“There is an instinct that leads a listener to be very sparing of credence when a fact is communicated”
"That what Everybody Says must be True".
Sketches from Life (1846)
Context: There is an instinct that leads a listener to be very sparing of credence when a fact is communicated; it doesn't ring well in his ears—it has too much or too little gloss; he receives it with a shrug, and passes it on with a huge notch in it to show how justly it is entitled to suspicion; he is not to be imposed upon by a piece of truth. But give him a fable fresh from the mint of the Mendacity Society—an on dit of the first water—and he will not only make affidavit of its truth, but will call any man out who ventures to dispute its authenticity.
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Samuel Laman Blanchard 40
British author and journalist 1804–1845Related quotes
“Instinct leads, intelligence does but follow.”
Statement of 1902 quoted in The William James Reader (2007), Vol I, p. 264
1900s
“Communication leads to community”
that is, to understanding, intimacy, and the mutual valuing that was previously lacking.
Community can be defined simply as a group in which free conversation can take place. Community is where I can share my innermost thoughts, bring out the depths of my own feelings, and know they will be understood.
Source: Power and Innocence (1972), Ch. 12 : Toward New Community
Carl Rogers, and Fritz Roethlisberger. "Barriers and gateways to communication." Harvard Business Review, 1952.
Carl Rogers, and Fritz Roethlisberger. "Barriers and gateways to communication." Harvard Business Review, 1952.
Source: A History of Western Philosophy
Source: 1910s, Our Knowledge of the External World (1914), p. 21