---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Rationalist case needs no straining…"
description: "\"The Rationalist case needs no straining of evidence and always gains by the severest self-criticism.\" — Joseph McCabe"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/joseph-mccabe-26676_cases_the-rationalist-case-needs-no-straining_2287218.png"
---

#  The Rationalist case needs no straining of evidence and…

![“The Rationalist case needs no straining of evidence and always gains by the severest self-criticism.” quote by Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/joseph-mccabe-26676_cases_the-rationalist-case-needs-no-straining_2287218.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/joseph-mccabe-26676_cases_the-rationalist-case-needs-no-straining_2287218.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/joseph-mccabe-26676_cases_the-rationalist-case-needs-no-straining_2287218.png)

> “The Rationalist case needs no straining of evidence and always gains by the severest self-criticism.”

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

## About This Quote

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

Rationalism thrives on rigorous self‑criticism and solid evidence, avoiding strained arguments.

**In simple terms:** Rationalism needs strong evidence and self‑critique.

Key Takeaway

Embrace critical self‑examination.

Themes

rationalism evidence criticism philosophy

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

- academic research
- debate
- policy making
- personal decision making

Key Concepts

skepticism logic intellectual honesty

Questions to Reflect On

- When does self‑criticism become counterproductive?
- How balance evidence with openness?

A Different Perspective

Over‑emphasis on critique can stall progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Rationalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rationalist/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-criticism/)

## Related quotes

> [“{ McCabe on the influential scientist Luther Burbank } His magnificent work, which added an incalculable sum to the wealth of America and left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/mccabe-on-the-influential-scientist-luther-burbank-his-magnificent/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [A coldly rationalist individualist can deny that he has any obligation to make sacrifices for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-hardin/a-coldly-rationalist-individualist-can-deny-that-he-has-any/)

[Garrett Hardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-hardin/)

> [As Obama prepares to begin the last year of his presidency, he stands in an unusual position on the national stage: He is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/as-obama-prepares-to-begin-the-last-year-of-his-presidency-he-stands/)

[David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/)

> [Even those who identify themselves as libertarians follow an overtly anti-rationalist philosophy, as even a brief acquaintance with the work of Friedrich Hayek should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-e-agre/even-those-who-identify-themselves-as-libertarians-follow-an-overtly/)

[Philip E. Agre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-e-agre/)

> [“(5) The training establishment may try to ignore short bouts of empirical experience to preserve its ‘rationalist’ authority.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-andrew-hugh-gordon/5-the-training-establishment-may-try-to-ignore-short-bouts-of/)

[Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-andrew-hugh-gordon/)

> [“I am a rationalist, and I don't believe in genies, or sudden personality changes. I wanted David's anger to vanish only after years and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-am-a-rationalist-and-i-don-t-believe-in-genies-or-sudden/)

[Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/)

> [Part of the rationalist ethos is binding yourself emotionally to an absolutely lawful reductionistic universe - a universe containing no ontologically basic mental things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/part-of-the-rationalist-ethos-is-binding-yourself-emotionally-to-an/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“And nothing . . . disquiets a rationalist more than a forest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pogue-harrison/and-nothing-disquiets-a-rationalist-more-than-a-forest/)

[Robert Pogue Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pogue-harrison/)

> [“If I have to take police protection in my own country from my own people, then there is something wrong with me, I'm fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-dabholkar/if-i-have-to-take-police-protection-in-my-own-country-from-my-own/)

Narendra Dabholkar

> [“The romantic seeks only to get his head into the heavens. The rationalist seeks to get the heavens into his head – and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-romantic-seeks-only-to-get-his-head-into-the-heavens-the/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [I was born into a working class Irish Catholic family at the brutal bottom of the Great Depression. I suppose this early imprinting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-was-born-into-a-working-class-irish-catholic-family-at-the-brutal/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [“Some of them are blinding glimpses of the obvious (BGOs), several overlap, and I make no claims of discovery. The fundamental proposition – and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-andrew-hugh-gordon/some-of-them-are-blinding-glimpses-of-the-obvious-bgos-several/)

[Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-andrew-hugh-gordon/)

> [ “They \[progressives\] are men and women who tend to believe that the human being is perfectible and social progress predictable, and that the instrument… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-progressives-are-men-and-women-who-tend-to-believe-that-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm a rationalist and a skeptic, someone who safely separates faith from reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/i-m-a-rationalist-and-a-skeptic-someone-who-safely-separates-faith/)

[Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/)

> [Ideas are 10 a penny. It's the execution that's the hard thing to do. House is standing up against a tide of sentiment and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/ideas-are-10-a-penny-it-s-the-execution-that-s-the-hard-thing-to-do/)

[Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/)

## More by Joseph McCabe

> [An idea or institution may arise for one reason and be maintained for quite a different reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/an-idea-or-institution-may-arise-for-one-reason-and-be-maintained-for/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [“In his numerous historical and Scriptural works Bauer rejects all supernatural religion, and represents Christianity as a natural product of the mingling of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/in-his-numerous-historical-and-scriptural-works-bauer-rejects-all/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [Evolution throws a wonderful light on all the struggles, eccentricities, tortuous developments of the human conscience in the past. It is the only theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/evolution-throws-a-wonderful-light-on-all-the-struggles/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [The Papacy was corrupt for whole centuries: especially from about 880 to 1050 and (with a short decent pontificate at rare intervals) 1290 to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/the-papacy-was-corrupt-for-whole-centuries-especially-from-about-880/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [If, it was natural to reason, God punishes men with eternal torment, it is surely lawful for men to use doses of it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/if-it-was-natural-to-reason-god-punishes-men-with-eternal-torment-it/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [Not material or economic conditions in the ordinary sense, but perverse religious ideas explain the suspension of civilization in Europe from the 5th to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/not-material-or-economic-conditions-in-the-ordinary-sense-but/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [Today we know not only that there is a terrible amount of disorder in the heavens - great catastrophes or conflagrations occur frequently -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/today-we-know-not-only-that-there-is-a-terrible-amount-of-disorder-in/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [I took a sheet of paper, divided it into debt and credit columns on the arguments for and against God and immortality. On Christmas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/i-took-a-sheet-of-paper-divided-it-into-debt-and-credit-columns-on/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [The sentiments attributed to Christ are in the Old Testament. They were familiar in the Jewish schools and to all the Pharisees, long before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/the-sentiments-attributed-to-christ-are-in-the-old-testament-they/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [“{ McCabe on the influential scientist Luther Burbank } His magnificent work, which added an incalculable sum to the wealth of America and left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/mccabe-on-the-influential-scientist-luther-burbank-his-magnificent/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [“The absence of theistic belief... { Defining the word 'atheism' }”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/the-absence-of-theistic-belief-defining-the-word-atheism/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [No pope ever condemned slavery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/no-pope-ever-condemned-slavery/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [The absence of theistic belief...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/the-absence-of-theistic-belief/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [The making of an Atheist implies a mental stimulation and training which brings into play the primary factors of social progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/the-making-of-an-atheist-implies-a-mental-stimulation-and-training/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

> [If a single one of these gentlemen is correct, if a believer of any type is right, the essential truth for man, the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/if-a-single-one-of-these-gentlemen-is-correct-if-a-believer-of-any/)

[Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

[Explore all 21 Joseph McCabe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/)

## More Cases quotes

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/)

[Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/)

[Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/)

> [I think we've all had enough of Coltrane saxophonists. There's a case of someone ruining a generation of saxophonists, as Louis Armstrong may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/i-think-we-ve-all-had-enough-of-coltrane-saxophonists-there-s-a-case/)

[Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/)

> [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [If you followed the media you'd think that everybody in Africa was starving to death, and that's not the case; so it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/if-you-followed-the-media-you-d-think-that-everybody-in-africa-was/)

[Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/)

> [ \[As in the case of\] alcohol prohibition, illegality has driven organized crime, sent countless people to jail, and killed many thousands. Repression does not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/as-in-the-case-of-alcohol-prohibition-illegality-has-driven-organized/)

[Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/)

> [He emphasised basic truths: you are not dying yet, you have to live your life until you are. Underpinning them was the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/he-emphasised-basic-truths-you-are-not-dying-yet-you-have-to-live/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/)

[Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/)

> [Each Act of Parliament intended to address harassment and discrimination has faced objections on the basis of 'you'll never be able to prove...' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/each-act-of-parliament-intended-to-address-harassment-and/)

[Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/)

> [The Cheney team had, for example, technological supremacy over the National Security Council staff. That is to say, they could read their e-mails. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wilkerson/the-cheney-team-had-for-example-technological-supremacy-over-the/)

[Lawrence Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wilkerson/)

> [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

Browse all 6,420 Cases quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Rationalist case needs no straining of evidence and always gains by the severest self-criticism.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joseph McCabe"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/the-rationalist-case-needs-no-straining-of-evidence-and-always-gains/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cases"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/the-rationalist-case-needs-no-straining-of-evidence-and-always-gains/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/joseph-mccabe-26676_cases_the-rationalist-case-needs-no-straining_2287218.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/joseph-mccabe-26676_cases_the-rationalist-case-needs-no-straining_2287218.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/joseph-mccabe-26676_cases_the-rationalist-case-needs-no-straining_2287218.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Rationalist case needs no straining of evidence and always gains by the severest self-criticism.” — Joseph McCabe",
                "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": "Joseph McCabe",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Rationalist case needs no straining...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/the-rationalist-case-needs-no-straining-of-evidence-and-always-gains/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/the-rationalist-case-needs-no-straining-of-evidence-and-always-gains/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
