“The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses.”

Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Francis Bacon 295
English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, and auth… 1561–1626

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“The general root of superstition : namely, that men observe when things hit, and not when they miss; and commit to memory the one, and forget and pass over the other.”

Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, and author

Sylva Sylvarum Century X (1627)
Source: The Collected Works of Sir Francis Bacon
Context: It is true that may hold in these things, which is the general root of superstition; namely, that men observe when things hit, and not when they miss; and commit to memory the one, and forget and pass over the other.

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Unsourced variants:
Just one.Whenever I hit a home run, I make certain I touch all four bases.
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