BrowseQuotes
Famous sayings.
“The historian without his facts is rootless…the facts without their historian are…meaningless.”
- E. H. Carr
- 1961
Philosophy of History
Carr’s 1961 quote reminds us that facts do not become history by themselves. History emerges when evidence is selected, organized, interpreted, and placed into a meaningful story.
Philosophy
Quote
“In order for a war to be just, three things are necessary.”
- Thomas Aquinas
- circa 1265
Situational Ethics
Situational ethics, like Just War Theory, can be brought down to your life. When you cannot turn the other cheek, strive for a response that is proportionate and never exceeds the harm done.
Philosophy
Quote
“A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.”
- David Hume
- 1739
Belief
Confidence should rise with support, not desire, and mystery should be held with humility.
History
Quote
“Our statements about the external world face the tribunal of sense experience not individually, but only as a corporate body.”
- W. V. Quine
- 1951
Worldviews
Never defend a belief blindly; examine the larger web around it and decide what fits your authentic self.
Philosophy
Quote
“It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.”
- William Kingdon Clifford
- 1877
Belief
Clifford argued that personal belief is a moral responsibility to humanity, not just a private habit. You have a moral obligation to be careful what you believe.
Philosophy
Quote
“Light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history.”
- Charles Darwin
- 1859
Ancient Humans
In one brief line in 1859, Darwin moved human origins inside science. His quote signaled that our species should be studied as part of nature.
Science
Quote