God and the State (1871; publ. 1882)
Context: A person is strong only when he stands upon his own truth, when he speaks and acts from his deepest convictions. Then, whatever the situation he may be in, he always knows what he must say and do. He may fall, but he cannot bring shame upon himself or his cause. If we seek the liberation of the people by means of a lie, we will surely grow confused, go astray, and lose sight of our objective, and if we have any influence at all on the people we will lead them astray as well — in other words, we will be acting in the spirit of reaction and to its benefit.
“We may believe the statement of another person, when there is reasonable ground for supposing that he knows the matter of which he speaks, and that he is speaking the truth so far as he knows it.”
The Ethics of Belief (1877), The Limits Of Inference
Context: p>We may believe what goes beyond our experience, only when it is inferred from that experience by the assumption that what we do not know is like what we know. We may believe the statement of another person, when there is reasonable ground for supposing that he knows the matter of which he speaks, and that he is speaking the truth so far as he knows it.It is wrong in all cases to believe on insufficient evidence; and where it is presumption to doubt and to investigate, there it is worse than presumption to believe.</p
Help us to complete the source, original and additional information
William Kingdon Clifford 48
English mathematician and philosopher 1845–1879Related quotes
The Ethics of Belief (1877), The Weight Of Authority
“2084. He that does not speak Truth to me, does not believe me when I speak Truth.”
Introductio ad prudentiam: Part II (1727), Gnomologia (1732)
“He who knows does not speak; he who speaks does not know.”
Variant: Those who know, do not speak, those who speak, do not know.
Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 56
Source: Orlando: A Biography (1928), Ch. 2
Context: While fame impedes and constricts, obscurity wraps about a man like a mist; obscurity is dark, ample, and free; obscurity lets the mind take its way unimpeded. Over the obscure man is poured the merciful suffusion of darkness. None knows where he goes or comes. He may seek the truth and speak it; he alone is free; he alone is truthful, he alone is at peace.
“He who knows the truth and does not speak it is a miserable coward.”
Alternate version: He who knows the truth and does not speak it truly is a miserable creature.
Quoted in "Julius Streicher" - Page 211 - By Randall L. Bytwerk
"A Qualified Farewell" (essay, early 1950's), published in The Notebooks of Raymond Chandler (1976)