--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [W]hen men have realized that time has…" description: "\"[W]hen men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe . . . that the best test of truth is the power of the thoug..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/justice-holmes-251321_investing_w-hen-men-have-realized-that-time-has-up_1187787.jpg" --- # \[W\]hen men have realized that time has upset many fighting… ![“[W]hen men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe . . . that the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, and that truth is the only ground upon which their wishes safely can be carried out.” quote by Justice Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/justice-holmes-251321_investing_w-hen-men-have-realized-that-time-has-up_1187787.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/justice-holmes-251321_investing_w-hen-men-have-realized-that-time-has-up_1187787.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/justice-holmes-251321_investing_w-hen-men-have-realized-that-time-has-up_1187787.jpg) > “\[W\]hen men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe . . . that the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, and that truth is the only ground upon which their wishes safely can be carried out.” Justice Holmes ## 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 tested by market acceptance; the best test is whether an idea can survive competition. **In simple terms:** Truth succeeds if it wins market competition. Key Takeaway Test ideas in real-world contexts. Themes law economics philosophy truth market dynamics Mood critical thoughtful pragmatic Type Investing:0 Religion:0 Time:0 Truth:1 Believe Best:0 Test Truth:1 Fighting Faiths:0 Faiths Come:0 Market Truth:1 When to use this quote - policy making - business strategy - public discourse Key Concepts competition public opinion belief systems truth validation Questions to Reflect On - How does profit influence truth? - Can unpopular ideas be true? A Different Perspective Market forces may not reflect moral truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [But when men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe...that the best test of truth is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/but-when-men-have-realized-that-time-has-upset-many-fighting-faiths/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [When men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe... that the ultimate good desired is better reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes/when-men-have-realized-that-time-has-upset-many-fighting-faiths-they/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes/) > [One God, one market, one truth, one consumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-de-la-rocha/one-god-one-market-one-truth-one-consumer/) [Zack de la Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-de-la-rocha/) > [The test of truth in life is not whether we can remember what we learned in school, but whether we are prepared for change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-schleicher/the-test-of-truth-in-life-is-not-whether-we-can-remember-what-we/) [Andreas Schleicher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-schleicher/) > [Our test of truth is a reference to either a present or imagined future majority in favour of our view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/our-test-of-truth-is-a-reference-to-either-a-present-or-imagined/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Sincerity is not a test of truth. We must not make this mistake: He must be right; he's so sincere. Because, it is possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/sincerity-is-not-a-test-of-truth-we-must-not-make-this-mistake-he/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [It is said that ridicule is the test of truth: it is never applied, but when we wish to deceive ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/it-is-said-that-ridicule-is-the-test-of-truth-it-is-never-applied-but/) [Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/) > [A tribulation gives you the opportunity to test a truth you have always believed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hyles/a-tribulation-gives-you-the-opportunity-to-test-a-truth-you-have/) [Jack Hyles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hyles/) > [Reason is the test of ridicule, not ridicule the test of truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-warburton/reason-is-the-test-of-ridicule-not-ridicule-the-test-of-truth/) [William Warburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-warburton/) > [It is said that ridicule is the test of truth; but it is never applied except when we wish to deceive ourselves - when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/it-is-said-that-ridicule-is-the-test-of-truth-but-it-is-never-applied/) [Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/) > [Sincerity is not test of truth-no evidence of correctness of conduct. You may take poison sincerely believing it the needed medicine, but will it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/sincerity-is-not-test-of-truth-no-evidence-of-correctness-of-conduct/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [Ridicule is the best test of truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/ridicule-is-the-best-test-of-truth/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [“That which is true must be infinite and eternal. That is the one test of truth. It never decays, it is always the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/that-which-is-true-must-be-infinite-and-eternal-that-is-the-one-test/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [It is commonly said that ridicule is the best test of truth; for that it will not stick where it is not just. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/it-is-commonly-said-that-ridicule-is-the-best-test-of-truth-for-that/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [The final test of truth is ridicule. Very few dogmas have ever faced it and survived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-final-test-of-truth-is-ridicule-very-few-dogmas-have-ever-faced/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) ## More Investing quotes > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/) Michael Fishman > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“The market was king, that much was clear. Share worth had replaced human worth. And it wasn’t so much a question of what that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-dahl/the-market-was-king-that-much-was-clear-share-worth-had-replaced/) [Arne Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-dahl/) > [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [The exact details of how you practice value investing will vary investor to investor, but the fundamental principle of scouring the world, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/the-exact-details-of-how-you-practice-value-investing-will-vary/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [“Wed don't need to live like the elites of California, New York, or Washington, D.C. We don't need to work a hundred hours a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/wed-don-t-need-to-live-like-the-elites-of-california-new-york-or/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [Television series are like the stock market. There's room for bears and bulls but no room for pigs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-newhart/television-series-are-like-the-stock-market-there-s-room-for-bears/) [Bob Newhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-newhart/) > [That's one of the things about the NFL is that you have small-market teams, big-market teams. I feel like the bigger market teams do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kelce/that-s-one-of-the-things-about-the-nfl-is-that-you-have-small-market/) [Travis Kelce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kelce/) > [In China, people are moving from bigger cars to small hatches, and interestingly, the Indian market is graduating to bigger cars and sedans. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winfried-vahland/in-china-people-are-moving-from-bigger-cars-to-small-hatches-and/) [Winfried Vahland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winfried-vahland/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [“a select group of high-performing companies have managed to close the strategy-to-performance gap through better planning and execution. These companies—Barclays, Cisco Systems, Dow Chemical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mankins/a-select-group-of-high-performing-companies-have-managed-to-close-the/) [Michael C. Mankins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mankins/) > [I'll invest my money in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-keith-kellogg/i-ll-invest-my-money-in-people/) [Will Keith Kellogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-keith-kellogg/) [Browse all 13,164 Investing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[W]hen men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe . . . that the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, and that truth is the only ground upon which their wishes safely can be carried out.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Justice Holmes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justice-holmes/w-hen-men-have-realized-that-time-has-upset-many-fighting-faiths-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Investing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justice-holmes/w-hen-men-have-realized-that-time-has-upset-many-fighting-faiths-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/justice-holmes-251321_investing_w-hen-men-have-realized-that-time-has-up_1187787.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/justice-holmes-251321_investing_w-hen-men-have-realized-that-time-has-up_1187787.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/justice-holmes-251321_investing_w-hen-men-have-realized-that-time-has-up_1187787.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[W]hen men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe . . . that the…” — Justice Holmes", "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": "Justice Holmes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justice-holmes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "[W]hen men have realized that time...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justice-holmes/w-hen-men-have-realized-that-time-has-upset-many-fighting-faiths-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justice-holmes/w-hen-men-have-realized-that-time-has-upset-many-fighting-faiths-they/#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 } } ] } ```