One of the little-celebrated powers of Presidents (and other high government officials) is to listen to their critics with just enough sympathy to ensure their silence.
John Kenneth GalbraithRead
It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense than to put out on the troubled seas of thought.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Believing in something absurd can be more comforting than confronting difficult truths.
This quote suggests that having a solid, albeit nonsensical, belief can provide stability in times of uncertainty. It highlights the struggle between the comfort of ignorance and the challenges that come with searching for deeper understanding, implying that sometimes it may be easier to cling to comforting illusions rather than face the complexity of reality.
Themes
BeliefComfortNonsenseThoughtWisdomReality
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of critical thinking in education, you might use this quote to illustrate the comfort some find in unexamined beliefs.
More from John Kenneth Galbraith
All quotes βIf all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
John Kenneth GalbraithRead
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
John Kenneth GalbraithRead
All successful revolutions are the kicking in of a rotten door.
John Kenneth GalbraithRead
Money differs from an automobile or mistress in being equally important to those who have it and those who do not.
John Kenneth GalbraithRead
People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage.
John Kenneth GalbraithRead
Similar quotes
The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.
LaoziRead
I tell you, hopeless grief is passionless.
Elizabeth Barrett BrowningRead
Look at the word responsibility-"response-ability"-the ability to choose your response. Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling.
Stephen CoveyRead
Combinatory play seems to be the essential feature in productive thought.
Albert EinsteinRead
Order - Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
Benjamin FranklinRead
It is very important to know who you are. To make decisions. To show who you are.
Malala YousafzaiRead