There are two ways to slide easily through life: Namely…
““There are two ways to slide easily through life: Namely, to believe everything, or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking. The majority take the line of least resistance, preferring to have their thinking done for them; they accept ready-made individual, private doctrines as their own and follow them more or less blindly. Every generation looks upon its own creeds as true and permanent and has a mingled smile of pity and contempt for the prejudices of the past. For two hundred or more generations of our historical past this attitude has been repeated two hundred or more times, and unless we are very careful our children will have the same attitude toward us.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Blind acceptance or total doubt both avoid critical thinking, leading to unexamined beliefs.
In simple terms: Neither extreme thinking.
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- philosophy
- epistemology
- cognitive bias
Key Concepts
thinking
critical
skepticism
Practical Applications
- education
- media consumption
- political discourse
- family upbringing
Questions to Reflect On
- What beliefs do you accept without question?
- How can balanced skepticism be practiced?
A Different Perspective
Over‑simplifies complex cognition.