"Let us, at least, dig and seek till we have discovered our own opinions. The dogmas we really hold are far more fantastic, and, perhaps, far more beautiful than we think. In the course of these essays I fear that I have spoken from time to time of rationalists and rationalism, and that in a disparaging sense. Being full of that kindliness which should come at the end of everything, even of a book, I apologize to the rationalists even for calling them rationalists. There are no rationalists. We all believe fairy-tales, and live in them. Some, with a sumptuous literary turn, believe in the existence of the lady clothed with the sun. Some, with a more rustic, elvish instinct, like Mr. McCabe, believe merely in the impossible sun itself. Some hold the undemonstrable dogma of the existence of God; some the equally undemonstrable dogma of the existence of the man next door."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Heretics_(book)
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Heretics (book)
111 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Heretics (book) →
Related Quotes
"I do not, therefore, say that the word "progress" is unmeaning; I say it is unmeaning without the previous definition…"
"There is no such thing on earth as an uninteresting subject; the only thing that can exist is an uninterested person."
"He says, "Nothing endures, nothing is precise and certain (except the mind of a pedant).... Being indeed!—there is no…"
"A man can understand astronomy only by being an astronomer; he can understand entomology only by being an entomologis…"
"Whistler could produce art; and in so far he was a great man. But he could not forget art; and in so far he was only …"
"It is difficult to attain a high ideal; consequently, it is almost impossible to persuade ourselves that we have atta…"
"The word 'heresy' not only means no longer being wrong; it practically means being clear-headed and courageous. The w…"
"It is foolish, generally speaking, for a philosopher to set fire to another philosopher in Smithfield Market because …"
"At any innocent tea-table we may easily hear a man say, "Life is not worth living." We regard it as we regard the sta…"
"As enunciated today, 'progress' is simply a comparative of which we have not settled the superlative."