincerity is that he gives himself for a principle. Words, money, all things else, are comparatively easy to give away; but when a man makes a gift of his daily life and practice, it is plain that the truth, whatever it may be, has taken possession of him.”

Men Giving May Easy Principles Practice Taken Evidence All Things Possession Daily Life Sincerity

Book:Among My Books: Six Essays

Source: Among My Books: Six Essays

“History has got a lot to do with unique circumstances under certain particular cases and grand theories will always find counter cases. I don't think that people whose expertise lies in one thing should try to make grand theories about something (a) where it's very hard to get the evidence to prove that you're right and (b) where it's much too easy to make up stories that seem right.”

People Thinking Should Trying Hard Stories Seems Lying Certain Easy Cases One Thing Particular Theory Circumstances Prove Unique Evidence Expertise

Author:Richard Lewontin

“Take those road hazards- the potholes, ruts, detours, and all the rest- as evidence that you were on the right route. It's when you find yourself on that big, broad, easy road that you ought to worry.”

Bigs Easy Worry Ought Evidence Finding Yourself Broads Routes Hazards Ruts Detours Potholes Easy Road

Book:Glorious Intruder: God's Presence in Life's Chaos

Source: Glorious Intruder: God's Presence in Life's Chaos

“I'm all for empowerment and education, but the empirical evidence is that it doesn't work. That's why I say make it easy.”

Easy Evidence Empowerment Empirical Evidence

Author:Richard Thaler

“...the idea of a spiritual part of our nature that survives death, the notion of an afterlife, ought to be easy for religions and nations to sell. This is not an issue of which we might anticipate widespread skepticism. People will want to believe it, even if the evidence is meager to nil... compelling testimony ... provides that our personality, character, memory ... resides in the matter of the brain, it is easy not to focus on it, to find ways to evade the weight of the evidence.”

“Writing a book about [Buckminster Fuller] in the sense of deciding how much to - how much biographically to gloss over and how much I can leave out is relatively easy as it is because the true believers already know everything. They know a lot of things that are not true and they know a lot of things that I thought were (and seems there's very good evidence not to believe) and therefore, my starting point was I think to tell his myth because that's what grabbed me.”

Thinking Knows Writing Believe I Can Book Seems Easy Evidence Starting Very Good Myth Believer Writing A Book Starting Point True Believer Gloss Buckminster Fuller

Author:Jonathon Keats

“The most common objection that I hear to walking as exercise is that it's too easy, that only sweaty, strenuous activity offers real benefits. But there is abundant evidence that regular, brisk walking is associated with better health, including lower blood pressure, better moods and improved cholesterol ratios.”

Real Easy Common Blood Walking Exercise Offers Activity Benefits Evidence Pressure Including Mood Objections Ratios Blood Pressure Cholesterol

Author:Andrew Weil

“It is easy to be religious when religion is in fashion; but it is an evidence of strong faith and resolution to swim against a stream to heaven, and to appear for God when no one else appears for Him.”

Strong Heaven Easy Religious Fashion Evidence Streams Resolution Swim Strong Faith

Book:The NIV Matthew Henry Commentary in One Volume: Based on the Broad Oak Edition

Source: The NIV Matthew Henry Commentary in One Volume: Based on the Broad Oak Edition

“The whole history of these books (i.e. the Gospels) is so defective and doubtful that it seems vain to attempt minute enquiry into it: and such tricks have been played with their text, and with the texts of other books relating to them, that we have a right, from that cause, to entertain much doubt what parts of them are genuine. In the New Testament there is internal evidence that parts of it have proceeded from an extraordinary man; and that other parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds. It is as easy to separate those parts, as to pick out diamonds from dunghills.”