--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 'What would be better for us to believe!'…" description: "\"'What would be better for us to believe!' This sounds very like a definition of truth\" — William James" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/william-james-228_believe_what-would-be-better-for-us-to-believe-t_1504547.png" --- # 'What would be better for us to believe!' This sounds very… ![“'What would be better for us to believe!' This sounds very like a definition of truth” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/william-james-228_believe_what-would-be-better-for-us-to-believe-t_1504547.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/william-james-228_believe_what-would-be-better-for-us-to-believe-t_1504547.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/william-james-228_believe_what-would-be-better-for-us-to-believe-t_1504547.png) > “'What would be better for us to believe!' This sounds very like a definition of truth” [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. Truth is defined by its practical usefulness and belief, not merely by abstract definition. **In simple terms:** Truth is what works and is believed, not just defined. Key Takeaway Evaluate ideas by their practical impact. Themes truth pragmatism belief Mood analytical critical Type philosophical pragmatic When to use this quote - decision making - ethical debates - daily life Key Concepts philosophy epistemology practicality Questions to Reflect On - How do you test if a belief is truly useful? - When should practicality outweigh principle? A Different Perspective Pragmatic truth may overlook deeper complexities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [Scientific method is the way to truth, but it affords, even in principle, no unique definition of truth. Any so-called pragmatic definition of truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-van-orman-quine/scientific-method-is-the-way-to-truth-but-it-affords-even-in/) [Willard Van Orman Quine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-van-orman-quine/) > [The religious definition of truth is not that it is universal but that it is absolute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/the-religious-definition-of-truth-is-not-that-it-is-universal-but/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [The main place for Truth is the Tongue, Love resides in the Heart, and Compassion lives in ones Eyes. If someone asks, what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-main-place-for-truth-is-the-tongue-love-resides-in-the-heart-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“More Important Than Truth (The Sonnet) In the beginning even I was, Bedazzled by the concept of truth. It took me some time to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/more-important-than-truth-the-sonnet-in-the-beginning-even-i-was/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Politics is a joke to the definition of the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/politics-is-a-joke-to-the-definition-of-the-truth/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [“The world of fundamental religion does not recognize even the slightest variation in meaning should this meaning fall outside its own definition of truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/the-world-of-fundamental-religion-does-not-recognize-even-the/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [“Whatever our definition of truth may be, we can never renounce Descartes' clare et distincte (clarity and distinctness).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/whatever-our-definition-of-truth-may-be-we-can-never-renounce/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [ Truth \[is\] what is better for us to believe. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rorty/truth-is-what-is-better-for-us-to-believe/) [Richard Rorty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rorty/) > [“...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 > [You better believe I'm not a pop star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-miller/you-better-believe-i-m-not-a-pop-star/) [Steve Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-miller/) > [I think maybe it is better to believe than not to believe. But I couldn't tell you why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/i-think-maybe-it-is-better-to-believe-than-not-to-believe-but-i/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [“Because sometimes it's better to believe in the impossible. To believe you are a secret agent or a private detective or a superhero and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-david-anderson/because-sometimes-it-s-better-to-believe-in-the-impossible-to-believe/) [John David Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-david-anderson/) > [You'd better believe it, buster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-rabbit/you-d-better-believe-it-buster/) [Jessica Rabbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-rabbit/) > [Never never, never say never, ne dis jamais jamais. Better better, believe in forever, and it can be that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/styx/never-never-never-say-never-ne-dis-jamais-jamais-better-better/) [Styx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/styx/) > [It is better to believe a little then too much!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-better-to-believe-a-little-then-too-much/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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/) > [It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/) [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/) [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 ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "'What would be better for us to believe!' 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