---
title: "1 Speaking Truth Quotes By William Kingdon Clifford"
description: "1 Speaking Truth quotes by William Kingdon Clifford. Plus more from William Kingdon Clifford and more Speaking Truth sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_believe_namely-we-have-no-right-to-believe-a-thi_2320228.jpg"
---

> [Namely, we have no right to believe a thing true because everybody says so unless there are good grounds for believing that some one person at least has the means of knowing what is true, and is speaking the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/namely-we-have-no-right-to-believe-a-thing-true-because-everybody/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_believe_namely-we-have-no-right-to-believe-a-thi_2320228.jpg)

## More by William Kingdon Clifford

> [The rule which should guide us in such cases is simple and obvious enough: that the aggregate testimony of our neighbours is subject to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/the-rule-which-should-guide-us-in-such-cases-is-simple-and-obvious/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [We feel much happier and more secure when we think we know precisely what to do, no matter what happens, then when we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/we-feel-much-happier-and-more-secure-when-we-think-we-know-precisely/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [All our liberties are due to men who, when their conscience has compelled them, have broken the laws of the land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/all-our-liberties-are-due-to-men-who-when-their-conscience-has/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [To consider only one other such witness: the followers of the Buddha have at least as much right to appeal to individual and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-consider-only-one-other-such-witness-the-followers-of-the-buddha/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [No simplicity of mind, no obscurity of station, can escape the universal duty of questioning all that we believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/no-simplicity-of-mind-no-obscurity-of-station-can-escape-the/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [“ Newton supposed that the case of the planet was similar to that of \[a ball spun around on the end of an elastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/newton-supposed-that-the-case-of-the-planet-was-similar-to-that-of-a/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [To sum up: it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-anyone-to-believe/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [He who truly believes that which prompts him to an action has looked upon the action to lust after it, he has committed it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/he-who-truly-believes-that-which-prompts-him-to-an-action-has-looked/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [“ Euclid 's Elements has been for nearly twenty-two centuries the encouragement and guide of that scientific thought which is one thing with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/euclid-s-elements-has-been-for-nearly-twenty-two-centuries-the/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [We may always depend on it that algebra, which cannot be translated into good English and sound common sense, is bad algebra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/we-may-always-depend-on-it-that-algebra-which-cannot-be-translated/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [There is one thing in the world more wicked than the desire to command, and that is the will to obey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/there-is-one-thing-in-the-world-more-wicked-than-the-desire-to/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [To know all about anything is to know how to deal with it under all circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-know-all-about-anything-is-to-know-how-to-deal-with-it-under-all/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [Thought is powerless, except it make something outside of itself: the thought which conquers the world is not contemplative but active.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/thought-is-powerless-except-it-make-something-outside-of-itself-the/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [In like manner, if I let myself believe anything on insufficient evidence, there may be no great harm done by the mere belief; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/in-like-manner-if-i-let-myself-believe-anything-on-insufficient/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [“In like manner, if I let myself believe anything on insufficient evidence, there may be no great harm done by the mere belief; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/in-like-manner-if-i-let-myself-believe-anything-on-insufficient-2/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaking-truth/william-kingdon-clifford/#itemlist",
            "name": "1 Speaking Truth Quotes By William Kingdon Clifford",
            "numberOfItems": 1,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Namely, we have no right to believe a thing true because everybody says so unless there are good grounds for believing that some one person at least has the means of knowing what is true, and is speaking the truth so far as he knows it.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "William Kingdon Clifford"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/namely-we-have-no-right-to-believe-a-thing-true-because-everybody/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_believe_namely-we-have-no-right-to-believe-a-thi_2320228.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_believe_namely-we-have-no-right-to-believe-a-thi_2320228.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_believe_namely-we-have-no-right-to-believe-a-thi_2320228.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Namely, we have no right to believe a thing true because everybody says so unless there are good grounds for…” — William Kingdon Clifford",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaking-truth/william-kingdon-clifford/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaking-truth/william-kingdon-clifford/",
            "name": "Speaking Truth Quotes by William Kingdon Clifford",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaking-truth/william-kingdon-clifford/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_believe_namely-we-have-no-right-to-believe-a-thi_2320228.jpg"
            },
            "description": "1 Speaking Truth quotes by William Kingdon Clifford. Plus more from William Kingdon Clifford and more Speaking Truth sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaking-truth/william-kingdon-clifford/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaking-truth/william-kingdon-clifford/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Speaking Truth",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaking-truth/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "William Kingdon Clifford",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaking-truth/william-kingdon-clifford/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```