Famous Quotes & Sayings

William James

Woe to him whose beliefs play fast and loose with the order which realities follow in his experience; they will lead him nowhere or else make false connections

William James

True is the name for whatever idea starts the verification process, useful is the name for its completed function in experience

William James

The most ancient parts of truth . . . also once were plastic. They also were called true for human reasons. They also mediated between still earlier truths and what in those days were novel observations. Purely objective truth, truth in whose establishment the function of giving human satisfaction in marrying previous parts of experience with newer parts played no role whatsoever, is nowhere to be found. The reasons why we call things true is the reason why they are true, for to be true means only to perform this marriage-function.

William James

The ultimate test of what a truth means is the conduct it dictates or inspires.

William James

The true is the name of whatever proves itself to be good in the way of belief, and good, too, for definite, assignable reasons.

William James

Truth happens to an idea

William James

Truth happens to an idea. It becomes true, is made true by events. Its verity is in fact an event, a process: the process namely of its verifying itself, its veri-fication. Its validity is the process of its valid-ation.

William James

The greatest enemy of any one of our truths may be the rest of our truths.

William James

We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.

William Gilmore Simms

Have I done anything for society? I have then done more for myself. Let that question and truth be always present to thy mind, and work without cessation.

Sarah Ban Breathnach

Half-truths are the devil's IOUs.

Sarah Ban Breathnach

nothing good ever comes out of denying the truth about our situation.

William Faulkner

Truth; that long clean clear simple undeniable unchallengeable straight and shining line, on one side of which black is black and on the other white is white, has now become an angle, a point of view.

William Faulkner

Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth.

Willard Van Orman Quine

Unlike Descartes, we own and use our beliefs of the moment, even in the midst of philosophizing, until by what is vaguely called scientific method we change them here and there for the better. Within our own total evolving doctrine, we can judge truth as earnestly and absolutely as can be, subject to correction, but that goes without saying.

Willard Van Orman Quine

Scientific method is the way to truth, but it affords, even in principle, no unique definition of truth. Any so-called pragmatic definition of truth is doomed to failure equally.

Warren G. Bennis

What makes a good follower? The single most important characteristic may well be a willingness to tell the truth. In a world of growing complexity leaders are increasingly dependent on their subordinates for good information, whether the leaders want to hear it or not. Followers who tell the truth and leaders who listen to it are an unbeatable combination.

Ronald Reagan

Facts are stupid things.

Said Nursi

A thing's innate disposition does not lie.

Said Nursi

The truth cannot be deceptive, and one who sees it cannot be deceived.

Saint Augustine

Because a thing is eloquently expressed it should not be taken to be as necessarily true; nor because it is uttered with stammering lips should it be supposed false.

Saint Augustine

Seek not abroad, for in the inner man dwells the truth.

Saint Augustine

If there is something more excellent than the truth, then that is God; if not, then truth itself is God.

Saint Augustine

Truth is not private property.

Saint Augustine

A thing is not necessarily true because badly uttered, nor false because spoken magnificently.

Saint Augustine

Purity of soul cannot be lost without consent.

Xenophanes

No human being will ever know the truth, for even if they happen to say it by chance, they would not even know they had done so.

W. Clement Stone

Truth will always be truth, regardless of lack of understanding, disbelief or ignorance.

W. C. Fields

You can't cheat an honest man.

Yunus Emre

Whatever separates you from the Truth, throw it away, it will vanish anyhow....

William Hazlitt

One truth discovered is immortal, and entitles its author to be so; for, like a new substance in nature, it cannot be destroyed.

William Hazlitt

An honest man speaks the truth, though it may give offence; a vain man, in order that it may.

William Dean Howells

Do not trouble yourselves about standards or ideals; but try to be faithful and natural: remember that there is no greatness, no beauty, which does not come from truth to your own knowledge of things; and keep on working, even if your work is not long remembered.