--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We do not respect people's beliefs, we…" description: "\"We do not respect people's beliefs, we evaluate their reasons. If my reasons are good enough for believing what I believe, you will helplessly believe ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/sam-harris-457_belief_we-do-not-respect-people-s-beliefs-we-ev_1872364.jpg" --- # We do not respect people's beliefs, we evaluate their… ![“We do not respect people's beliefs, we evaluate their reasons. If my reasons are good enough for believing what I believe, you will helplessly believe what I believe. I will give you my reasons and reasons are contagious. That is what it is to be a rational human being.” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/sam-harris-457_belief_we-do-not-respect-people-s-beliefs-we-ev_1872364.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/sam-harris-457_belief_we-do-not-respect-people-s-beliefs-we-ev_1872364.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/sam-harris-457_belief_we-do-not-respect-people-s-beliefs-we-ev_1872364.jpg) > “We do not respect people's beliefs, we evaluate their reasons. If my reasons are good enough for believing what I believe, you will helplessly believe what I believe. I will give you my reasons and reasons are contagious. That is what it is to be a rational human being.” [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. Rational discourse evaluates reasons, not beliefs; persuasive reasoning can spread ideas. **In simple terms:** Reason, not belief, matters; ideas spread through reason. Key Takeaway Present clear reasons to influence others. Themes philosophy reasoning communication Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical persuasive When to use this quote - debates - public speaking - education - policy making Key Concepts rationality contagion of ideas Questions to Reflect On - What makes a reason compelling? - How to balance respect and critique? A Different Perspective People may resist ideas despite logical reasons due to identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Reasons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-reasons-587853/) [Contagious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contagious/) [Contagious Rational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contagious-rational-2591236/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Evaluate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evaluate/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Good enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-enough/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-beliefs-475476/) [Rational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rational/) [Rational Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rational-human-1528266/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reasons Contagious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasons-contagious-2591237/) [Respect people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect-people/) ## Related quotes > [“We have names for people who have many beliefs for which there is no rational justification. 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More options, even good ones, can freeze us and make us retreat to the default plan, which in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-heath/what-happened-here-is-decision-paralysis-more-options-even-good-ones/) [Chip Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-heath/) > [Logicians have but ill defined As rational the human mind; Reason, they say, belongs to man, But let them prove it if they can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/logicians-have-but-ill-defined-as-rational-the-human-mind-reason-they/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [“The choice was made to be less emotional, more rational, and less "human." What an odd step in our so-called evolution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eli-vineberg/the-choice-was-made-to-be-less-emotional-more-rational-and-less-human/) [Michael Eli Vineberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eli-vineberg/) > [The lesson of my field, behavioral economics, is that we need to understand the ways in which we differ from the rational human assumed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-lesson-of-my-field-behavioral-economics-is-that-we-need-to/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [Any time there's something so ridiculously dangerous that no rational human being would try it, they send for me.' --Garion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/any-time-there-s-something-so-ridiculously-dangerous-that-no-rational/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) ## More by Sam Harris > [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. 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If our polls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/about-120-million-of-us-place-the-big-bang-2-500-years-after-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“If your golf instructor were to insist that you shave your head, sleep no more than four hours each night, renounce sex, and subsist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/if-your-golf-instructor-were-to-insist-that-you-shave-your-head-sleep/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The fact that one can lose one's sense of self in an ocean of tranquility does not mean that one's consciousness is immaterial or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-fact-that-one-can-lose-one-s-sense-of-self-in-an-ocean-of/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The second commandment is "Thou shall not construct any graven images." Is this really the pinnacle of what we can achieve morally? 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Only consciousness can know itself—and directly, through first-person experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/but-the-reality-of-consciousness-appears-irreducible-only/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Whether or not one likes Huntington's formulation, one thing is clear: the evil that has finally reached our shores is not merely the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/whether-or-not-one-likes-huntington-s-formulation-one-thing-is-clear/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The problem is that religion tends to give people bad reasons to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-problem-is-that-religion-tends-to-give-people-bad-reasons-to-be/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Muslim moderates, wherever they are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their co-religionists. 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Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. 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