--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Assertion is not argument; to contradict…" description: "\"Assertion is not argument; to contradict the statement of an opponent is not proof that you are correct.\" — Samuel Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/samuel-johnson-50_argument_assertion-is-not-argument-to-contradict_1035743.png" --- # Assertion is not argument; to contradict the statement of… ![“Assertion is not argument; to contradict the statement of an opponent is not proof that you are correct.” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/samuel-johnson-50_argument_assertion-is-not-argument-to-contradict_1035743.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/samuel-johnson-50_argument_assertion-is-not-argument-to-contradict_1035743.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/samuel-johnson-50_argument_assertion-is-not-argument-to-contradict_1035743.png) > “Assertion is not argument; to contradict the statement of an opponent is not proof that you are correct.” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Logical fallacy: confusing disagreement with proof of correctness. **In simple terms:** Disagreeing isn’t proof. Key Takeaway Don’t equate opposition with truth. Themes logic argumentation critical thinking Mood skeptical analytical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - debates - academic writing - political discourse Key Concepts fallacy epistemology rhetoric Questions to Reflect On - How can you test a claim beyond opponent’s stance? - What evidence supports your view? A Different Perspective Argument may be valid but still wrong. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Argument Contradict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument-contradict-2391767/) [Assertion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assertion/) [Assertion Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assertion-argument-2391770/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Contradict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradict/) [Contradict Statement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradict-statement-2391769/) [Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic/) [Opponents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opponents/) [Proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof/) [Statement Opponent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statement-opponent-2391768/) [Statements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statements/) ## Related quotes > [At length weariness succeeds to labor, and the mind lies at ease in the contemplation of her own attainments without any desire of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/at-length-weariness-succeeds-to-labor-and-the-mind-lies-at-ease-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All discourse of which others cannot partake is not only an irksome usurpation of the time devoted to pleasure and entertainment, but, what never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-discourse-of-which-others-cannot-partake-is-not-only-an-irksome/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“As long as she persisted in her belief that bafflement justified her actions, she felt confident no one would contradict her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/as-long-as-she-persisted-in-her-belief-that-bafflement-justified-her/) [Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/) > [“Millions of business people are each constantly forced to choose between their desire to not be a bad person and their desire to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/millions-of-business-people-are-each-constantly-forced-to-choose/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [If you don't contradict yourself on a regular basis, then you're not thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/if-you-don-t-contradict-yourself-on-a-regular-basis-then-you-re-not/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“The major religions on the Earth contradict each other left and right. 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