--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I wanted to doubt, then I could doubt…" description: "\"If I wanted to doubt, then I could doubt endlessly, but at some point a person has to stop questioning and act, and at that point you have to trust som..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/orson-scott-card-134_being-true_if-i-wanted-to-doubt-then-i-could-doubt_629743.jpg" --- # If I wanted to doubt, then I could doubt endlessly, but at… ![“If I wanted to doubt, then I could doubt endlessly, but at some point a person has to stop questioning and act, and at that point you have to trust something to be true. You have to act as if something is true, and so you choose the thing you have the most reason to believe in, you have to live in…” quote by Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/orson-scott-card-134_being-true_if-i-wanted-to-doubt-then-i-could-doubt_629743.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/orson-scott-card-134_being-true_if-i-wanted-to-doubt-then-i-could-doubt_629743.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/orson-scott-card-134_being-true_if-i-wanted-to-doubt-then-i-could-doubt_629743.jpg) > “If I wanted to doubt, then I could doubt endlessly, but at some point a person has to stop questioning and act, and at that point you have to trust something to be true. You have to act as if something is true, and so you choose the thing you have the most reason to believe in, you have to live in the world that you have the most hope in.” [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We must stop endless doubt, act on the best‑supported belief, and live in a hopeful world. **In simple terms:** Act on the best belief and live hopeful. Key Takeaway Choose reasoned belief, act, stay hopeful. Themes belief action hope uncertainty decisionmaking Mood determined optimistic reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - personal decisions - leadership - crisis management - ethical dilemmas - creative projects Key Concepts philosophy psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What belief guides your actions? - How do you balance doubt and confidence? A Different Perspective Overreliance on limited evidence can lead to misplaced confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe in god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-in-god/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Questioning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questioning/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [You choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you-choose/) ## Related quotes > [If I wanted to doubt, then I could doubt endlessly ... but at some point a person has to stop questioning and act, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/if-i-wanted-to-doubt-then-i-could-doubt-endlessly-but-at-some-point-a-2/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I wouldn't put it past God to arrange a virgin birth if He wanted, but I very much doubt if He would.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wouldn-t-put-it-past-god-to-arrange-a-virgin-birth-if-he-wanted-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Doubt--because doubt is not a sin, it is a sign of your intelligence. You are not responsible to any nation, to any church, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/doubt-because-doubt-is-not-a-sin-it-is-a-sign-of-your-intelligence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/there-is-nothing-more-dreadful-than-the-habit-of-doubt-doubt/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [A reasonable doubt is nothing more than a doubt for which reasons can be given. The fact that 1 or 2 men out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-hailsham/a-reasonable-doubt-is-nothing-more-than-a-doubt-for-which-reasons-can/) [Lord Hailsham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-hailsham/) > [I'm full of self-doubt. I doubt everything I do. Everything I do is a failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/i-m-full-of-self-doubt-i-doubt-everything-i-do-everything-i-do-is-a/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [If you must doubt something, doubt your limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/if-you-must-doubt-something-doubt-your-limits/) [Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/) > [Believe those who seek the truth, doubt those who find it; doubt all, but do not doubt yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/believe-those-who-seek-the-truth-doubt-those-who-find-it-doubt-all/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“Regardless of how you came to doubt, doubt itself is not the problem, but what can be problematic and even tragic is what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-young/regardless-of-how-you-came-to-doubt-doubt-itself-is-not-the-problem/) [Ben Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-young/) > [“When you fear, you doubt and when you doubt, you make a mistake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramona-matta/when-you-fear-you-doubt-and-when-you-doubt-you-make-a-mistake/) [Ramona Matta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramona-matta/) > [“It's true. I doubt. I doubt because I seek the truth. Doubt has served me well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-steffens/it-s-true-i-doubt-i-doubt-because-i-seek-the-truth-doubt-has-served/) Bradley Steffens > [“Instead of striving for certainty, we should be in constant search of doubt: doubt about our own beliefs, doubt about our own feelings, doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/instead-of-striving-for-certainty-we-should-be-in-constant-search-of/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [If youre going to doubt something, doubt your limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-ward/if-youre-going-to-doubt-something-doubt-your-limits/) [Don Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ward/) > [A Jealous person doesn't doubt others- they doubt themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-fedor/a-jealous-person-doesn-t-doubt-others-they-doubt-themselves/) Christy Fedor > [“small monster in my brain that controls my doubt. The doubt itself is a stupid thing, without sense or feeling, blind and straining at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/small-monster-in-my-brain-that-controls-my-doubt-the-doubt-itself-is/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) ## More by Orson Scott Card > [“You underestimate yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-underestimate-yourself/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Why did he hesitate? 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The concept is flawed. It implies that there is only one way people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/there-is-no-normal-i-ve-never-met-a-normal-person-the-concept-is/) [Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/) > [I learned a tremendous amount about what was important to me as a head coach in that I was not in charge. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-carroll/i-learned-a-tremendous-amount-about-what-was-important-to-me-as-a/) [Pete Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-carroll/) > [Life is all about being true to yourself and what you believe in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-biersack/life-is-all-about-being-true-to-yourself-and-what-you-believe-in/) [Andy Biersack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-biersack/) > [I have spent most of my life unlearning things that were proved not to be true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/i-have-spent-most-of-my-life-unlearning-things-that-were-proved-not/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [It seemed too good to be true. That's grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judah-smith/it-seemed-too-good-to-be-true-that-s-grace/) [Judah Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judah-smith/) > [You create the happiness and the balance that you have, and your own power. 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