Fairies Quote by Charles Kingsley
““In fact, the fairies had turned him into a water-baby. A water-baby? You never heard of a water-baby. Perhaps not. That is the very reason why this story was written. (...) "But there are no such things as water-babies." How do you know that? Have you been there to see? And if you had been there to see, and had seen none, that would not prove that there were none. If Mr. Garth does not find a fox in Eversley Wood—as folks sometimes fear he never will—that does not prove that there are no such things as foxes. And as is Eversley Wood to all the woods in England, so are the waters we know to all the waters in the world. And no one has a right to say that no water-babies exist, till they have seen no water-babies existing; which is quite a different thing, mind, from not seeing water-babies; and a thing which nobody ever did, or perhaps ever will do.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby, Charles Kingsley, 1863
The passage argues that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, urging openness to unknown possibilities.
In simple terms: Not seeing something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
Key Takeaway
Stay curious and question assumptions.
Themes
open‑mindedness
epistemology
imagination
skepticism
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- exploring new ideas
- challenging dogma
- teaching critical thinking
Key Concepts
unknown phenomena
burden of proof
scientific method
Questions to Reflect On
- What assumptions do you accept without evidence?
- How do you balance skepticism and openness?
A Different Perspective
Assumes all unknowns could be real, which may lead to credulity.
