Quotes About Opinions

There is a maddening phenomenon of social dynamics variously called pluralistic ignorance, the spiral of silence, and the Abilene paradox, after an anecdote in which a Texan family takes an unpleasant trip to Abilene one hot afternoon because each member thinks the others want to go.274 People may endorse a practice or opinion they deplore because they mistakenly think that everyone else favors it.

If you have to silence people who disagree with you, does that mean you have no good arguments for why they're mistaken?

If you want to see tribalism at its fiercest, check out a "Nikon vs. Canon" Internet discussion group.)

Unfortunately the epistemological standards of common sense—we should credit the people and ideas that make correct predictions, and discount the ones that don't—are rarely applied to the intelligentsia and commentariat, who dispense opinions free of accountability.

Disagreement is necessary in deliberations among mortals.

Are you infallible? Are you certain that you're right about everything? If so, what makes you different from your opponents, who also are certain they're right?

Liberals love to strike generous, humanitarian poses with other people's lives.

People love America. Sometimes they don't like the decisions made by America, but I don't think you want a president who tries to become popular and does the wrong thing.

People, y'know, they either love us or they hate us; there's no middle ground.

Music journalists love Elvis Costello and hate me because they look like Elvis Costello

You can love me or you can hate me but you can't define me.

I like playing characters that, you know, a couple could go see the movie and one person could love him and one person could hate him.

In this job, you're going to make decisions. You'll say things that some people are going to love them, some people are going to hate them. It's just part of the job.

We are pleased with one who instantly assents to our opinions, but we love a proselyte.

We may have our private opinions but why should they be a bar to the meeting of hearts?

There's people that like you and there's people that don't like you. I love it because I love the negative criticism because I always feel I have something to prove.

Once you come and see Kiss, you either love us or you hate us.

You look at what interests a person and then you formulate what their opinions are, in terms of how they see the world, and how they see love and life.

I cannot hold with those who wish to put down the insignificant chatter of the world.

I carry a small sheet of paper in my wallet that has written on it the names of people whose opinions of me matter. To be on that list, you have to love me for my strengths and struggles.

Sometimes it seems the only people willing to give advice in a relativistic society are those with the least to offer.

I do not understand why our society is providing public funding to institutions and educators whose stated, conscious and explicit aim is the demolition of the culture that supports them. Such people have a perfect right to their opinions and actions, if they remain lawful. But they have no reasonable claim to public funding.

Do not trust anyone who uses the words "disinformation" or "misinformation." What they mean is "opinions that run contrary to mine that I should be allowed to suppress.

Such people have a perfect right to their opinions and actions, if they remain lawful. But they have no reasonable claim to public funding. If radical right-wingers were receiving state funding for political operations disguised as university courses, as the radical left-wingers clearly are, the uproar from progressives across North America would be deafening.