--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If an author does not give reasons for…" description: "\"“If an author does not give reasons for his propositions, they can only be treated as expressions of personal opinion on his part.”\" — Mortimer J. Adler" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07d/mortimer-j-adler-10958_books_if-an-author-does-not-give-reasons-for-h_3192760.jpg" --- # If an author does not give reasons for his propositions… ![“If an author does not give reasons for his propositions, they can only be treated as expressions of personal opinion on his part.” quote by Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07d/mortimer-j-adler-10958_books_if-an-author-does-not-give-reasons-for-h_3192760.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07d/mortimer-j-adler-10958_books_if-an-author-does-not-give-reasons-for-h_3192760.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07d/mortimer-j-adler-10958_books_if-an-author-does-not-give-reasons-for-h_3192760.jpg) > ““If an author does not give reasons for his propositions, they can only be treated as expressions of personal opinion on his part.”” [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Arguments lacking justification are mere opinions, not evidence‑based claims. **In simple terms:** Unjustified claims are just opinions. Key Takeaway Demand evidence for statements. Themes critical thinking logic skepticism Mood analytical inquisitive Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - academic debate - policy making - media analysis - personal decision making Key Concepts epistemology rhetoric Questions to Reflect On - What evidence would you require to accept a claim? - How do you differentiate opinion from fact? A Different Perspective People often accept opinions without questioning them. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Personal Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-opinion/) ## Related quotes > [It does not take much to imagine the humanity of people you don't know. 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EVER!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-oznowicz/an-author-who-does-not-support-his-or-her-characters-does-not-deserve/) Johanna Oznowicz > [“As may be seen, there is only one sensible piece of advice to give to those who find themselves having to talk to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/as-may-be-seen-there-is-only-one-sensible-piece-of-advice-to-give-to/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [Every author has different ways of writing and what works for one author does not necessarily work for another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-munsch/every-author-has-different-ways-of-writing-and-what-works-for-one/) [Robert Munsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-munsch/) > [When the characters are really alive before their author, the latter does nothing but follow them in their action, in their words, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-pirandello/when-the-characters-are-really-alive-before-their-author-the-latter/) [Luigi Pirandello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-pirandello/) > [An author never does more damage to his readers than when he hides a difficulty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evariste-galois/an-author-never-does-more-damage-to-his-readers-than-when-he-hides-a/) Evariste Galois > [Here is my personal opinion about prostitution. If men knew how to do it, they wouldn't have to pay for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/here-is-my-personal-opinion-about-prostitution-if-men-knew-how-to-do/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [ We \[ The Kansas\]'re somewhat hard-pressed at this time to imagine any bands that'll be around 40 years from now (and that's our personal opinion). ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ehart/we-the-kansas-re-somewhat-hard-pressed-at-this-time-to-imagine-any/) [Phil Ehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ehart/) > [People who reject transcendent authority can no longer persuade one another through rational arguments; everything is reduced to personal opinion. 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Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [“Reading is like skiing. When done well, when done by an expert, both reading and skiing are graceful, harmonious, activities. When done by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/reading-is-like-skiing-when-done-well-when-done-by-an-expert-both/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [“You must be able to say, with reasonable certainty, "I understand," before you can say "I agree," or "I disagree," or "I suspend judgment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/you-must-be-able-to-say-with-reasonable-certainty-i-understand-before/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [“We hope you have not made the error of supposing that to criticize is always to disagree. (...) To agree is just as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/we-hope-you-have-not-made-the-error-of-supposing-that-to-criticize-is/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [“The communion that can be achieved by human conversation is of great significance for our private lives...It is the spiritual parallel of the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/the-communion-that-can-be-achieved-by-human-conversation-is-of-great/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/in-the-case-of-good-books-the-point-is-not-to-see-how-many-of-them-2/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [“Great speed in reading is a dubious achievement; it is of value only if what you have to read is not worth reading. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/great-speed-in-reading-is-a-dubious-achievement-it-is-of-value-only/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [“A good rule always describes the ideal performance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/a-good-rule-always-describes-the-ideal-performance/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [“Francis Bacon once remarked that “some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” Reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/francis-bacon-once-remarked-that-some-books-are-to-be-tasted-others/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [“the essence of tragedy is time, or rather the lack of it. There is no problem in any Greek tragedy that could not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/the-essence-of-tragedy-is-time-or-rather-the-lack-of-it-there-is-no/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [“A good speed reading course should therefore teach you to read at many different speeds, not just one speed that is faster than anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/a-good-speed-reading-course-should-therefore-teach-you-to-read-at/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [“A mind not agitated by good questions cannot appreciate the significance of even the best answers. It is easy enough to learn the answers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/a-mind-not-agitated-by-good-questions-cannot-appreciate-the/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) [Explore all 45 Mortimer J. 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If an author does not give reasons for his propositions, they can only be treated as expressions of personal opinion on his part.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mortimer J. 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