--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As soon as we cease to pry about at…" description: "\"As soon as we cease to pry about at random, we shall come to rely upon accredited bodies of authoritative dogma; and as soon as we come to rely upon ac..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/learned-hand-5343_belief_as-soon-as-we-cease-to-pry-about-at-rand_2811135.jpg" --- # As soon as we cease to pry about at random, we shall come… ![“As soon as we cease to pry about at random, we shall come to rely upon accredited bodies of authoritative dogma; and as soon as we come to rely upon accredited bodies of authoritative dogma, not only are the days of our liberty over, but we have lost the password that has hitherto opened to us the…” quote by Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/learned-hand-5343_belief_as-soon-as-we-cease-to-pry-about-at-rand_2811135.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/learned-hand-5343_belief_as-soon-as-we-cease-to-pry-about-at-rand_2811135.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/learned-hand-5343_belief_as-soon-as-we-cease-to-pry-about-at-rand_2811135.jpg) > “As soon as we cease to pry about at random, we shall come to rely upon accredited bodies of authoritative dogma; and as soon as we come to rely upon accredited bodies of authoritative dogma, not only are the days of our liberty over, but we have lost the password that has hitherto opened to us the gates of success as well.” [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Blind reliance on established authority erodes freedom and blocks success. **In simple terms:** Relying on dogma limits liberty and opportunity. Key Takeaway Question authority, seek independent thought. Themes freedom authority critical thinking Mood skeptical reflective Type philosophical cautionary When to use this quote - legal decisions - academic research - personal growth - policy making - career advancement Key Concepts liberty knowledge success Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions are you accepting without question? - How can you verify the credibility of a source? A Different Perspective Overreliance on expertise can stifle innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [“But touch a solemn truth in collision with a dogma ... and you will soon find you have disturbed a nest, and the hornets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/but-touch-a-solemn-truth-in-collision-with-a-dogma-and-you-will-soon/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [You try every trick in the book to keep her. You write her letters. You quote Neruda. You cancel your Facebook. You give her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-try-every-trick-in-the-book-to-keep-her-you-write-her-letters-you-2/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [I don't believe that employers should have access to an employee's private passwords, including Facebook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-bucshon/i-don-t-believe-that-employers-should-have-access-to-an-employee-s/) Larry Bucshon > [Choosing a hard-to-guess, but easy-to-remember password is important!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/choosing-a-hard-to-guess-but-easy-to-remember-password-is-important/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [“So she tried all the magical passwords she could think of. “Abracadabra. Open sesame. Sim salabim. Alakazam. Hocus pocus. Voilà. Please.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/so-she-tried-all-the-magical-passwords-she-could-think-of-abracadabra/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [My brain's just full of passwords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/my-brain-s-just-full-of-passwords/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [If you want to walk the heavenly streets of gold, you gotta know the password, "Roll, Tide, Roll!"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-bryant/if-you-want-to-walk-the-heavenly-streets-of-gold-you-gotta-know-the/) [Bear Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-bryant/) > [I hide my documents in many different places on my computer, because I often write things that I would never want anybody to read,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/i-hide-my-documents-in-many-different-places-on-my-computer-because-i/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [It seems that 'national security' is the root password to the Constitution. As with any dishonest superuser, the best countermeasure is strong encryption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-karn/it-seems-that-national-security-is-the-root-password-to-the/) Phil Karn > [The password is a flicker of an eyelash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-password-is-a-flicker-of-an-eyelash/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“I don't want him to be in my passwords .. I want him for real !”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-singh/i-don-t-want-him-to-be-in-my-passwords-i-want-him-for-real/) Ritu Singh > [Love is the secret password to every soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-d-williams/love-is-the-secret-password-to-every-soul/) [Anthony D. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-d-williams/) > ['National Security' is the root password to the Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-karn/national-security-is-the-root-password-to-the-constitution/) Phil Karn > [“The dedication of passwords was the new fellowship of marriage. To each other, couples had become furtive asterisks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manu-joseph/the-dedication-of-passwords-was-the-new-fellowship-of-marriage-to/) [Manu Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manu-joseph/) > [When you're unhinged, things make their way out of you that should be kept inside, and other things get in that ought to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-you-re-unhinged-things-make-their-way-out-of-you-that-should-be/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More by Learned Hand > [Conservative political opinion in America cleaves to the tradition of the judge as passive interpreter, believing that his absolute loyalty to authoritative law is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/conservative-political-opinion-in-america-cleaves-to-the-tradition-of/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [When I say that a thing is true, I mean that I cannot help believing it... But...I do not venture to assume that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/when-i-say-that-a-thing-is-true-i-mean-that-i-cannot-help-believing/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > ['I beseech ye . . . , think that ye may be mistaken.' I should like to have that written over the portals of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/i-beseech-ye-think-that-ye-may-be-mistaken-i-should-like-to-have-that/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [If the prosecution of crime is to be conducted with so little regard for that protection which centuries of English law have given to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/if-the-prosecution-of-crime-is-to-be-conducted-with-so-little-regard/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [I beseech ye in the bowels of Christ, think that ye may be mistaken." I should like to have that written over the portals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/i-beseech-ye-in-the-bowels-of-christ-think-that-ye-may-be-mistaken-i/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [What seems fair enough against a squalid huckster of bad liquor may take on a different face, if used by government determined to suppress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/what-seems-fair-enough-against-a-squalid-huckster-of-bad-liquor-may/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [The spirit of liberty is the spirit of him who, near two thousand years ago, taught mankind that lesson it has never learned ... .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/the-spirit-of-liberty-is-the-spirit-of-him-who-near-two-thousand/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [I had rather take my chance that some traitors will escape detection than spread abroad a spirit of general suspicion and distrust, which accepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/i-had-rather-take-my-chance-that-some-traitors-will-escape-detection/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [The successful competitor, having been urged to compete, must not be turned upon when he wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/the-successful-competitor-having-been-urged-to-compete-must-not-be/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [Words are not pebbles in alien juxtaposition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/words-are-not-pebbles-in-alien-juxtaposition/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [It is often hard to secure unanimity about the borders of legislative power, but that is much easier than to decide how far a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/it-is-often-hard-to-secure-unanimity-about-the-borders-of-legislative/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [Each one of us must in the end choose for himself how far he would like to leave our collective fate to the wayward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/each-one-of-us-must-in-the-end-choose-for-himself-how-far-he-would/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [It lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it. While it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/it-lies-in-the-hearts-of-men-and-women-when-it-dies-there-no/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [A self-made man may prefer a self-made name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/a-self-made-man-may-prefer-a-self-made-name/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [No doubt one may quote history to support any cause, as the devil quotes scripture; but modern history is not a very satisfactory side-arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/no-doubt-one-may-quote-history-to-support-any-cause-as-the-devil/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) [Explore all 101 Learned Hand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) ## 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": "As soon as we cease to pry about at random, we shall come to rely upon accredited bodies of authoritative dogma; and as soon as we come to rely upon accredited bodies of authoritative dogma, not only are the days of our liberty over, but we have lost the password that has hitherto opened to us the gates of success as well.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Learned Hand" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/as-soon-as-we-cease-to-pry-about-at-random-we-shall-come-to-rely-upon/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Belief" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/as-soon-as-we-cease-to-pry-about-at-random-we-shall-come-to-rely-upon/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/learned-hand-5343_belief_as-soon-as-we-cease-to-pry-about-at-rand_2811135.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/learned-hand-5343_belief_as-soon-as-we-cease-to-pry-about-at-rand_2811135.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/learned-hand-5343_belief_as-soon-as-we-cease-to-pry-about-at-rand_2811135.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As soon as we cease to pry about at random, we shall come to rely upon accredited bodies of authoritative…” — Learned Hand", "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": "Learned Hand", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As soon as we cease to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/as-soon-as-we-cease-to-pry-about-at-random-we-shall-come-to-rely-upon/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/as-soon-as-we-cease-to-pry-about-at-random-we-shall-come-to-rely-upon/#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 } } ] } ```