Accepting Quote by Michel de Montaigne
“It makes me hate accepting things that are probable when they are held up before me as infallibly true. I prefer these words which tone down and modify the hastiness of our propositions: "Perhaps, In some sort, Some, They say, I think," and the like.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Apology for Raymond Sebond, Book I, 1580
He warns against accepting statements as absolute truth, advocating cautious language like “perhaps” and “I think.”
In simple terms: Question certainty and use tentative language.
Key Takeaway
Embrace humility in reasoning.
Themes
critical thinking
skepticism
language
philosophy
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
philosophical
educational
When to use this quote
- academic debate
- decision making
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
epistemic humility
probabilistic reasoning
Questions to Reflect On
- When should you assert confidence versus doubt?
- How does tentative language affect persuasion?
A Different Perspective
Overuse of doubt can lead to indecision.
![“[W]e have an automatic tendency to pay attention to or seek out information that is in agreement with (confirms) our preconceptions, and to ignore, distort or avoid information that contradicts (disconfirms) our preconceptions, a tendency that is called the confirmation bias. The confirmation bias…” quote by Wadsworth Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0c2/wadsworth-publishing-194058_critical-thinking_w-e-have-an-automatic-tendency-to-pay-at_518612.jpg)
