Best evidence & stories Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“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

“But human beings fall easily into despair, and from the very beginning we invented stories that enabled us to place our lives in a larger setting, that revealed an underlying pattern, and gave us a sense that, against all the depressing and chaotic evidence to the contrary, life had meaning and value.”

Humans Stories Values Fall Human Beings Our Lives Despair Evidence Patterns Contrary Setting Settings Depressing Chaotic

Book:A Short History Of Myth

Source: A Short History Of Myth

“Until recently we’ve only been able to speculate about story's persuasive effects. But over the last several decades psychology has begun a serious study of how story affects the human mind. Results repeatedly show that our attitudes, fears, hopes, and values are strongly influenced by story. In fact, fiction seems to be more effective at changing beliefs than writing that is specifically designed to persuade through argument and evidence.”

Writing Mind Humans Facts Stories Shows Seems Able Lasts Values Belief Results Attitude Fiction Study Psychology Effects Serious Evidence Argument Decades Human Mind Persuasive

Author:Jonathan Gottschall

“In my photographic work I'm generally attracted to places that contain memories, history, atmospheres and stories. I'm interested in the places where people have lived, worked and played. I look for traces of the past, visual fingerprints, evidence of activities - they fire my imagination and connect into my own personal experiences. Using the analogy of the theater, I would say that I like to photograph the empty stage, before or after the performance, even in between acts. I love the atmosphere of anticipation, the feeling in the air that events have happened, or will happen soon.”

“I think Santa Claus is, by and large, quite beneficial, for when the child is finally allowed -- or forced -- to recognize the nonexistence of Santa Claus, then the child is able to go through the vital intellectual process of reconstructing reality in light of new evidence, complete with back-forming new stories to account for past events. This prepares the child for many other disillusionments and gives her vital and well-supported experience in maintaining her grip on reality independent of the stories told to her at any given time.”

“Read as much as you write. Go out and meet other writers. Look for stories in everything around you - music, movies, family, strangers, your bus ride to work, and of course the streets. Also - keep moving forward, keep creating new things. Leave evidence of yourself in this world. Imagine what your legacy could be and try to create it.”

“Jesse Marcel's unproven story was now primetime mythology. This remote New Mexico town had hit the jackpot. It didn't matter that there wasn't a shred of credible evidence to support the claim that a flying saucer crashed here. It didn't matter that there were no credible witnesses to alien bodies.”

Matter Stories Body Support Evidence Claims Towns Mythology Flying Witness Aliens Mexico Credible New Mexico Flying Saucers Jackpot

Author:Peter Jennings

“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

“Antiquities, or remnants of history, are, as was said, tanquam tabula naufragii: when industrious persons, by an exact and scrupulous diligence and observation, out of monuments, names, words, proverbs, traditions, private records and evidences, fragments of stories, passages of books that concern not story, and the like, do save and recover somewhat from the deluge of time.”

Persons Said Book Stories Names Records Evidence Concern Tradition Observation Passages Fragments Monument Diligence Antiquity Industrious Remnants Deluge

Book:The Works of Francis Bacon, Lord Chancellor of England: A New Edition:

Source: The Works of Francis Bacon, Lord Chancellor of England: A New Edition:

“James Leininger's story is the most compelling evidence so far for reincarnation.”

Stories Evidence Compelling Reincarnation

Author:T. J. MacGregor

“I never looked at Noah as an animal collector. I always thought of him as an apocalyptic character. I read everything I found about it and was surprised to find that in all religions there is the story of the flood, and that one "hero" saved the world. This proved that Noah and his Ark - were not a religious myth, and is evidence that humanity really went through the flood.”

World Character Stories Humanity Found Religious Animal Hero Evidence Myth Saved Flood Collectors Apocalyptic Ark

Author:Russell Crowe

“No picture, no footage, no story. The people these days require some visual evidence in order to believe what they read.”

People Believe Stories Order Evidence These Days Visuals

Author:Nick Denton

“This war [in Syria] is going to support Al-Qaeda and the same people that killed Americans in the 11th of September. The second thing that we want to tell Congress, that they should ask and that what we expect them to ask this administration about the evidence that they have regarding the chemical story and allegations that they presented.”

People Want Should War Stories Asks Support Evidence Congress Administration Als Chemicals September Syria Al Qaeda Allegations

Author:Bashar al-Assad

“In the end, the truth always wins out. It always does, no matter how many times you tell a story that isn't true. In the end, the truth comes out. There's either video evidence or photographic evidence. I think the American people are smart consumers.”

People Thinking Doe Ends Matter Stories Winning Smart Evidence Video Consumers Truth Comes Out

Author:Gayle King

“In the Bible angels speak and humans speak back to them. This is the case with Mary in Luke 1. The angel speaks, Mary questions, and it goes back and forth. Abraham speaks with angels. So I would contend the Bible has enough evidence of angels speaking and humans speaking that speaking with an angel today would be reasonable. I've heard enough stories and read such that confirm that Christians today do speak with angels.”

Humans Enough Stories Would Be Today Christian Speak Cases Heard Evidence Angel Reasonable Mary Back And Forth Abraham Luke

Author:Scot McKnight

“The stories never said why she was wicked. It was enough to be an old woman, enough to be all alone, enough to look strange because you have no teeth. It was enough to be called a witch. If it came to that, the book never gave you the evidence of anything. It talked about "a handsome prince"... was he really, or was it just because he was a prince that people called handsome? As for "a girl who was as beautiful as the day was long"... well, which day? In midwinter it hardly ever got light! The stories don't want you to think, they just wanted you to believe what you were told.”

People Ifs Thinking Want Believe Wells Looks Long Said Book Enough Stories Light Wanted Beautiful Girl Strange Evidence Teeth Wicked Witch Handsome Old Woman All Alone Midwinter

Author:Terry Pratchett

“The pictures do not lie, but neither do they tell the whole story. They are merely a record of time passing, the outward evidence.”

Whole Stories Lying Records Photography Evidence Passing Passings Time Passing

Book:Collected Novels Volume Four

Source: Collected Novels Volume Four

“He read reports, examined evidence, and poured more reports up the chain than the Pentagon could read. Nothing short of a human sieve. But in the end he was just one small piece on this game board called war. End of story”

Humans War Ends Stories Games Pieces Evidence Chains Boards Just One Reports Pentagon Small Pieces

Book:Bone Man's Daughters

Source: Bone Man's Daughters

“And all the stories had, somewhere, the witch. The wicked old witch. And Tiffany had thought: Where's the evidence?”

Stories Evidence Wicked Witch

Author:Terry Pratchett

“When you hear a true story, there is a part of you that responds to it regardless of art, regardless of evidence. Let it be the most obvious fabrication and you will still believe whatever truth is in it, because you can not deny truth no matter how shabbily it is dressed.”

Believe Art Stills Matter Stories Truth Is Evidence Obvious Deny Can Not True Story Fabrication

Book:The Ender Quintet

Source: The Ender Quintet

“Pictures could not be accessories to the story -- evidence -- they had to contain the story within the frame; the best picture contained a whole war within one frame.”

War Whole Stories Evidence Accessories Best Picture

Author:Tatjana Soli

“ATHENA: There are two sides to this dispute. I've heard only one half the argument. (...) So you two parties, summon your witnesses, set out your proofs, with sworn evidence to back your stories. Once I've picked the finest men in Athens, I'll return. They'll rule fairly in this case, bound by a sworn oath to act with justice.”

Men Two Stories Sides Justice Party Half Cases Heard Return Evidence Argument Bounds Proof Witness Finest Disputes Oath Two Sides One Half Athens Athena

Author:Aeschylus

“Evidence indicates that cats were first tamed in Egypt. The Egyptians stored grain, which attracted rodents, which attracted cats. (No evidence that such a thing happened with the Mayans, though a number of wild cats are native to the area.) I don't think this is accurate. It is certainly not the whole story. Cats didn't start as mousers. Weasels and snakes and dogs are more efficient as rodent-control agents. I postulate that cats started as psychic companions, as Familiars, and have never deviated from this function.”

Thinking Firsts Whole Stories Numbers Happened Dog Evidence Areas Cat Function Agents Native Companion Efficient Accurate Grain Egypt Psychics Snakes Tamed Weasels Rodents Mayans

Author:William S. Burroughs

“The story of Doubting Thomas is told, not so that we shall admire Thomas, but so that we can admire the other apostles in comparison. Thomas demanded evidence … The other apostles, whose faith was so strong that they did not need evidence, are held to us as worthy of imitation.”

Needs Stories Strong Doubt Evidence Worthy Admire Comparison Imitation Apostles

Book:The Selfish Gene

Source: The Selfish Gene

“Dear Sir: Yours of the 24th. asking 'the best mode of obtaining a thorough knowledge of the law' is received. The mode is very simple, though laborious, and tedious. It is only to get the books, and read, and study them carefully. Begin with Blackstone's Commentaries, and after reading it carefully through, say twice, take up Chitty's Pleading, Greenleaf's Evidence, & Story's Equity &c. in succession. Work, work, work, is the main thing.”

Book Stories Law Reading Simple Study Evidence Asking Dear Equity Succession Tedious Thorough Commentary Obtaining Pleading Thorough Knowledge

Book:The collected works of Abraham Lincoln

Source: The collected works of Abraham Lincoln

“I had the evidence that a crash did happen here....Give this information to the young people of the world and this country....They want it. Give it to them. Don't hide it and tell lies and make stories. They're not stupid....It's their information. It doesn't belong to the Army or the Department of Defence. If it's classified, take the classification off and give it to them!”

People Ifs World Want Giving Country Stories Happens Young Lying Military Stupid Information Evidence Army Department Crash Defence Ufo Classification Not Stupid

Author:Philip J. Corso

“I have no liking for novels or stories - none in the world; and so, whenever I read one - which is not oftener than once in two years, and even in these same cases I seldom read beyond the middle of the book - my distaste for the vehicle always taints my judgment of the literature itself, as a matter of course; and also of course makes my verdict valuless. Are you saying "You have written stories yourself." Quite true: but the fact that an Indian likes to scalp people is no evidence that he likes to be scalped.”

People World Years Two Book Matter Facts Stories Courses Reading Literature Cases Novel Written Middle Judgment Evidence Likes Indian Two Years Vehicle Verdict Distaste

Book:The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain

Source: The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain

“I've talked with people of stature-of military and government credentials and position-and heard their stories, and their desire to tell their stories openly to the public. And that got my attention very, very rapidly.... The first hand experiences of these credible witnesses that, now in advanced years are anxious to tell their story, we can't deny that, and the evidence points to the fact that Roswell was a real incident, and that indeed an alien craft did crash, and that material was recovered from that crash site.”

“The way you talk about yourself and your life-your story-has a great deal to do with what shows up in your day-to-day experience. Your thoughts create filters through which you view your life. If you think of yourself as a Victim, you filter all that happens to you through the lens of DDT, and you find plenty of evidence to support that viewpoint. That's why the orientation you adopt is so important: it exerts a powerful influence on your life direction.”

“This packrat has learned that what the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were and the tales of how we loved. In the end, it's the family stories that are worth the storage.”

Ends Stories Values Next Generations Evidence Tales Next Generation Reunion Storage Family Reunion Funny Family Reunion

Author:Ellen Goodman

“Never mind that the story had turned out to be lies and foolishness—there was always folks stupid enough to say, Where there's smoke there's fire, when the saying should have been, Where there's scandalous lies there's always malicious believers and spreaders-around, regardless of evidence.”

Should Mind Has Beens Enough Stories Lying Fire Stupid Evidence Should Have Folks Believer Smoke Foolishness Should Have Been Malicious Scandalous

Book:Alvin Journeyman: The Tales of Alvin Maker

Source: Alvin Journeyman: The Tales of Alvin Maker

“Why is there such insistence that AGW has occurred and needs drastic solutions? This is a puzzle, but my short answer is that the IPCC has been built on the AGW proposition and of course keeps plugging it, whatever the data say. The IPCC has considerable clout. Most people shy off inspecting the evidence because it looks like science and must therefore be hard. The media have been captured by AGW (it makes for great stories), the environmental movement and the Greens love it, and business is reluctant to get involved.”

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Evidence Quotes