“One can only believe entirely, perhaps, in what one cannot see.”

—  Virginia Woolf, book Orlando: A Biography

Ch. 4
Source: Something, perhaps, we must believe in, and as Orlando, we have said, had no belief in the usual divinities she bestowed her credulity upon great men — yet with a distinction. Admirals, soldiers, statesmen, moved her not at all. But the very thought of a great writer stirred her to such a pitch of belief that she almost believed him to be invisible. Her instinct was a sound one. One can only believe entirely, perhaps, in what one cannot see.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Sept. 27, 2023. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "One can only believe entirely, perhaps, in what one cannot see." by Virginia Woolf?
Virginia Woolf photo
Virginia Woolf382
English writer 1882–1941

Related quotes

“This is perhaps one of the most important things I learned during this investigation: We see what we believe, and not just the contrary; and to change what we see, it is sometimes necessary to change what we believe.”

Jeremy Narby (1959) Canadian anthropologist

Source: The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge

Mike Krzyzewski photo

“Two are better than one if two act as one. If you believe that two acting as one are better than one, just imagine what an entire team acting as one can do.”

Mike Krzyzewski (1947) American basketball player and coach

Immanuel Kant photo

“The wish to talk to God is absurd. We cannot talk to one we cannot comprehend — and we cannot comprehend God; we can only believe in Him.”

Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) German philosopher

A lecture at Königsberg (1775), as quoted in A New Dictionary of Quotations on Historical Principles from Ancient and Modern Sources (1946) by H. L. Mencken, p. 955
Context: The wish to talk to God is absurd. We cannot talk to one we cannot comprehend — and we cannot comprehend God; we can only believe in Him. The uses of prayer are thus only subjective.

W. H. Auden photo

“One can only blaspheme if one believes.”

W. H. Auden book Forewords and Afterwords

"Concerning the Unpredictable", p. 472
Forewords and Afterwords (1973)

Marianne Moore photo

“Yes, I believe in prayer, as a mystery which can endow one with more power perhaps than any other spiritual mystery, yet a mystery that cannot be exposited to a point where it is not a mystery.”

Marianne Moore (1887–1972) American poet and writer

I Believe in Prayer - - How Prayer helps me The Dial Press 1955
Prose

Ronnie James Dio photo

“If there isn't light when no one sees
Than how can I know what you might believe?…”

Ronnie James Dio (1942–2010) American singer

"The Sign of the Southern Cross" on Mob Rules (1981)
Lyrics

Fyodor Tyutchev photo

“Russia cannot be understood with the mind alone,
No ordinary yardstick can span her greatness:
She stands alone, unique –
In Russia, one can only believe.”

Fyodor Tyutchev (1803–1873) Russian poet

Russia cannot be understood with the mind alone...

Edgar Allan Poe photo

“Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.”

Edgar Allan Poe book The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether

"The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" (1845)

Byron Katie photo

“You can only see what you believe—nothing else is possible.”

Byron Katie (1942) American spiritual writer

Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life (2002)

Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel photo

“One can only become a philosopher, but not be one. As one believes he is a philosopher, he stops being one.”

Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel (1772–1829) German poet, critic and scholar

“Selected Aphorisms from the Athenaeum (1798)”, Dialogue on Poetry and Literary Aphorisms, Ernst Behler and Roman Struc, trans. (Pennsylvania University Press:1968) #54
Athenäum (1798 - 1800)

Related topics