--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One believes in what one wants to believe…" description: "\"One believes in what one wants to believe in.\" — Demosthenes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/demosthenes-11463_believe_one-believes-in-what-one-wants-to-believ_1076655.jpg" --- # One believes in what one wants to believe in. ![“One believes in what one wants to believe in.” quote by Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/demosthenes-11463_believe_one-believes-in-what-one-wants-to-believ_1076655.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/demosthenes-11463_believe_one-believes-in-what-one-wants-to-believ_1076655.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/demosthenes-11463_believe_one-believes-in-what-one-wants-to-believ_1076655.jpg) > “One believes in what one wants to believe in.” [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People choose beliefs that align with their desires, not necessarily truth. **In simple terms:** We believe what we want. Key Takeaway Question your own assumptions. Themes psychology philosophy belief Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal decisions - political rhetoric - media consumption - education Key Concepts cognitive bias desire truth-seeking Questions to Reflect On - Why do you cling to certain beliefs? - How can you test them objectively? A Different Perspective Desire can blind objective analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) ## Related quotes > [“The mind fabricates and believes in whatever it wants to conclude is true because of what occurs on the spur of the moment to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-mind-fabricates-and-believes-in-whatever-it-wants-to-conclude-is/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [I've always thought of myself as a woman who works hard, believes in herself, and wants to accomplish as much as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/i-ve-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-woman-who-works-hard-believes-in/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [God wants us to believe Him to be huge, even if we don't know what to believe Him for in a particular situation and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/god-wants-us-to-believe-him-to-be-huge-even-if-we-don-t-know-what-to/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [There's nothing harder to stop than somebody who wants to believe a miracle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-ford/there-s-nothing-harder-to-stop-than-somebody-who-wants-to-believe-a/) [Leslie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-ford/) > [“He wants to believe in the kindness of strangers, the fierce possibilities of hope, the beauty of color.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-hobson/he-wants-to-believe-in-the-kindness-of-strangers-the-fierce/) Brandon Hobson > [“God wants us to believe in something bigger and better than ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-lowery/god-wants-us-to-believe-in-something-bigger-and-better-than-ourselves/) Jessica Lowery > [“And so, let me repeat: who wants to believe - let them believe. But I do not want to believe, I want to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-borun-and-a-trepka/and-so-let-me-repeat-who-wants-to-believe-let-them-believe-but-i-do/) K. Borun and A. Trepka > [God made us the way He wants us to be.Believe it.There could ever be a more beautiful you..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-made-us-the-way-he-wants-us-to-be-believe-it-there-could-ever-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Or maybe she wants to believe that he found her on purpose. Even Janie can have her dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-mcmann/or-maybe-she-wants-to-believe-that-he-found-her-on-purpose-even-janie/) [Lisa McMann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-mcmann/) > [“For the most part, the people are the same. Everyone wants something to believe in. Everyone wants someone to love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/for-the-most-part-the-people-are-the-same-everyone-wants-something-to/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [You need to believe in something that's bigger than yourself. I think that's what everybody wants to believe in that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/you-need-to-believe-in-something-that-s-bigger-than-yourself-i-think/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [“That’s the gist of it. Everyone wants to believe in God, but when He does show up and starts talking to people, everyone calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-f-noble/that-s-the-gist-of-it-everyone-wants-to-believe-in-god-but-when-he/) D.F. Noble > [Every band wants to go believe me, not everybody makes it, but they want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neko-case/every-band-wants-to-go-believe-me-not-everybody-makes-it-but-they/) [Neko Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neko-case/) > [“Iris does not believe the world loves her. She wants to believe it, but she doesn't, she can't. She doesn't know why she can't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/iris-does-not-believe-the-world-loves-her-she-wants-to-believe-it-but/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [As a person who wants to see and believe in the story, I don't think women at age 50 are able to sing young girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristine-opolais/as-a-person-who-wants-to-see-and-believe-in-the-story-i-don-t-think/) [Kristine Opolais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristine-opolais/) ## More by Demosthenes > [As a vessel is known by the sound, whether it be cracked or not; so men are proved, by their speeches, whether they be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/as-a-vessel-is-known-by-the-sound-whether-it-be-cracked-or-not-so-men/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [There is one safeguard known generally to the wise, which is an advantage and security to all, but especially to democracies as against despots.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/there-is-one-safeguard-known-generally-to-the-wise-which-is-an/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [Nothing is so easy as to deceive oneself; for what we wish, we readily believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/nothing-is-so-easy-as-to-deceive-oneself-for-what-we-wish-we-readily/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [You cannot have a proud and chivalrous spirit if your conduct is mean and paltry; for whatever a man's actions are, such must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/you-cannot-have-a-proud-and-chivalrous-spirit-if-your-conduct-is-mean/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [Every advantage in the past is judged in the light of the final issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/every-advantage-in-the-past-is-judged-in-the-light-of-the-final-issue/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [By persistent labor man may attain to all excellence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/by-persistent-labor-man-may-attain-to-all-excellence/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [He who confers a favor should at once forget it, if he is not to show a sordid ungenerous spirit. To remind a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/he-who-confers-a-favor-should-at-once-forget-it-if-he-is-not-to-show/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [Since we are not yet fully comfortable with the idea that people from the next village are as human as ourselves, it is presumptuous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/since-we-are-not-yet-fully-comfortable-with-the-idea-that-people-from/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [“Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each me wishes, that he also believes is true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/nothing-is-easier-than-self-deceit-for-what-each-me-wishes-that-he/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [Success has a great tendency to conceal and throw a veil over the evil deeds of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/success-has-a-great-tendency-to-conceal-and-throw-a-veil-over-the/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [I decline to buy repentance at the cost of ten thousand drachmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/i-decline-to-buy-repentance-at-the-cost-of-ten-thousand-drachmas/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [“Was man wünscht, das glaubt auch jeder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/was-man-w-nscht-das-glaubt-auch-jeder/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [It is impossible for men engaged in low and groveling pursuits to have noble and generous sentiments. A man's thought must always follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/it-is-impossible-for-men-engaged-in-low-and-groveling-pursuits-to/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/close-alliances-with-despots-are-never-safe-for-free-states/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [“I'll betide thee, say I, and may the Gods, or at least the Athenians, confound thee for a vile citizen and a vile third-rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/i-ll-betide-thee-say-i-and-may-the-gods-or-at-least-the-athenians/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) [Explore all 59 Demosthenes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One believes in what one wants to believe in.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Demosthenes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/one-believes-in-what-one-wants-to-believe-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/one-believes-in-what-one-wants-to-believe-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/demosthenes-11463_believe_one-believes-in-what-one-wants-to-believ_1076655.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/demosthenes-11463_believe_one-believes-in-what-one-wants-to-believ_1076655.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/demosthenes-11463_believe_one-believes-in-what-one-wants-to-believ_1076655.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One believes in what one wants to believe in.” — Demosthenes", "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": "Demosthenes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One believes in what one wants...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/one-believes-in-what-one-wants-to-believe-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/one-believes-in-what-one-wants-to-believe-in/#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 } } ] } ```