--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...a person who thinks should not try to…" description: "\"“...a person who thinks should not try to persuade others to his belief; that is what puts him on the road to a system; on the lamentable road of the \"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad1/milan-kundera-120_faith_a-person-who-thinks-should-not-try-to-pe_535741.jpg" --- # ...a person who thinks should not try to persuade others… ![“...a person who thinks should not try to persuade others to his belief; that is what puts him on the road to a system; on the lamentable road of the "man of conviction"; politicians like to call themselves that; but what is a conviction? It is a thought that has come to a stop, that has congealed…” quote by Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad1/milan-kundera-120_faith_a-person-who-thinks-should-not-try-to-pe_535741.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad1/milan-kundera-120_faith_a-person-who-thinks-should-not-try-to-pe_535741.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad1/milan-kundera-120_faith_a-person-who-thinks-should-not-try-to-pe_535741.jpg) > ““...a person who thinks should not try to persuade others to his belief; that is what puts him on the road to a system; on the lamentable road of the "man of conviction"; politicians like to call themselves that; but what is a conviction? It is a thought that has come to a stop, that has congealed, and "the man of conviction" is a man restricted.”” [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A rigid belief that stops questioning leads to dogmatism and limits personal freedom. **In simple terms:** Fixed ideas trap us. Key Takeaway Stay open, question continuously. Themes open‑mindedness freedom dogmatism Mood reflective critical thought‑provoking Type philosophical literary analytical When to use this quote - personal growth - political discourse - education - creative work Key Concepts existentialism psychology politics Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize when a belief has become stagnant? - What practices keep your thinking flexible? A Different Perspective Rigid convictions can hinder adaptation and empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a man without conviction. I'm a man who doesn't know how to sell a contradiction. You come and go, you come and go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/culture-club/i-m-a-man-without-conviction-i-m-a-man-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-sell-a/) [Culture Club](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/culture-club/) > [I would rather be a man of conviction than a man of conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-would-rather-be-a-man-of-conviction-than-a-man-of-conformity/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [I'm a man without conviction. I'm a man who doesn't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/culture-club/i-m-a-man-without-conviction-i-m-a-man-who-doesn-t-know/) [Culture Club](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/culture-club/) > [“for he had acquired, as time went on, the firm conviction that any thought, even the most audacious, that any fiction, even the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-grabi-ski/for-he-had-acquired-as-time-went-on-the-firm-conviction-that-any/) Stefan Grabinski > [I was looking for what was coming from a man's soul and a man's conviction. I didn't care about his past. If it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-phillips/i-was-looking-for-what-was-coming-from-a-man-s-soul-and-a-man-s/) [Sam Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-phillips/) > [It has always been my private conviction that any man who puts his intelligence up against a fish and loses had it coming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/it-has-always-been-my-private-conviction-that-any-man-who-puts-his/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [We can state with conviction, therefore, that a man's support for absolute government is in direct proportion to the contempt he feels for his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/we-can-state-with-conviction-therefore-that-a-man-s-support-for/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“A bright man of conviction and action is a beacon to his country, but a flash light to the scurrying of inaction, ego, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-s-green/a-bright-man-of-conviction-and-action-is-a-beacon-to-his-country-but/) Daniel S. Green > [A man of conviction is often more to be desired than a man of experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curt-siodmak/a-man-of-conviction-is-often-more-to-be-desired-than-a-man-of/) [Curt Siodmak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curt-siodmak/) > [One man with conviction will overwhelm a hundred who have only opinions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/one-man-with-conviction-will-overwhelm-a-hundred-who-have-only/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Mix a conviction with a man and something happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/powell-clayton/mix-a-conviction-with-a-man-and-something-happens/) Powell Clayton > [The one serious conviction that a man should have is that nothing is to be taken too seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/the-one-serious-conviction-that-a-man-should-have-is-that-nothing-is/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [Mix a conviction with a man and...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-clayton-powell-jr/mix-a-conviction-with-a-man-and/) [Adam Clayton Powell, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-clayton-powell-jr/) > [It was the full conviction of this, and of what could be done, if every man were placed in the office for which he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-weishaupt/it-was-the-full-conviction-of-this-and-of-what-could-be-done-if-every/) [Adam Weishaupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-weishaupt/) > [It is my firm conviction that man has nothing to gain, emotionally or otherwise, by adhering to a falsehood, regardless of how comfortable or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-smith/it-is-my-firm-conviction-that-man-has-nothing-to-gain-emotionally-or-2/) [George H. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-smith/) ## More by Milan Kundera > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“From that time on they both looked forward to sleeping together. I might even say that the goal of their lovemaking was not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/from-that-time-on-they-both-looked-forward-to-sleeping-together-i/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Beauty in the European sense has always had a premeditated quality to it. We've always had an aesthetic intention and a long-range plan. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/beauty-in-the-european-sense-has-always-had-a-premeditated-quality-to/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [The beauty of New York is unintentional; it arose independent of human design, like a stalagmite cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-beauty-of-new-york-is-unintentional-it-arose-independent-of-human/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Children, Never look Back!" and this meant that we must never allow the future to be weighed down by memory . for children have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/children-never-look-back-and-this-meant-that-we-must-never-allow-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Our lives may be separate, but they run in the same direction, like parallel lines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/our-lives-may-be-separate-but-they-run-in-the-same-direction-like/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Having a child is to show an absolute accord with mankind. If I have a child, it's as though I'm saying: I was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/having-a-child-is-to-show-an-absolute-accord-with-mankind-if-i-have-a/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Love is a battle," said Marie-Claude, still smiling. "And I plan to go on fighting. To the end." Love is a battle?" said Franz.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/love-is-a-battle-said-marie-claude-still-smiling-and-i-plan-to-go-on/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“He remained annoyed with himself until he realized that not knowing what he wanted was actually quite natural. We can never know what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/he-remained-annoyed-with-himself-until-he-realized-that-not-knowing/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. Perhaps this is nothing but envy of the sweet slowness of the history of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/whenever-i-think-about-ancient-cultures-nostalgia-seizes-me-perhaps/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [When we ignore the body, we are more easily victimized by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/when-we-ignore-the-body-we-are-more-easily-victimized-by-it/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Do stories, apart from happening, being, have something to say? For all my skepticism, some trace of irrational superstition did survive in me, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/do-stories-apart-from-happening-being-have-something-to-say-for-all/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Os extremos delimitam a fronteira para além da qual a vida termina, e a paixão pelo extremismo, tanto em arte como em política, é…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/os-extremos-delimitam-a-fronteira-para-al-m-da-qual-a-vida-termina-e/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Anyone whose goal is 'something higher' must expect someday to suffer vertigo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/anyone-whose-goal-is-something-higher-must-expect-someday-to-suffer/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) [Explore all 952 Milan Kundera quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) ## More Conviction quotes > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/) [Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/) > [I've been around in public life for a long time. I think people know what I stand for. They know that I have strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-turnbull/i-ve-been-around-in-public-life-for-a-long-time-i-think-people-know/) [Malcolm Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-turnbull/) > [“Desert are you, deluge are you, in a crowd of fakes, only truth is you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/desert-are-you-deluge-are-you-in-a-crowd-of-fakes-only-truth-is-you/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/for-a-successful-revolution-it-is-not-enough-that-there-is-discontent/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > ['Peace on earth, good will toward men' - democracy must cling to that message. For it is my deep conviction that democracy cannot live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/peace-on-earth-good-will-toward-men-democracy-must-cling-to-that/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [ Beneath everything else, North and West, there ran a profound, unvoiced, almost subconscious conviction that the \[American\] nation was going to go on growing-in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-catton/beneath-everything-else-north-and-west-there-ran-a-profound-unvoiced/) [Bruce Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-catton/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [When you fight to give your family bread, that's not passion anymore: that's conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoel-romero/when-you-fight-to-give-your-family-bread-that-s-not-passion-anymore/) [Yoel Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoel-romero/) > [If you know the differences between an oak and a poplar, a spruce and a pine, down to the needles... you are able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/if-you-know-the-differences-between-an-oak-and-a-poplar-a-spruce-and/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) > [We need the conviction to be able to think for ourselves and to take action outof our own sense of responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/we-need-the-conviction-to-be-able-to-think-for-ourselves-and-to-take/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [The law of England has established trial by judge and jury in the conviction that it is the mode best calculated to ascertain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/the-law-of-england-has-established-trial-by-judge-and-jury-in-the/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [If you are going to flip something, you must have the courage of your convictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/if-you-are-going-to-flip-something-you-must-have-the-courage-of-your/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [We embark unhesitatingly on the path, in a direction that is absolutely right and urgent, supported by everyone, in the knowledge that this path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yehudi-menuhin/we-embark-unhesitatingly-on-the-path-in-a-direction-that-is/) [Yehudi Menuhin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yehudi-menuhin/) [Browse all 2,157 Conviction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...a person who thinks should not try to persuade others to his belief; that is what puts him on the road to a system; on the lamentable road of the \"man of conviction\"; politicians like to call themselves that; but what is a conviction? It is a thought that has come to a stop, that has congealed, and \"the man of conviction\" is a man restricted.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Milan Kundera" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/a-person-who-thinks-should-not-try-to-persuade-others-to-his-belief/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conviction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/a-person-who-thinks-should-not-try-to-persuade-others-to-his-belief/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad1/milan-kundera-120_faith_a-person-who-thinks-should-not-try-to-pe_535741.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad1/milan-kundera-120_faith_a-person-who-thinks-should-not-try-to-pe_535741.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad1/milan-kundera-120_faith_a-person-who-thinks-should-not-try-to-pe_535741.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...a person who thinks should not try to persuade others to his belief; that is what puts him on the road to…” — Milan Kundera", "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": "Milan Kundera", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...a person who thinks should not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/a-person-who-thinks-should-not-try-to-persuade-others-to-his-belief/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/a-person-who-thinks-should-not-try-to-persuade-others-to-his-belief/#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 } } ] } ```