--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is wrong always, everywhere, and for…" description: "\"It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.\" — William James" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/william-james-228_believe_it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-ev_56916.png" --- # It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to… ![“It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/william-james-228_believe_it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-ev_56916.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/william-james-228_believe_it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-ev_56916.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/william-james-228_believe_it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-ev_56916.png) > “It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The claim warns that forming beliefs without adequate proof is universally erroneous, emphasizing the necessity of evidence for rational conviction. **In simple terms:** Belief requires evidence. Key Takeaway Insufficient evidence leads to false beliefs. Themes Epistemology Critical Thinking Skepticism Rationalism Mood Cautious Analytical Type Philosophical Aphoristic When to use this quote - Scientific research - Legal judgments - Medical diagnosis - Everyday decision‑making Key Concepts Evidence Belief Truth Practical Applications - Evaluating claims - Designing policies Questions to Reflect On - How do we gauge sufficient evidence? - What are the risks of acting on weak evidence? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Insufficient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-insufficient-787655/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Insufficient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insufficient/) [Insufficient Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insufficient-evidence-415629/) [Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong/) [Wrong Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-believe-787656/) ## Related quotes > [It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-anyone-to-believe-anything-upon/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [To sum up: it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-anyone-to-believe/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [In like manner, if I let myself believe anything on insufficient evidence, there may be no great harm done by the mere belief; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/in-like-manner-if-i-let-myself-believe-anything-on-insufficient/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [“In like manner, if I let myself believe anything on insufficient evidence, there may be no great harm done by the mere belief; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/in-like-manner-if-i-let-myself-believe-anything-on-insufficient-2/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [What I'm asking you to entertain is that there is nothing we need to believe on insufficient evidence in order to have deeply ethical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/what-i-m-asking-you-to-entertain-is-that-there-is-nothing-we-need-to/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-refuse-to-believe-that-there-are-insufficient-funds-in-the-great/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/but-we-refuse-to-believe-that-the-bank-of-justice-is-bankrupt-we/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [All decisions are made on insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/all-decisions-are-made-on-insufficient-evidence/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [Why did the British authorities wait eight months before charging me - and then drop the charges, claiming there was insufficient evidence for prosecution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-gun/why-did-the-british-authorities-wait-eight-months-before-charging-me/) [Katharine Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-gun/) > [“...it was better to believe in God and to be wrong than to believe that there was no God and to be right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foreli-kramarik/it-was-better-to-believe-in-god-and-to-be-wrong-than-to-believe-that/) [Foreli Kramarik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foreli-kramarik/) > [Don't get me wrong I believe in my own ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-cross/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-believe-in-my-own-ability/) [Rob Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-cross/) > [“If your mind keeps telling you that something's wrong, believe it...something is”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/if-your-mind-keeps-telling-you-that-something-s-wrong-believe-it/) [Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/) > [You should know how terrible a power belief is, especially in the wrong hands -- and how do you tell which hands are wrong?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-duane/you-should-know-how-terrible-a-power-belief-is-especially-in-the/) [Diane Duane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-duane/) > [“I'd rather believe in something and be wrong, than believe in nothing and be wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudialyn-rodriguez-cosentino/i-d-rather-believe-in-something-and-be-wrong-than-believe-in-nothing/) [Claudialyn Rodriguez Cosentino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudialyn-rodriguez-cosentino/) > [“There is no right or wrong, only what we believe is more right or more wrong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-meekins/there-is-no-right-or-wrong-only-what-we-believe-is-more-right-or-more/) [Evan Meekins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-meekins/) ## More by William James > [Effort is the one strictly undervalued and original contribution we make to this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/effort-is-the-one-strictly-undervalued-and-original-contribution-we/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [We are all potentially such sick men. The sanest and best of us are of one clay with lunatics and prison-inmates. And whenever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-all-potentially-such-sick-men-the-sanest-and-best-of-us-are-of/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots spread. But we let them spread as little as possible: we keep unaltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-minds-thus-grow-in-spots-and-like-grease-spots-the-spots-spread/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Circumstance does not make me, it reveals me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/circumstance-does-not-make-me-it-reveals-me/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Woe to him whose beliefs play fast and loose with the order which realities follow in his experience; they will lead him nowhere or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/woe-to-him-whose-beliefs-play-fast-and-loose-with-the-order-which/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-true-statement-until-we-have-a/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [It is your friends who make your world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-your-friends-who-make-your-world/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/human-beings-can-alter-their-lives-by-altering-their-attitudes-of-mind/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Most people, probably, are in doubt about certain matters ascribed to their past. They may have seen them, may have said them, done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-people-probably-are-in-doubt-about-certain-matters-ascribed-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“How soon, indeed, are human things forgotten! As we meet here this morning, the Southern sun is shining on their place of burial, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/how-soon-indeed-are-human-things-forgotten-as-we-meet-here-this/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [There can be no difference anywhere that does not make a difference somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/there-can-be-no-difference-anywhere-that-does-not-make-a-difference/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Success or failure depends more upon attitude than upon capacity successful men act as though they have accomplished or are enjoying something. Soon it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/success-or-failure-depends-more-upon-attitude-than-upon-capacity/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) [Explore all 854 William James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William James" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/william-james-228_believe_it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-ev_56916.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/william-james-228_believe_it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-ev_56916.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/william-james-228_believe_it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-ev_56916.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” — William James", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "William James", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is wrong always, everywhere, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```