--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is almost impossible to state what one…" description: "\"It is almost impossible to state what one in fact believes, because it is almost impossible to hold a belief and to define it at the same time.\" — Will..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/william-carlos-williams-1841_belief_it-is-almost-impossible-to-state-what-on_2503289.png" --- # It is almost impossible to state what one in fact… ![“It is almost impossible to state what one in fact believes, because it is almost impossible to hold a belief and to define it at the same time.” quote by William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/william-carlos-williams-1841_belief_it-is-almost-impossible-to-state-what-on_2503289.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/william-carlos-williams-1841_belief_it-is-almost-impossible-to-state-what-on_2503289.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/william-carlos-williams-1841_belief_it-is-almost-impossible-to-state-what-on_2503289.png) > “It is almost impossible to state what one in fact believes, because it is almost impossible to hold a belief and to define it at the same time.” [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Belief is hard to define because holding a belief and defining it conflict. **In simple terms:** Beliefs are hard to define. Key Takeaway Question your assumptions. Themes philosophy epistemology identity Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - debates - personal introspection - academic study Key Concepts cognitive dissonance self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What belief do you struggle to articulate? - How do you reconcile feeling with definition? A Different Perspective Some beliefs are intuitive, not definable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief Define](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-define-1083596/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believes Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believes-impossible-1083593/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Hold Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hold-belief-1083594/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Impossible State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible-state-1083595/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) ## Related quotes > [“I am just a big girl with big dreams who believes that the impossible can happen each and every day.”-Kay Marie”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-marie/i-am-just-a-big-girl-with-big-dreams-who-believes-that-the-impossible/) [Kay Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-marie/) > [Man believes in the possible, but God believes in the impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-lewis/man-believes-in-the-possible-but-god-believes-in-the-impossible/) [Ray Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-lewis/) > [Whoso loves, believes in the impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/whoso-loves-believes-in-the-impossible/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [“If non-linear leaps in intelligence and ability are possible, why haven't these effects been observed in our schools? I believe the answer lies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mighton/if-non-linear-leaps-in-intelligence-and-ability-are-possible-why/) [John Mighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mighton/) > [Who so loves believes the impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/who-so-loves-believes-the-impossible/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Whoso loves believes the impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/whoso-loves-believes-the-impossible/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Part of what being a great founder is, is being both able to hold the belief, to think about where it is you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/part-of-what-being-a-great-founder-is-is-being-both-able-to-hold-the/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [“I hold that belief in God is not merely as reasonable as other belief, or even a little or infinitely more probably true than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelius-van-til/i-hold-that-belief-in-god-is-not-merely-as-reasonable-as-other-belief/) [Cornelius Van Til](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelius-van-til/) > [If you really believe something, you will act in accordance with that belief - always. 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Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [That was very comforting to me to hold onto that belief, that I did have a heavenly Father who was watching over me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-smart/that-was-very-comforting-to-me-to-hold-onto-that-belief-that-i-did/) [Elizabeth Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-smart/) > [Never hold a belief longer than you can hold your breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-rubin/never-hold-a-belief-longer-than-you-can-hold-your-breath/) [Marty Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-rubin/) > [Throughout my years, I've had the pleasure of assembling and training what I believe to be the best group of people in the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-adair/throughout-my-years-i-ve-had-the-pleasure-of-assembling-and-training/) [Red Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-adair/) > [Our beliefs are like the unquestioned commands, telling us how things are, what's possible and what's impossible, what we can and can not do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/our-beliefs-are-like-the-unquestioned-commands-telling-us-how-things/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) ## More by William Carlos Williams > [“unsignificantly off the coast there was a splash quite unnoticed this was Icarus drowning”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/unsignificantly-off-the-coast-there-was-a-splash-quite-unnoticed-this/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [Death will be late to bring us aid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/death-will-be-late-to-bring-us-aid/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [What power has love but forgiveness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/what-power-has-love-but-forgiveness/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [I think all writing is a disease. You can't stop it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/i-think-all-writing-is-a-disease-you-can-t-stop-it/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [The beauty is in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/the-beauty-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [“You're a romanticist. What do you think a man is, a papaya? To digest your dinner? 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But poetry is the machine which drives it, pruned to a perfect economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/prose-may-carry-a-load-of-ill-defined-matters-like-a-ship-but-poetry/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [It is not what you say that matters but the manner in which you say it; there lies the secret of the ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/it-is-not-what-you-say-that-matters-but-the-manner-in-which-you-say/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [“And a church spire sketched on the sky, of sheet metal and open beams, to resemble a church spire”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/and-a-church-spire-sketched-on-the-sky-of-sheet-metal-and-open-beams/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) [Explore all 204 William Carlos Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? 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Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. 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