One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them.
—Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, 1932
It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.
—Upton Sinclair
It is worthy of remark that a belief constantly inculcated during the early years of life, whilst the brain is impressible, appears to acquire almost the nature of an instinct; and the very essence of an instinct is that it is followed independently of reason.
—Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man, 1871
People do not like to think. If one thinks, one must reach conclusions; and conclusions are not always pleasant. They are a thorn in the spirit. But I consider it a priceless gift and a deep responsibility to think. When we inquire why things are as they are, the answer is, the foundation of society is laid upon a basis of individualism, conquest and exploitation, with a total disregard of the good of the whole. The structure of society built upon such wrong basic principles is bound to retard the development of all men, even the most successful ones because it tends to divert man’s energies into useless channels and to degrade his character. The result is a false standard of values.
—Helen Keller, “New Vision for the Blind,” Justice, October 25, 1913
Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking; where it is absent, discussion is apt to become worse than useless.
—Leo Tolstoy, On Life and Essays on Religion, 1862
The aim of public education is not to spread enlightenment at all; it is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality.
—H.L. Mencken, The American Mercury, 1924
We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.
—Albert Einstein, 1954
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