--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When there are rational grounds for an…" description: "\"When there are rational grounds for an opinion, people are content to set them forth and wait for them to operate. In such cases, people do not hold th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/bertrand-russell-69_atheism_when-there-are-rational-grounds-for-an-o_123295.jpg" --- # When there are rational grounds for an opinion, people are… ![“When there are rational grounds for an opinion, people are content to set them forth and wait for them to operate. In such cases, people do not hold their opinions with passion; they hold them calmly, and set forth their reasons quietly. The opinions that are held with passion are always those for…” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/bertrand-russell-69_atheism_when-there-are-rational-grounds-for-an-o_123295.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/bertrand-russell-69_atheism_when-there-are-rational-grounds-for-an-o_123295.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/bertrand-russell-69_atheism_when-there-are-rational-grounds-for-an-o_123295.jpg) > “When there are rational grounds for an opinion, people are content to set them forth and wait for them to operate. In such cases, people do not hold their opinions with passion; they hold them calmly, and set forth their reasons quietly. The opinions that are held with passion are always those for which no good ground exists; indeed the passion is the measure of the holder's lack of rational conviction.” [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When opinions rest on solid reasoning, people present them calmly and wait for their merit to show. Passionate opinions typically lack rational foundation; the intensity of feeling signals a deficit in logical support. **In simple terms:** Calm, reasoned opinions differ from passionate, unsupported ones. Key Takeaway Passion often masks weak reasoning. Themes reason passion critical thinking rationality Mood analytical skeptical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - Debating political issues - Evaluating scientific claims - Making personal decisions Key Concepts epistemology cognitive bias Practical Applications - Practice evidence‑based argumentation - Pause before reacting emotionally Questions to Reflect On - How do you distinguish genuine conviction from emotional impulse? - When might passion be justified despite weak evidence? A Different Perspective Strong emotions can sometimes motivate necessary change despite limited evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [The opinions that are held with passion are always those for which no good ground exists; indeed the passion is the measure of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-opinions-that-are-held-with-passion-are-always-those-for-which-no-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The opinions that are held with passion are always those for which no good ground exists; indeed the passion is the measure of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-opinions-that-are-held-with-passion-are-always-those-for-which-no/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [There may be no good reasons for very many opinions that are held with passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/there-may-be-no-good-reasons-for-very-many-opinions-that-are-held/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It is not to be forgotten that what we call rational grounds for our beliefs are often extremely irrational attempts to justify our instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/it-is-not-to-be-forgotten-that-what-we-call-rational-grounds-for-our/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [What is rational is actual and what is actual is rational. 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They can hold their opinions, but unless their opinion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/because-others-cannot-vibrate-in-your-experience-they-cannot-affect/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [Is it at all surprising that the number of those who hold the opinions of the Church in light esteem should so rapidly increase?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/is-it-at-all-surprising-that-the-number-of-those-who-hold-the/) [John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/) > [I should be very sorry to see the United States holding anyone in confinement on account of any opinion that that person might hold.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/i-should-be-very-sorry-to-see-the-united-states-holding-anyone-in/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [“Do not seek after truth. Merely cease to hold opinions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/do-not-seek-after-truth-merely-cease-to-hold-opinions/) [Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/) ## More by Bertrand Russell > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/that-the-world-is-in-a-bad-shape-is-undeniable-but-there-is-not-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [All movements go too far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/all-movements-go-too-far/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Such, in outline, but even more purposeless, more void of meaning, is the world which Science presents for our belief. 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