There is a species of scepticism antecedent to all study and philosophy, which is much inculcated by Descartes and others, as a so...vereign preservative against error and precipitate judgment. It recommends an universal doubt, not only of all our former opinions and principles, but also of our very faculties; of whose veracity, say they, we must assure ourselves, by a chain of reasoning, deduced from some original principle, which cannot be fallacious or deceitful.... The Cartesian doubt, therefore, were it ever possible to be attained by any human creature (as it plainly is not) would be entirely incurable; and no reasoning could ever bring us to a state of assurance and conviction upon any subject.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
We cannot begin with complete doubt. We must begin with all the prejudices which we actually have when we enter upon the study of ...philosophy. These prejudices are not to be dispelled by a maxim, for they are things which it does not occur to us can be questioned. A person may, it is true, in the course of his studies, find reason to doubt what he began by believing; but in that case he doubts because he has a positive reason for it, and not on account of the Cartesian maxim. Let us not pretend to doubt in philosophy what we do not doubt in our hearts.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace! Where there is hatred let me sow love;... Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall ...not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
"Child, why do you waste your time... on childish things alone?" "Clothe yourself in anger." "Take courage, and cast off this honesty toward your lover." When her girlfriends gave her such advice, she answered, her face frightened, "Speak softly. The lord of my breath is still in my heart. No doubt he'll hear you."LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Can the knowledge deriving from reason even begin to compare with knowledge perceptible by sense? No doubt the number of people cr...ass enough to reply exclusively on the former and scorn the latter are sufficient in themselves to explain the disfavor into which everything deriving from the senses has gradually fallen. But when the most scholarly of men have taught me that light is a vibration, or offered me any other fruits of their labors of reasoning, they will not have rendered me an account of what is important to me about light, of what my eyes have begun to teach me about it, of what makes me different from a blind man--things which are the stuff of miracles, not subject matter for reasoning.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »