---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Relaxed Empiricism -- I only believe…"
description: "\"Relaxed Empiricism -- I only believe something to be true if someone I know quite well tells me if happened.\" — Bill Bailey"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/bill-bailey-2171_being-true_relaxed-empiricism-i-only-believe-someth_2788772.png"
---

#  Relaxed Empiricism -- I only believe something to be true…

![“Relaxed Empiricism -- I only believe something to be true if someone I know quite well tells me if happened.” quote by Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/bill-bailey-2171_being-true_relaxed-empiricism-i-only-believe-someth_2788772.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/bill-bailey-2171_being-true_relaxed-empiricism-i-only-believe-someth_2788772.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/bill-bailey-2171_being-true_relaxed-empiricism-i-only-believe-someth_2788772.png)

> “Relaxed Empiricism -- I only believe something to be true if someone I know quite well tells me if happened.”

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

## About This Quote

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

Truth is accepted only from trusted personal testimony, not abstract evidence.

**In simple terms:** Trust people you know.

Key Takeaway

Rely on trusted sources for belief.

Themes

skepticism trust epistemology

Mood

critical reflective

Type

philosophical humorous

When to use this quote

- making decisions
- evaluating claims
- daily conversations

Key Concepts

personal knowledge subjectivity

Questions to Reflect On

- Whose opinion do you trust?
- When is personal testimony insufficient?

A Different Perspective

May ignore reliable data from unknown sources.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Empiricism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empiricism/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't like to just talk about nothing, or less than nothing. If it's something interesting, I'm fine with it, but, 'Hey, Zack, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-greinke/i-don-t-like-to-just-talk-about-nothing-or-less-than-nothing-if-it-s/)

[Zack Greinke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-greinke/)

> [There's a tremendous popular fallacy which holds that significant research can be carried out by trying things. Actually it is easy to show that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/there-s-a-tremendous-popular-fallacy-which-holds-that-significant/)

[Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/)

> [“It is clearly the result, not of carelessness but of matured judgement of our age, which will no longer rest satisfied with the mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/it-is-clearly-the-result-not-of-carelessness-but-of-matured-judgement/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [“A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature; and because firm and unalterable experience has established these laws, the case against a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/a-miracle-is-a-violation-of-the-laws-of-nature-and-because-firm-and/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [“Objectivity is a subjective fantasy implanted in us by an external will seeking to curtail our creativity by limiting our minds to our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/objectivity-is-a-subjective-fantasy-implanted-in-us-by-an-external/)

[Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/)

> [“The educated don't get that way by memorizing facts; they get that way by respecting them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-heehler/the-educated-don-t-get-that-way-by-memorizing-facts-they-get-that-way/)

Tom Heehler

> [Empiricism in the sciences is a method; naturalism in philosophy is a metaphysics; and the latter neither follows from nor underlies the former.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bentley-hart/empiricism-in-the-sciences-is-a-method-naturalism-in-philosophy-is-a/)

[David Bentley Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bentley-hart/)

> [“Such is the strange situation in which modern philosophy finds itself. No former age was ever in such a favourable position with regard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-cassirer/such-is-the-strange-situation-in-which-modern-philosophy-finds-itself/)

[Ernst Cassirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-cassirer/)

> [“The theories of the social sciences do not consist of “laws” in the sense of empirical rules about the behavior of objects definable in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-a-von-hayek/the-theories-of-the-social-sciences-do-not-consist-of-laws-in-the/)

Friedrich A. von Hayek

> [Only he who finds empiricism irksome is driven to method.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/only-he-who-finds-empiricism-irksome-is-driven-to-method/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [“There are two kinds of truth in the world, empirical truth and human truth - empirical truth is all about facts, human truth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/there-are-two-kinds-of-truth-in-the-world-empirical-truth-and-human/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“There is an inexplicable sense of relief in being proven wrong, which perhaps can only be realized by either a scientist or a philosopher.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/there-is-an-inexplicable-sense-of-relief-in-being-proven-wrong-which/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [...mysticism and empiricism go together in opposition to scholasticism...they base themselves on the non-linear world of experience rather than the linear world of letters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/mysticism-and-empiricism-go-together-in-opposition-to-scholasticism/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [“David Hume, in a moment of acute skepticism, felt panicky in the solitude of his study and had to go out and join his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barrett/david-hume-in-a-moment-of-acute-skepticism-felt-panicky-in-the/)

[William Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barrett/)

> [“Empirically, things are poignant, tragic, beautiful, humorous, settled, disturbed, comfortable, annoying, barren, harsh, consoling, splendid, fearful; are such immediately and in their own right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/empirically-things-are-poignant-tragic-beautiful-humorous-settled/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

## More by Bill Bailey

> [I tried to like it. For me, it was like being smacked around the head by a piece of IKEA furniture: it hurts, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/i-tried-to-like-it-for-me-it-was-like-being-smacked-around-the-head/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [Three blind mice walk into a pub. But they are unaware of their surroundings, so to derive humour from it would be exploitative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/three-blind-mice-walk-into-a-pub-but-they-are-unaware-of-their/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [I did a show in this tiny town called Longyearbyen. We went snowmobiling around Svalbard and saw Arctic foxes, snow bunting, polar bear footprints…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/i-did-a-show-in-this-tiny-town-called-longyearbyen-we-went/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [I hate getting ill, it irritates me so I try to stay reasonably healthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/i-hate-getting-ill-it-irritates-me-so-i-try-to-stay-reasonably-healthy/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [Hitler was a vegetarian. Just goes to show, vegetarianism, not always a good thing. Can in some extreme cases lead to genocide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/hitler-was-a-vegetarian-just-goes-to-show-vegetarianism-not-always-a/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [There is something very poignant about plastic bags. These lonely plastic bags that gradually disintegrate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/there-is-something-very-poignant-about-plastic-bags-these-lonely/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [At college, I felt frustrated thinking three years was a long time and I just wanted a job but afterwards I was in employment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/at-college-i-felt-frustrated-thinking-three-years-was-a-long-time-and/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [I am pretty laid-back as a parent, but I do like a lot of activity. So I am constantly suggesting things to do that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/i-am-pretty-laid-back-as-a-parent-but-i-do-like-a-lot-of-activity-so/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [Work hard, save and live within your means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/work-hard-save-and-live-within-your-means/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [There's more evil in the charts than an Al-Qaeda suggestion box.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/there-s-more-evil-in-the-charts-than-an-al-qaeda-suggestion-box/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [I don't think any comic could say there isn't a bit of them that doesn't want to show off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/i-don-t-think-any-comic-could-say-there-isn-t-a-bit-of-them-that/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [Three blokes go into a pub. Something happens. The outcome was hilarious!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/three-blokes-go-into-a-pub-something-happens-the-outcome-was-hilarious/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [You spend a lot more time on your own as an only child. And there's space to allow your imagination to take flight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/you-spend-a-lot-more-time-on-your-own-as-an-only-child-and-there-s/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [Nostalgia: How long's that been around?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/nostalgia-how-long-s-that-been-around/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [My mother was a classic matriarchal figure. She'd sing round the house and always had music on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/my-mother-was-a-classic-matriarchal-figure-she-d-sing-round-the-house/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

[Explore all 182 Bill Bailey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

## More Being true quotes

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/)

[Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/)

> [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/)

[Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/)

> [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Intuitionists think that there are cases in which, say, some identity statement between real numbers is neither true nor false, even though we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-f-heck/intuitionists-think-that-there-are-cases-in-which-say-some-identity/)

[Richard F. Heck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-f-heck/)

> [Don't be pretentious is my first advice to young writers. This is the big problem - just because you're getting an MFA doesn't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/don-t-be-pretentious-is-my-first-advice-to-young-writers-this-is-the/)

[Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/)

> [There is no normal. I've never met a normal person. The concept is flawed. It implies that there is only one way people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/there-is-no-normal-i-ve-never-met-a-normal-person-the-concept-is/)

[Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/)

> [I learned a tremendous amount about what was important to me as a head coach in that I was not in charge. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-carroll/i-learned-a-tremendous-amount-about-what-was-important-to-me-as-a/)

[Pete Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-carroll/)

> [Life is all about being true to yourself and what you believe in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-biersack/life-is-all-about-being-true-to-yourself-and-what-you-believe-in/)

[Andy Biersack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-biersack/)

> [I have spent most of my life unlearning things that were proved not to be true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/i-have-spent-most-of-my-life-unlearning-things-that-were-proved-not/)

[R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/)

> [It seemed too good to be true. That's grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judah-smith/it-seemed-too-good-to-be-true-that-s-grace/)

[Judah Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judah-smith/)

> [You create the happiness and the balance that you have, and your own power. This is one thing that I know to be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/you-create-the-happiness-and-the-balance-that-you-have-and-your-own/)

[Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/)

> [Being true to yourself means living in truth with each person in your life. It means refusing to say or do something that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/being-true-to-yourself-means-living-in-truth-with-each-person-in-your/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [It is not the responsibility of the enlightened teacher to bring the student to enlightenment. That may be true in the classroom, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-is-not-the-responsibility-of-the-enlightened-teacher-to-bring-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

Browse all 1,447 Being true quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Relaxed Empiricism -- I only believe something to be true if someone I know quite well tells me if happened.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bill Bailey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/relaxed-empiricism-i-only-believe-something-to-be-true-if-someone-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Being true"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/relaxed-empiricism-i-only-believe-something-to-be-true-if-someone-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/bill-bailey-2171_being-true_relaxed-empiricism-i-only-believe-someth_2788772.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/bill-bailey-2171_being-true_relaxed-empiricism-i-only-believe-someth_2788772.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/bill-bailey-2171_being-true_relaxed-empiricism-i-only-believe-someth_2788772.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Relaxed Empiricism -- I only believe something to be true if someone I know quite well tells me if happened.” — Bill Bailey",
                "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": "Bill Bailey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Relaxed Empiricism -- I only believe...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/relaxed-empiricism-i-only-believe-something-to-be-true-if-someone-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/relaxed-empiricism-i-only-believe-something-to-be-true-if-someone-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
