Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.
Seneca The YoungerRead
Every man prefers belief to the exercise of judgment.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People often choose to believe in ideas rather than critically evaluate them.
This quote by Seneca highlights a common human tendency to favor belief over rational judgment. It suggests that individuals may find comfort in accepting ideas without scrutiny, as exercising judgment can lead to discomfort or the need to confront difficult truths. Ultimately, it emphasizes the importance of critical thinking in overcoming biases and making informed decisions.
Themes
BeliefJudgmentWisdomCritical ThinkingTruth
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about ethics, you might quote Seneca to emphasize the need for critical thinking over blind belief.
More from Seneca The Younger
All quotes βNo tree becomes rooted and sturdy unless many a wind assails it. For by its very tossing it tightens its grip and plants its roots more securely; the fragile trees are those that have grown in a sunny valley.
Seneca The YoungerRead
Slavery takes hold of few, but many take hold of slavery.
Seneca The YoungerRead
To be able to endure odium is the first art to be learned by those who aspire to power.
Seneca The YoungerRead
Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.
Seneca The YoungerRead
Loyalty is the holiest good in the human heart.
Seneca The YoungerRead
Similar quotes
Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.
George EliotRead
I am anxious to give away information, for it is only by giving it away that you can keep it. When you have told it, you remember it. It is with information as it is with liberty, the only way to be dead sure of it is to give it to other people.
Robert Green IngersollRead
A person who can laugh and go with life does not demand to be in control, which is why the most controlling people may be sarcastic but lack an authentic sense of humor.
Richard RohrRead
Sometimes ideas just come to me. Other times I have to sweat and almost bleed to make ideas come. It's a mysterious process, but I hope I never find out exactly how it works.
J. K. RowlingRead
In normal life we hardly realize how much more we receive than we give, and life cannot be rich without such gratitude. It is so easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements compared with what we owe to the help of others.
Dietrich BonhoefferRead
There is only one you. God wanted you to be you. Don't you dare change just because you're outnumbered!
Charles R. SwindollRead