---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I should have more faith,\" he said; \"I…"
description: "\"I should have more faith,\" he said; \"I ought to know by this time that when a fact appears opposed to a long train of deductions it invariably proves t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/arthur-conan-doyle-273_capable_i-should-have-more-faith-he-said-i-ought_249215.jpg"
---

#  I should have more faith," he said; "I ought to know by…

![“I should have more faith,&quot; he said; &quot;I ought to know by this time that when a fact appears opposed to a long train of deductions it invariably proves to be capable of bearing some other interpretation.” quote by Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/arthur-conan-doyle-273_capable_i-should-have-more-faith-he-said-i-ought_249215.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/arthur-conan-doyle-273_capable_i-should-have-more-faith-he-said-i-ought_249215.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/arthur-conan-doyle-273_capable_i-should-have-more-faith-he-said-i-ought_249215.jpg)

> “I should have more faith," he said; "I ought to know by this time that when a fact appears opposed to a long train of deductions it invariably proves to be capable of bearing some other interpretation.”

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When evidence contradicts a logical chain, it suggests an alternative explanation exists.

**In simple terms:** Contradictory facts hint at new meanings.

Key Takeaway

Consider alternative interpretations.

Themes

logic deduction uncertainty

Mood

inquisitive thoughtful

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- investigations
- scientific research
- legal analysis
- personal decision making

Key Concepts

epistemology critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- What assumptions are you making?
- How do you test conflicting evidence?

A Different Perspective

Alternative explanations may be less plausible or harder to prove.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Deductions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deductions/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Interpretation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interpretation/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/)

## Related quotes

> [“When a fact appears to be opposed to a long train of deductions, it invariably proves to be capable of bearing some other interpretation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/when-a-fact-appears-to-be-opposed-to-a-long-train-of-deductions-it/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“In the end, if you create something of beauty, not only will it be said that you were here, but that you ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rmdechazal/in-the-end-if-you-create-something-of-beauty-not-only-will-it-be-said/)

Rmdechazal

> [“Susan said. “You ought to not forget that whoever you killed last year, there were people you could have killed and didn’t.” “There’s that,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/susan-said-you-ought-to-not-forget-that-whoever-you-killed-last-year/)

[Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/)

> [Still, it is an error to argue in front of your data. You find yourself insensibly twisting them round to fit your theories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/still-it-is-an-error-to-argue-in-front-of-your-data-you-find-yourself/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-a-capital-mistake-to-theorize-before-you-have-all-the-evidence/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Let me run over the principal steps. We approached the case, you remember, with an absolutely blank mind, which is always an advantage. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/let-me-run-over-the-principal-steps-we-approached-the-case-you/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [There is nothing like first-hand evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/there-is-nothing-like-first-hand-evidence/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“I said that he was my superior in observation and deduction. If the art of the detective began and ended in reasoning from an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/i-said-that-he-was-my-superior-in-observation-and-deduction-if-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Detection is, or ought to be, an exact science, and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/detection-is-or-ought-to-be-an-exact-science-and-should-be-treated-in-2/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [I have already explained to you that what is out of the common is usually a guide rather than a hindrance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/i-have-already-explained-to-you-that-what-is-out-of-the-common-is/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“This is writing. This is printing. This tells us of all the things we ought to know in the world. And also that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/this-is-writing-this-is-printing-this-tells-us-of-all-the-things-we/)

[Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/)

> [“Shrikes were songbirds; he ought to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-meadows/shrikes-were-songbirds-he-ought-to-know/)

[Jodi Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-meadows/)

> [So young a child ought to know which way she's going, even if she doesn't know her own name!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/so-young-a-child-ought-to-know-which-way-she-s-going-even-if-she/)

[Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/)

> [“How little does the earth self know life and its extent! How little, indeed, ought it to know for its own tranquility!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/how-little-does-the-earth-self-know-life-and-its-extent-how-little/)

[H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/)

> [“Think of it... that in your heart there is an answer to all the things and sights of the world, that everything concerns you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/think-of-it-that-in-your-heart-there-is-an-answer-to-all-the-things/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

## More by Arthur Conan Doyle

> [“shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/shattered-the-bone-and-grazed-the-subclavian-artery-i/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [...it was a huge creature, luminous, ghastly, and spectral. I have cross-examined these men, one of them a hard-headed countryman, one a farrier, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-was-a-huge-creature-luminous-ghastly-and-spectral-i-have-cross/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“A study in scarlet, eh? Why shouldn't we use a little art jargon. There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/a-study-in-scarlet-eh-why-shouldn-t-we-use-a-little-art-jargon-there/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/mediocrity-knows-nothing-higher-than-itself-but-talent-instantly/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“Holy men? Holy cabbages! Holy bean-pods! What do they do but live and suck in sustenance and grow fat? If that be holiness, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/holy-men-holy-cabbages-holy-bean-pods-what-do-they-do-but-live-and/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“Wonderful!" I ejaculated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/wonderful-i-ejaculated/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Amberley excelled at chess - a mark, Watson, of a scheming mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/amberley-excelled-at-chess-a-mark-watson-of-a-scheming-mind/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Ex-Professor Moriarty of mathematical celebrity... is the Napoleon of crime, Watson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/ex-professor-moriarty-of-mathematical-celebrity-is-the-napoleon-of/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals. He has the nerve and he has the knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/when-a-doctor-does-go-wrong-he-is-the-first-of-criminals-he-has-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of Nature!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/how-small-we-feel-with-our-petty-ambitions-and-strivings-in-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [You wish to put me in the dark. I tell you that I will never be put in the dark. You wish to beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/you-wish-to-put-me-in-the-dark-i-tell-you-that-i-will-never-be-put-in/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-he-said-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“It is hard luck on a young fellow to have expensive tastes, great expectations, aristocratic connections but no actual money in his pocket, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-hard-luck-on-a-young-fellow-to-have-expensive-tastes-great/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/in-the-year-1878-i-took-my-degree-of-doctor-of-medicine-of-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

[Explore all 740 Arthur Conan Doyle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

## More Capable quotes

> [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/)

[Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/)

> [Everybody is different. Some writers can write reams of great books and then J. D. Salinger wrote just a few. Beethoven wrote nine symphonies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/everybody-is-different-some-writers-can-write-reams-of-great-books/)

[Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/)

> [People are capable of great, great change during the span of one lifetime. And women even more than men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/people-are-capable-of-great-great-change-during-the-span-of-one/)

[Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/)

> [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/)

[Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/)

> [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [But, outside of being a sweet little girl, she was awfully dumb and capable of doing horrible things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/but-outside-of-being-a-sweet-little-girl-she-was-awfully-dumb-and/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [I was terrible student. I was capable, but I never like being told what to do, so I was always in the bottom class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lilley/i-was-terrible-student-i-was-capable-but-i-never-like-being-told-what/)

[Chris Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lilley/)

> [Not everyone is capable of madness; and of those lucky enough to be capable, not many have the courage for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/not-everyone-is-capable-of-madness-and-of-those-lucky-enough-to-be/)

[August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/)

> [ \[The Community's\] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-guerin/the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give-me-confidence-but-i-derive-my/)

[Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-guerin/)

> [The mathematical facts worthy of being studied are those which, by their analogy with other facts, are capable of leading us to the knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/the-mathematical-facts-worthy-of-being-studied-are-those-which-by/)

[Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/)

> [“If you not yet try How to know you can or not?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sopharat/if-you-not-yet-try-how-to-know-you-can-or-not/)

Sopharat

> [I'm attracted to the garden, without a doubt, but I always try and image the wolf that's there, too. And that wolf would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-light/i-m-attracted-to-the-garden-without-a-doubt-but-i-always-try-and/)

[Michael Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-light/)

> [A man, as a man, could arrive at all the dignity that a man was capable of obtaining or receiving; but it needed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor/a-man-as-a-man-could-arrive-at-all-the-dignity-that-a-man-was-capable/)

[John Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor/)

> [Playing is much, much harder than composing in my opinion, becoming a player. If you want to be a player for all your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-powell/playing-is-much-much-harder-than-composing-in-my-opinion-becoming-a/)

[John Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-powell/)

> [How difficult the task to quench the fire and the pride of private ambition, and to sacrifice ourselves and all our hopes and expectations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-adams/how-difficult-the-task-to-quench-the-fire-and-the-pride-of-private/)

[Abigail Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-adams/)

Browse all 3,861 Capable quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I should have more faith,\" he said; \"I ought to know by this time that when a fact appears opposed to a long train of deductions it invariably proves to be capable of bearing some other interpretation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Arthur Conan Doyle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/i-should-have-more-faith-he-said-i-ought-to-know-by-this-time-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Capable"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/i-should-have-more-faith-he-said-i-ought-to-know-by-this-time-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/arthur-conan-doyle-273_capable_i-should-have-more-faith-he-said-i-ought_249215.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/arthur-conan-doyle-273_capable_i-should-have-more-faith-he-said-i-ought_249215.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/arthur-conan-doyle-273_capable_i-should-have-more-faith-he-said-i-ought_249215.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I should have more faith,\" he said; \"I ought to know by this time that when a fact appears opposed to a long…” — Arthur Conan Doyle",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "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": "Arthur Conan Doyle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I should have more faith,\" he...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/i-should-have-more-faith-he-said-i-ought-to-know-by-this-time-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/i-should-have-more-faith-he-said-i-ought-to-know-by-this-time-that/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
