Quotes About Open-mindedness

The world was out there waiting to be explored—and not just waiting, but wanting to be explored. So why in heaven's name shouldn't I investigate every nook and cranny?

The concept of transcending duality, that is, of going beyond the notions of pleasing and distasteful, should be applied to the realm of rhetoric. When you are listening to someone expound on his or her ideas (or if you are reading them as a letter, e-mail or news story) endeavor to stop yourself from forming any opinion of the speaker's views. The goal is neither to agree nor to disagree.

Choose one day in the coming week in which you will go through the entire day without making any judgments about what is right, wrong, valuable, or invaluable. Buy any magazine, any newspaper, any drink order any item on the menu, so forth and so on without discrimination or judgment.

An English man does not travel to see English men.

Don't fucking make judgments about something you know nothing about.

I dunno," she said. "People decide what you're like before they even get to know you." She eyed him, suddenly fierce. "Kind of like you did with me. They think they know all about you. Except you're never who they think you are.

I'm thankful for weird people out there 'cause they're some of the most creative people.

All my life I have made it a rule never to permit a religious man or woman take for granted that his or her religious beliefs deserved more consideration than non-religious beliefs or anti-religious ones. I never agree with that foolish statement that I ought to respect the views of others when I believe them to be wrong.

Fight for your opinions, but do not believe that they contain the whole truth, or the only truth.

We hate some persons because we do not know them; and will not know them because we hate them.

The greatest friend of Truth is time, her greatest enemy is Prejudice, and her constant companion Humility.

We own almost all our knowledge not to those who have agreed but to those who have differed.

The greatest friend of truth is Time, her greatest enemy is Prejudice, and her constant companion is Humility.

We hate some persons because we do not know them; and we will not know them because we hate them.

This idea that it's intolerant to object to anyone else's position, hovever, is a complete perversion of the historic understanding of tolrance, which was that one had to have the respect to listen to anyone else's point of view, even one with which one might profoundly disagree. Tolerance did not reject truth claims; it respected them.

what really distinguishes us from apes is not the opposable thumb but the ability to hold in mind opposing ideas, a distinction we should probably try to preserve.

No elevator of progress with wells of prejudices. (Pas d'ascenseur de progrès - Avec puits de préjugés.)

Although born in a prosperous realm, we did not believe that its boundaries should limit our knowledge, and that the lore of the East should alone enlighten us.

by embracing literary theory, we learn about literature, but more important we are also taught tolerance for other people's beliefs. By rejecting or ignoring theory, we are in danger of canonizing ourselves as literary saints who possess divine knowledge and who can, therefore, supply the one and only correct interpretation for a given text.

People tend to conceptualize problems in such a way as to validate the tools that are familiar and available to them. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. If all you have are antibiotics, you will always look for the germ. If all you have is a mindset of war, then you will always look first for an enemy.

A man must have a certain amount of intelligent ignorance to get anywhere

People with a psychological need to believe in marvels are no more prejudiced and gullible than people with a psychological need not to believe in marvels.

When, upon the closed system of normal preoccupations, a story of a sea serpent appears, it is inhospitably treated. To us of the wider cordialities, it has recommendations for kinder reception. I think that we shall be noted in recognitions of good works for our bizarre charities.

People are very open-minded about new things--as long as they're exactly like the old ones.