“If a man says a thing often enough, he is very likely to acquire some sort of faith in it sooner or later.”
"The Second-Story Angel" (published in Black Mask, 15 November 1923)
Short Stories
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Dashiell Hammett 39
American writer 1894–1961Related quotes

“What I say is that, if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.”

1989 interview. Reported in William H. Honan, The New York Times (December 4, 1999) "Madeline Kahn: Funny Actress in 'Blazing Saddles'", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, p. A-11
Attributed

"Religion: A Dialogue."
Variant translation: To free a man from error does not mean to take something from him, but to give him something.
Essays
Source: Essays and Aphorisms
Context: To free a man from error is to give, not to take away. Knowledge that a thing is false is a truth. Error always does harm; sooner or later it will bring mischief to the man who harbors it. Then give up deceiving people; confess ignorance of what you don't know, and leave everyone to form his own articles of faith for himself. Perhaps they won't turn out so bad, especially as they'll rub one another's corners down, and mutually rectify mistakes. The existence of many views will at any rate lay a foundation of tolerance. Those who possess knowledge and capacity may betake themselves to the study of philosophy, or even in their own persons carry the history of philosophy a step further.

Article, Crooning, p. 121
Everyman's Dictionary of Music (London: J. M Dent & Sons; 3rd ed. 1958)
As quoted in Why Americans Hate Politics, by E.J. Dionne, Jr., Simon & Schuster (2004) p. 267.