Quotes about doubt
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“I salute your spunk, but I question your sanity,” Sam said.”

The Diviners
Variant: i salute your spunk, but question your sanity.

“Okay," Kincaid said. "Anyone have any questions?"

"Why do they sell hot dogs in packages of ten but hot dog buns in packages of eight?”

Jim Butcher (1971) American author

Dogs

“But pain… seems to me an insufficient reason not to embrace life. Being dead is quite painless. Pain, like time, is going to come on regardless. Question is, what glorious moments can you win from life in addition to the pain?”

Lois McMaster Bujold Vorkosigan Saga

Source: Vorkosigan Saga, Barrayar (1991)

Life, Pain, Time, Dead

“I prefer rationalism to atheism. The question of God and other objects-of-faith are outside reason and play no part in rationalism, thus you don't have to waste your time in either attacking or defending.”

Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, known for his works of science fiction …

God, Faith, Time, Parting

“every question possessed a power that was lost in the answer…”

Elie Wiesel book Night

Variant: He explained to me with great insistence that every question posessed a power that did not lie in the answer.
Source: Night

“I never wanted to be feared. If I regret one thing, it is the fear I have caused. Fear is the tool of tyrants. Unfortunately, when the fate of the world is in question, you use whatever tools are available.”

Brandon Sanderson (1975) American fantasy writer

Source: The Final Empire

Fate, World, Fear

“When a question has no correct answer, there is only one honest response.
The gray area between yes and no.
Silence.”

Dan Brown book The Da Vinci Code

Source: The Da Vinci Code

Silence

“What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked.
It was a good question.”

Maureen Johnson book 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Source: 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Hell

“Question (from a reader) : Will the Wise Goddess Athena overthrow Zeus and become the ruler of Olympus?
Athena's answer : What an interesting idea… No, just kidding, Dad. Put away the lightning bolt.”

Rick Riordan (1964) American writer

Idea

“To love--to fall--is not a question.
To touch--to kiss--to speak--those are questions.”

David Levithan (1972) American author and editor

Love, Kiss

“Torn between fear and something that resembled love, she wrestled with questions she never dreamed she would face: How could she leave? Then again, how could she stay?”

Jodi Picoult book Picture Perfect

Source: Picture Perfect

Love, Fear, Dreams

“Let me ask you a question Alex. What do you think is the greatest evil on this plant today?"
"Is that including, or not including you?”

Anthony Horowitz book Eagle Strike

Source: Eagle Strike

Thinking, Evil

“Whenever I start a novel, I'm always looking for two things: a bit of science that makes me go 'what if?' and a piece of history that ends in a question mark.”

James Rollins (1961) American writer

History, Science

“Now, you'll have to answer my questions."
"Oh, very well," Set said. "I like Brazil for the World Cup. I'd advise investing in platinum and small-cap funds. And your lucky numbers this week are 2, 13--"
"Not those questions!" Menshikov snapped.”

Rick Riordan book The Throne of Fire

Source: The Throne of Fire

World

“Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no fibs.”

Oliver Goldsmith She Stoops to Conquer

She Stoops to Conquer
She Stoops to Conquer (1771), Act III
Variant: Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies.

Funny

“I regret nothing. There have been things I missed, but I ask no questions, because I have loved it, such as it has been, even the moments of emptiness, even the unanswered-and that I loved it, that is the unanswered in my life.”

Ayn Rand book The Fountainhead

Source: The Fountainhead

Love, Life

“When the woman took the earbud, he didn't ask another question. She was a woman on a mission as she placed the tiny device in her ear and said, "This is Special Agent Abby Cameron. Let me talk to Macey McHenry.”

Ally Carter (1974) American writer

Source: Double Crossed: A Spies and Thieves Story

“Ari felt like, Hellooo, I have wings! I turn into a wolf! Blending is out is out of the question!”

James Patterson (1947) American author

Source: School's Out—Forever

Wolf

“Sometimes there would be someone else out there, someone she didn't know, but when they saw each other each would nod, as if making a secret pact. No question, no small talk.. agreed”

Nicholas Sparks book Nights in Rodanthe

Source: Nights in Rodanthe

Secret

“Question: When you’re one of the few people who can do something to fix a problem, just how responsible does that make you for it? Answer: It’s how you choose to answer that question that defines you.”

Karen Marie Moning (1964) author

People, Problem

“So why am I depressed? That's the million-dollar question, baby, the Tootsie Roll question; not even the owl knows the answer to that one. I don't know either. All I know is the chronology.”

Ned Vizzini book It's Kind of a Funny Story

Source: It's Kind of a Funny Story

Baby

“Suddenly question number four popped into my mind. Have you thought about how this relationship will end?”

Judy Blume (1938) American children's writer

Source: Forever . . .

“The original question, 'Can machines think?' I believe to be too meaningless to deserve discussion.”

Alan Turing (1912–1954) British mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist

Source: Mechanical Intelligence: Collected Works of A.M. Turing

Thinking

“Did you hotwire this car?" I then rephrased my question. "Did you STEAL this car?”

Richelle Mead book Last Sacrifice

Source: Last Sacrifice

Cars

“Which leaves us to the question, what is he up to?" Evanlyn said.
Will shrugged. "I suppose we'll find out soon enough," he said, and urged Tug forward to take up the point position once more.

They found out the following evening.”

John Flanagan (1873–1938) Irish-American hammer thrower

Source: The Burning Bridge

“Do not let what you think they think of you make you stop and question everything you are.”

Carrie Fisher book The Princess Diarist

Source: The Princess Diarist

Thinking

“WHEN SOMEONE SAYS, It’s the Squirrel, you don’t ask questions.”

Rick Riordan book The Sword of Summer

Source: The Sword of Summer

“That question is too good to spoil with an answer.”

Harry Mulisch book The Discovery of Heaven

Source: The Discovery of Heaven

“Every scene should be able to answer three questions: "Who wants what from whom? What happens if they don't get it? Why now?”

David Mamet (1947) American playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and film director

Source: Bambi vs. Godzilla: On the Nature, Purpose, and Practice of the Movie Business

“No. Haven’t you been listening?”

Marcus would always remember that moment. It was to be the first time he would ever be faced with that most vexing of female quirks: the question that had nothing but wrong answers.”

Julia Quinn (1970) American novelist

Source: Just Like Heaven

Time

“I've got death inside me. It's just a question of whether or not I can outlive it.”

Don DeLillo book White Noise

Source: White Noise (1984)

Death

“Who are you?'
I didn't understand the question.
I'm Uri', he said. 'What's your name?'
I gave him my name. 'Stopthief.”

Jerry Spinelli book Milkweed

Source: Milkweed

Understanding

“The question, O me! so sad, recurring -
What good amid these, O me, O life?
That you are here - that life
exists and identity,
that the powerful play goes on,
and you may contribute a verse.”

Walt Whitman (1819–1892) American poet, essayist and journalist

Source: The Leaves of Grass

Life, Sadness

“I don't think anybody cares about unwed mothers unless they're black or poor. The question is not morality, the question is money. That's what we're upset about.”

Toni Morrison (1931–2019) American writer

Money, Thinking

“And she keeps saying, how can you do this to me?

And i want to scream, what do you mean, how can I do this to you? Aren't we confusing our pronouns here? The question, really, is How could I do this to myself?”

Elizabeth Wurtzel book Prozac Nation

Source: Prozac Nation

“What seems to be love beyond any question is usually a simple case of indigestion.”

Lloyd Alexander (1924–2007) American children's writer

Love

“It took turns that people couldn’t foresee or even understand, leaving a long trail of regret in its wake. And almost always, those regrets led to the kinds of what if questions that could never be answered.”

Nicholas Sparks book The Best of Me

Source: The Best of Me

People, Understanding

“I hate it when you answer a question with a question."
"No you don't, you think it's charming.”

Cassandra Clare book City of Bones

Source: City of Bones

Hate, Thinking

“Question your tea spoons.”

Georges Perec (1936–1982) French writer

Species of Spaces and Other Pieces

Tea

“Good girls don't hurt other people's feelings. Good girls are not overly aggressive, competitive, or boastful. Good girls please others. But what good girls are good for is another question.”

Susan Jane Gilman (1924) American writer

Source: Kiss My Tiara: How to Rule the World as a SmartMouth Goddess

People, Feeling, Girl, Hurt

“I don't know where we should take this company, but I do know that if I start with the right people, ask them the right questions, and engage them in vigorous debate, we will find a way to make this company great.”

James C. Collins (1958) American business consultant and writer

People, Way

“Remember, an easy question can have an easy answer. But a hard question must have a hard answer. And for the hardest questions of all, there may be no answer - except faith.”

Charles Sheffield book Brother to Dragons

Source: Brother to Dragons

Faith

“Self-respect is a question of recognizing that anything worth having has a price.”

Joan Didion (1934) American writer

"On Self-Respect", in Slouching Towards Bethlehem

“it's not a question but a lesson learned in time”

Don W. Green

Learning, Time

“There is no such thing as no choice. There is always a choice. The only question is whether it's a bearable one.”

David Levithan book Every You, Every Me

Source: Every You, Every Me

“Never question the truth of what you fail to understand, for the world is filled with wonders.”

L. Frank Baum book Rinkitink in Oz

Source: Rinkitink in Oz

Truth, World, Understanding

“Can a magician kill a man by magic?” Lord Wellington asked Strange.
Strange frowned. He seemed to dislike the question. “I suppose a magician might,” he admitted, “but a gentleman never could.”

Susanna Clarke book Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Source: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

“When a wise man does not understand, he says: "I do not understand." The fool and the uncultured are ashamed of their ignorance. They remain silent when a question could bring them wisdom.”

Frank Herbert book The Godmakers

Source: The Godmakers (1972)

Wisdom, Fools, Understanding

“Never question the sanity of a woman who can render you defenseless with a look.”

Julie Anne Peters (1952) American writer

Source: By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead

“Maybe this is not a come-down-from-the-ledge story. But I tell it with the thought that the woman on the ledge will ask herself a question, the question that occurred to that man in Bogota. He wondered how we know that what happens to us isn't good?”

Amy Hempel (1951) Short story writer

The Man in Bogota

“ARE YOU CRAZY?" I ASKED.
He gave me the same wordless look he always did when I asked that question.”

Richelle Mead (1976) American writer

“How does it taste?” Carter wondered.
Zia smiled. “Stick out your tongue.”
To answer Carter’s question, the tattoo tasted like burning car tires.
“Ugh.” I spit a blue gob of “order and harmony” into the fountain.”

Rick Riordan book The Red Pyramid

Source: The Red Pyramid

Smile, Cars, Tattoo

“don’t write out of what I know; I write out of what I wonder. I think most artists create art in order to explore, not to give the answers. Poetry and art are not about answers to me; they are about questions.”

Lucille Clifton (1936–2010) American poet

Art, Thinking

“Religion is a system of wishful illusions together with a disavowal of reality, such as we find nowhere else but in a state of blissful hallucinatory confusion. Religion's eleventh commandment is "Thou shalt not question."”

Sigmund Freud book The Future of an Illusion

Source: 1920s, The Future of an Illusion (1927)

Religion, Reality

“The important question is, How many hands have I shaked?”

George W. Bush (1946) 43rd President of the United States

“Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes.
Yes.
No.
One time in high school.
Three times in my twenties.
Rocks no salt.
Yes.
Four.
Never. And how dare you!
I will take no further questions.”

Ellen DeGeneres (1958) American stand-up comedian, television host, and actress

Source: Seriously... I'm Kidding

School, Time

“The more you ask certain questions, the more dangerous they become.”

Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor

Source: The Judges

“Questions outlive the answers.”

Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor

“This is the essence of intuitive heuristics: when faced with a difficult question, we often answer an easier one instead, usually without noticing the substitution.”

Daniel Kahneman book Thinking, Fast and Slow

Source: Thinking, Fast and Slow

“What was it to love someone, what was love exactly, and why did it end or not end? Those were the real questions, and who could answer them?”

Patricia Highsmith book The Price of Salt

Source: The Price of Salt

Love

“I often think of death.
True.
Suicide is a reasonable option.
True.
My sins are unpardonable.
I stare at the question.
My sins are unpardonable.
I stare at the question.
My sins are unpardonable.
I leave it blank.”

James Frey book A Million Little Pieces

Source: A Million Little Pieces

Death, Thinking, Suicide

“But there is greater comfort in the substance of silence than in the answer to a question.”

Thomas Merton (1915–1968) Priest and author

Silence

“We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing all-powerful God, who creates faulty Humans, and then blames them for his own mistakes.”

Gene Roddenberry (1921–1991) American television screenwriter and producer

As quoted in Can A Smart Person Believe in God? (2004) by Michael Guillen, Ch. 7 : Hope Springs Eternal, p. 90

God

“Pretend I asked, now answer the question…”

Laurell K. Hamilton (1963) Novelist

“There are no forbidden questions in science, no matters too sensitive or delicate to be probed, no sacred truths.”

Carl Sagan (1934–1996) American astrophysicist, cosmologist, author and science educator

Truth, Science

“Once you've decided that something's absolutely true, you've closed your mind on it, and a closed mind doesn't go anywhere. Question everything. That's what education's all about.”

David Eddings book Belgarath the Sorcerer

Source: Belgarath the Sorcerer

Education

“You didn't answer my question. Are you all right?"

I didn't do anything"

Yeah. You did." He looked at me. "You did a lot"

-Chloe & Derek-”

Kelley Armstrong The Awakening

Source: The Awakening

“Sometimes questions can be more cruel than insults”

Jenny Han book To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Source: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

“She studied my face for a long minute. "Are you going to help my mom?" It was a simple question. But how do you tell a child that things just aren't that simple, that some questions don't have simple answers--or any answer at all?”

Jim Butcher book Storm Front

Source: Storm Front

Moms, Study, Help

“Random Girl after a hookup: "Do you love me"
Tucker: "I don't understand the question.”

Tucker Max I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

The Tucker Max Stories
Source: I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
Context: Tucker: Are you married?
Girl: Yes.
Tucker: How good is the marriage?
Girl: Very good.
Tucker: So there is no chance of us hooking up?
Girl: No.
Tucker: Well, do you have any hot friends who aren't fucking prudes? Hey--where are you going? I was only kidding! I respect the sanctity of the monogamous relationship! WHORE!
Context: Tucker: Do you hate the World Bank?
Girl: Uhh, umm, well, I mean, yeah, I feel that...
Tucker: You don't hate the World Bank.
Girl: I don't?
Tucker: No. You're mad at your father. You just want daddy to hug you more.
Girl: What?
Tucker: You were a sociology major weren't you?
Girl: NO!
Tucker: What was your major?
Girl: [Pauses] Uhhh, English Literature.
Tucker: [Pause--to give her a look of contempt] Did your parents send you a bill for college? How are those Marxist Literary Critique classes working out for you? You work at Barnes and Noble don't you?
Girl: NO--I wor--
Tucker: Shouldn't you be blocking an intersection right now? How many anti-sweatshop petitions have you signed--EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE REEBOKS ON. Very-anti globalization to wear those with your animal tested Clinque make-up made in Nepal. Well, at least you're consistent in your shameless hypocrisy.
Girl: What a fascist piece of shi--
Tucker: You ever wake up in the middle of the night because a couple of cats are clawing each other to death outside your window? That's what it's like listening to you speak.
Girl: [A mishmash of stammered half insults]
Tucker: Seriously--If I stuck my dick in your mouth would that shut you up?
Girl: Wha... YOU ARE SUCH AN ASSHOLE!
Tucker: HEY--Don't blame me for the wound in your crotch. [As I walk off] By the way, you owe us a rib.