Quotes About Truth

Till a man can judge whether they be truths or not, his understanding is but little improved, and thus men of much reading, though greatly learned, but may be little knowing.

Earthly minds, like mud-walls, resist the strongest batteries: And though perhaps sometimes the force of a clear argument may make some impression, yet they nevertheless stand firm, and keep out the enemy truth, that would captivate or disturb them. Tell a man passionately in love, that he is jilted; bring a score of witnesses of the falsehood of his mistress, it is ten to one but three kind words of hers shall invalidate all their testimonies.

Every man carries about him a touchstone, if he will make use of it, to distinguish substantial gold from superficial glitterings, truth from appearances. And indeed the use and benefit of this touchstone, which is natural reason, is spoiled and lost only by assumed prejudices, overweening presumption, and narrowing our minds.

E]veryone is orthodox to himself…

Let not men think there is no truth but in the sciences that they study, or the books that they read. To prejudge other men's notions before we have looked into them is not to shew their darkness, but to put out our own eyes.

It is hard to know what other way men can come at truth, to lay hold of it, if they do not dig and search for it as for gold and hid treasure; but he that does so must have much earth and rubbish before he gets the pure metal; sand, and pebbles, and dross usually lie blended with it, but the gold is nevertheless gold, and will enrich the man that employs his pains to seek and separate it.

He that takes away Reason to make way for Revelation puts out the Light of both , as one who pokes out eye to see .

in truth not of any force to draw those into bondage who have their eyes open

But in truth the ideas and images in men's minds are the invisible powers that constantly govern them, and to these they all universally pay a ready submission.

Le leggi non vegliano sulla verità delle opinioni ma sulla sicurezza e l'integrità di ciascuno e dello Stato.

But the business of laws is not to provide for the truth of opinions, but for the safety and security of the commonwealth and of every particular man's goods and person.

Truth is the marking down in words the agreement or disagreement of ideas as it is. Falsehood is the marking down in words the agreement or disagreement of ideas otherwise than it is. And so far as these ideas, thus marked by sounds, agree to their archetypes, so far only is the truth real. The knowledge of this truth consists in knowing what ideas the words stand for, and the perception of the agreement or disagreement of those ideas, according as it is marked by those words.

We can't live in a fantasy. Reality may be hard, but it's all we have.

Reality may be hard, but it's all we have.

the media had its narrative before it knew any of the facts

All I want in life is clarity, transparency, so I know who is doing what, and to whom, at all times. My only real enemies in life are liars, and they'll do everything to stop me because they want the contamination to continue, because it's comfortable for them, or completely ignorant mindless fools who believe every word they read in a daily rag.

Faith also requires "purification" in Ratzinger's thought.  For Ratzinger, reason allows faith to discern what is superstitious from what is true and what inconsistent with truth from what is a genuine expansion of knowledge.

You don't manage the truth. You tell the truth.

The foundation of morality is to have done, once and for all, with lying.

The two most important questions in science are "What can I know?" and "How can I know it?

Huxley did not look the warrior. But he had a warrior's ruthlessness. His dicta included the pronouncement: "The foundation of morality is to have done, once and for all, with lying.

All positive knowledge obtained . . . has resulted from the accurate observation of facts.

There is a circularity here I do not doubt. I am defending the Bible by the Bible. Circularity of a kind is unavoidable when one seeks to defend an ultimate standard of truth, for one's defense must itself be accountable to that standard.

Getting the past wrong is almost as problematic as not getting the past into our minds at all.