--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Suppose an individual believes something…" description: "\"“Suppose an individual believes something with his whole heart; suppose further that he has taken irrevocable actions because of it. Finally suppose he..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/brooke-gladstone-35813_belief_suppose-an-individual-believes-something_2406757.jpg" --- # Suppose an individual believes something with his whole… ![“Suppose an individual believes something with his whole heart; suppose further that he has taken irrevocable actions because of it. Finally suppose he is presented with evidence, unequivocal and undeniable evidence that his belief is wrong. What will happen? The individual will frequently emerge…” quote by Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/brooke-gladstone-35813_belief_suppose-an-individual-believes-something_2406757.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/brooke-gladstone-35813_belief_suppose-an-individual-believes-something_2406757.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/brooke-gladstone-35813_belief_suppose-an-individual-believes-something_2406757.jpg) > ““Suppose an individual believes something with his whole heart; suppose further that he has taken irrevocable actions because of it. Finally suppose he is presented with evidence, unequivocal and undeniable evidence that his belief is wrong. What will happen? The individual will frequently emerge not only unshaken but even more convinced of the truth of his beliefs than ever before. Indeed he may even show a new fervor for converting other people to his view.”” [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often double‑down on false beliefs when confronted with contrary evidence, becoming more fervent evangelists. **In simple terms:** Evidence against a belief can make people cling tighter and spread it. Key Takeaway Beware of the backfire effect when presenting contradictory facts. Themes belief persistence confirmation bias backfire effect radicalization social influence Mood cautious inquisitive analytical Type psychological educational When to use this quote - political debates - religious conversion - scientific misinformation - personal convictions Key Concepts cognitive psychology belief formation social persuasion Questions to Reflect On - Why do people cling to false beliefs? - How can we effectively challenge entrenched views? A Different Perspective Strong convictions can resist even undeniable proof. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) ## Related quotes > [The evidence is unequivocal, there's a great deal more luck than skill in people getting very rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-evidence-is-unequivocal-there-s-a-great-deal-more-luck-than-skill/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [I am an atheist because there is no evidence for the existence of God. That should be all that needs to be said about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barker/i-am-an-atheist-because-there-is-no-evidence-for-the-existence-of-god/) [Dan Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barker/) > [In college, in the early 1950s, I began to learn a little about how science works, the secrets of its great success, how rigorous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/in-college-in-the-early-1950s-i-began-to-learn-a-little-about-how/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“An insane person believes his world is consistent. If he believes the government is trying to kill him, he will see ample evidence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/an-insane-person-believes-his-world-is-consistent-if-he-believes-the/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [A mathematician is an individual who believes that prophesying that his dog will die if he deprives it of food constitutes a prediction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gaede/a-mathematician-is-an-individual-who-believes-that-prophesying-that/) [Bill Gaede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gaede/) > [The disturbed individual who believes himself to be Christ, or to receive messages from God, is something of a cliche in our society. Ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-winston/the-disturbed-individual-who-believes-himself-to-be-christ-or-to/) [Robert Winston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-winston/) > [Government is a way by which every individual believes he can live at the expense of everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/government-is-a-way-by-which-every-individual-believes-he-can-live-at/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [“The individual that believes God permits a man to hit a woman or speak to her using abusive language, is void of understanding who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-j-barrier/the-individual-that-believes-god-permits-a-man-to-hit-a-woman-or/) [Ellen J. Barrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-j-barrier/) > [After all, across the population there are slight differences in brain function, and sometimes these translate directly into different ways of experiencing the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/after-all-across-the-population-there-are-slight-differences-in-brain/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [“We believe in the wrong things. That's what frustrates me the most . Not the lack of belief, but the belief in the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/we-believe-in-the-wrong-things-that-s-what-frustrates-me-the-most-not/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [“The whole world is immersed in ‘wrong belief’. Even though ‘belief’ is wrong, one truly believes it is his own, doesn't he? He believes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/the-whole-world-is-immersed-in-wrong-belief-even-though-belief-is/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [I am confident that those who believe in belief are wrong. That is, we no more need to preserve the myth of God in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/i-am-confident-that-those-who-believe-in-belief-are-wrong-that-is-we/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [“The Duke would not pay for the works. He says that the Castle can never be taken. That is called hubris, Giacomo, the belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-peter-grey/the-duke-would-not-pay-for-the-works-he-says-that-the-castle-can/) Christopher Peter Grey > [When people try to use religion to address the natural world, science pushes back on it, and religion has to accommodate the results. Beliefs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-randall/when-people-try-to-use-religion-to-address-the-natural-world-science/) [Lisa Randall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-randall/) > [“Bigotry consists in a man being convinced that another man must be wrong in everything, because he is wrong in a particular belief; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/bigotry-consists-in-a-man-being-convinced-that-another-man-must-be/) [Gilbert Keith Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-keith-chesterton/) ## More by Brooke Gladstone > [“Humans run on emotion, assumption and impulse. We cant function on logic alone. But emotion assumption and impulse also allow us to weave cozy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-gladstone/humans-run-on-emotion-assumption-and-impulse-we-cant-function-on/) [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) > [“Speech itself, inevitable and unrelenting is the wind. It can dance like a zephyr. It can roar or shriek or wail. But it cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-gladstone/speech-itself-inevitable-and-unrelenting-is-the-wind-it-can-dance/) [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) > [“What we're really dealing with is a mirror:  an exalting degrading tedious and transcendent funhouse mirror of America. Media is a plural noun; We're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-gladstone/what-we-re-really-dealing-with-is-a-mirror-an-exalting-degrading/) [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) > [“Citizens may recoil from paying for the news, he noted, because they see it as a natural right. But in the absence of consumer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-gladstone/citizens-may-recoil-from-paying-for-the-news-he-noted-because-they/) [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) > [“What do you think of yourself? What do you think of the world? They are riddles of the Sphinx and in some way or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-gladstone/what-do-you-think-of-yourself-what-do-you-think-of-the-world-they-are/) [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) > [“Objectivity works to repel the attacks of critics, like a kind of ethical pepper spray.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-gladstone/objectivity-works-to-repel-the-attacks-of-critics-like-a-kind-of/) [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) > [“Many focus on what they perceive as a loss of some vital aspect of our humanity. To me, the sessence of being human is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-gladstone/many-focus-on-what-they-perceive-as-a-loss-of-some-vital-aspect-of/) [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) > [“as eminent political theorist Hannah Arendt saw back in 1951: “Would-be totalitarian rulers usually start their careers by boasting of their past crimes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-gladstone/as-eminent-political-theorist-hannah-arendt-saw-back-in-1951-would-be/) [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) > [“Even if each of our realities is unique, our common cultures and environments ensure that we share some fundamental principles. That is what enables…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-gladstone/even-if-each-of-our-realities-is-unique-our-common-cultures-and/) [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) > [“he contrasts two pivotal works of dystopian fiction: George Orwell’s 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. In Orwell’s vision, he notes, we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-gladstone/he-contrasts-two-pivotal-works-of-dystopian-fiction-george-orwell-s/) [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) > [“Worrying about offending people drags us back to the lowest common denominator Our enemies are not the digital bits that dance across our screens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-gladstone/worrying-about-offending-people-drags-us-back-to-the-lowest-common/) [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) > [“The big threat of photoshopification is not that we will believe documents and photos are fake. Its that we'll find it easier to disbelieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-gladstone/the-big-threat-of-photoshopification-is-not-that-we-will-believe/) [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) [Explore all 13 Brooke Gladstone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 10,268 Belief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Suppose an individual believes something with his whole heart; suppose further that he has taken irrevocable actions because of it. Finally suppose he is presented with evidence, unequivocal and undeniable evidence that his belief is wrong. What will happen? 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