---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know of no society in human history…"
description: "\"I know of no society in human history that ever suffered because its people became too desirous of evidence in support of their core beliefs.\" — Sam Ha..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/sam-harris-457_belief_i-know-of-no-society-in-human-history-th_909291.jpg"
---

#  I know of no society in human history that ever suffered…

![“I know of no society in human history that ever suffered because its people became too desirous of evidence in support of their core beliefs.” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/sam-harris-457_belief_i-know-of-no-society-in-human-history-th_909291.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/sam-harris-457_belief_i-know-of-no-society-in-human-history-th_909291.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/sam-harris-457_belief_i-know-of-no-society-in-human-history-th_909291.jpg)

> “I know of no society in human history that ever suffered because its people became too desirous of evidence in support of their core beliefs.”

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People do not suffer from wanting evidence for their beliefs; instead, lack of evidence causes conflict.

**In simple terms:** Desiring evidence doesn’t harm society.

Key Takeaway

Seek evidence, avoid dogma.

Themes

critical thinking beliefs evidence

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- scientific research
- public policy
- education
- media literacy

Key Concepts

skepticism epistemology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance evidence with intuition?
- When should belief precede proof?

A Different Perspective

Overreliance on evidence can paralyze action when decisions need timely judgment.

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[Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Core beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/core-beliefs/) [Desirous Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desirous-evidence-1317035/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Suffered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-suffered-1317034/) [Human history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-history/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Skepticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skepticism/) [Society Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-human-304601/) [Suffered People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffered-people-1296161/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/)

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