It is wrong for a man to say that he is certain of the objective truth of any proposition unless he can produce evidence which logically justifies that certainty.
Thomas HuxleyRead
The child who has been taught to make an accurate elevation, plan, and section of a pint pot has had an admirable training in accuracy of eye and hand.
Interpretation
Teaching precision in simple tasks cultivates important skills for the future.
This quote emphasizes the value of precise training, suggesting that even small tasks, like accurately drafting a pint pot, can foster significant skills such as attention to detail and coordination. It reflects on the importance of foundational education in developing a child's capabilities and precision in various aspects of life.
In practice
In a speech about educational methods, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of foundational skills in children's learning.
It is wrong for a man to say that he is certain of the objective truth of any proposition unless he can produce evidence which logically justifies that certainty.
Let us have "sweet girl graduates" by all means. They will be none the less sweet for a little wisdom; and the "golden hair" will not curl less gracefully outside the head by reason of there being brains within.
The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of childhood into maturity.
It is the first duty of a hypothesis to be intelligible.
Of the few innocent pleasures left to men past middle life, the jamming of common sense down the throats of fools is perhaps the keenest.
The scientific spirit is of more value than its products, and irrationally held truths may be more harmful than reasoned errors.
It hardly matters why a library is destroyed: every banning, curtailment, shredding, plunder or loot gives rise (at least as a ghostly presence) to a louder, clearer, more durable library of the banned, looted, plundered, shredded or curtailed.
We gave you a perfectly good language and you f***ed up.
When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.
Perhaps a modern society can remain stable only by eliminating adolescence, by giving its young, from the age of ten, the skills, responsibilities, and rewards of grownups, and opportunities for action in all spheres of life. Adolescence should be a time of useful action, while book learning and scholarship should be a preoccupation of adults.
Adult helplessness destroys children. Or it forces them to become tiny adults of their own.
I knew I would read all kinds of books and try to get at what it is that makes good writers good. But I made no promises that I would write books a lot of people would like to read.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.