---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the absence of proof, you believe."
description: "\"“In the absence of proof, you believe.”\" — William Kent Krueger"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/william-kent-krueger-10066_absence_in-the-absence-of-proof-you-believe-1093_1093728.png"
---

#  In the absence of proof, you believe.

![“In the absence of proof, you believe.” quote by William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/william-kent-krueger-10066_absence_in-the-absence-of-proof-you-believe-1093_1093728.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/william-kent-krueger-10066_absence_in-the-absence-of-proof-you-believe-1093_1093728.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/william-kent-krueger-10066_absence_in-the-absence-of-proof-you-believe-1093_1093728.png)

> ““In the absence of proof, you believe.””

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Belief often fills the gap when evidence is lacking.

**In simple terms:** People believe when proof is missing.

Key Takeaway

Seek evidence before believing.

Themes

belief uncertainty evidence faith

Mood

skeptical curious

Type

philosophical practical

When to use this quote

- decision making
- news consumption
- personal convictions

Key Concepts

epistemology cognitive bias

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence would change your belief?
- How do you handle uncertainty?

A Different Perspective

Belief without proof can lead to misinformation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Absence Proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence-proof-2840968/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof/) [Proof Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof-believe-2840967/)

## Related quotes

> [“In the absence of proof, all that matters is perception.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brodi-ashton/in-the-absence-of-proof-all-that-matters-is-perception/)

[Brodi Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brodi-ashton/)

> [“The proof that we believe something isn’t when we agree with what someone teaches us, it’s when we act on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bevere/the-proof-that-we-believe-something-isn-t-when-we-agree-with-what/)

[John Bevere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bevere/)

> [Absence of proof isn't proof of absence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/absence-of-proof-isn-t-proof-of-absence/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [What you do is proof of what you believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/what-you-do-is-proof-of-what-you-believe/)

[Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/)

> [You know that the population is of this planet is now ten times greater than it was in the ages preceding capitalism.; you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/you-know-that-the-population-is-of-this-planet-is-now-ten-times/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [The best proof of man's dissatisfaction with the home is found in his universal absence from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/the-best-proof-of-man-s-dissatisfaction-with-the-home-is-found-in-his/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [The coalition government made it clear from the outset that it would proceed with defendant anonymity in rape cases only if the evidence justifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/the-coalition-government-made-it-clear-from-the-outset-that-it-would/)

[Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/)

> [Since when does absence of evidence equate to evidence of absence?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-ea/since-when-does-absence-of-evidence-equate-to-evidence-of-absence/)

[Prince Ea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-ea/)

> [As a matter of constitutional tradition, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we presume that governmental regulation of the content of speech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-stevens/as-a-matter-of-constitutional-tradition-in-the-absence-of-evidence-to/)

[John Paul Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-stevens/)

> [The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-absence-of-evidence-is-not-the-evidence-of-absence/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [Even if the absence of evidence for a given god were not evidence of its absence, it would still be evidence that the belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-clifton/even-if-the-absence-of-evidence-for-a-given-god-were-not-evidence-of/)

[Scott Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-clifton/)

> [“the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-corera/the-absence-of-evidence-is-not-evidence-of-absence/)

[Gordon Corera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-corera/)

> [From the almost total absence of fossil evidence relative to the origin of the phyla, it follows that any explanation of the mechanism in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/from-the-almost-total-absence-of-fossil-evidence-relative-to-the/)

[Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/)

> [What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD. Baghdad's regime did use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-chirac/what-is-at-stake-is-how-to-answer-the-potential-threat-iraq/)

[Jacques Chirac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-chirac/)

> [The idea of photography as evidence is pure bullshit. A photo is no more proof of any reality than what you may hear being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-riboud/the-idea-of-photography-as-evidence-is-pure-bullshit-a-photo-is-no/)

[Marc Riboud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-riboud/)

## More by William Kent Krueger

> [“Once someone's dead, being sorry doesn't cut it. If you hit a man, you can apologize. If you destroy his property, you can pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/once-someone-s-dead-being-sorry-doesn-t-cut-it-if-you-hit-a-man-you/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

> [“The devil's best defense is a person's disbelief in his existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/the-devil-s-best-defense-is-a-person-s-disbelief-in-his-existence/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

> [“leaning hard into the wind in order to complete the job expected of him. He was an Eagle”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/leaning-hard-into-the-wind-in-order-to-complete-the-job-expected-of/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

> [“Sam's Place had never felt so empty. He suspected the emptiness was not in the old Quonset hut; it was in him. There was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/sam-s-place-had-never-felt-so-empty-he-suspected-the-emptiness-was/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

> [The dead are never far from us. They're in our hearts and on our minds and in the end all that separates us from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/the-dead-are-never-far-from-us-they-re-in-our-hearts-and-on-our-minds/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

> [“I watched the storm as I might have watched the approach and passing of a fierce and beautiful animal. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/i-watched-the-storm-as-i-might-have-watched-the-approach-and-passing/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

> [“preferred the more informal service of the Methodists to the religious rigor of the Lutherans, who were as ubiquitous in Minnesota as ragweed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/preferred-the-more-informal-service-of-the-methodists-to-the/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

> [“The things that ask the most of us are the things most worth having.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/the-things-that-ask-the-most-of-us-are-the-things-most-worth-having/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

> [“Far better, I believe, to be like children and open ourselves to every beautiful possibility, for there is nothing our hearts can imagine that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/far-better-i-believe-to-be-like-children-and-open-ourselves-to-every/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

> [ “Do you believe in God?" St. Kawasaki looked amused. "Hell of a question to ask a priest." \[...\] "I'm asking because I've been a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/do-you-believe-in-god-st-kawasaki-looked-amused-hell-of-a-question-to/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

> [“Cork wished there were a forecast for his spirit. He felt the dark and the cold penetrating deep in him. He wondered when there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/cork-wished-there-were-a-forecast-for-his-spirit-he-felt-the-dark-and/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

> [“The bottom line was that people who leaned too heavily on someone else were setting themselves up for a terrible fall, and they had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/the-bottom-line-was-that-people-who-leaned-too-heavily-on-someone/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

> [“She sang slowly and richly and delivered the heart of that great spiritual as if she was delivering heaven itself and her face was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/she-sang-slowly-and-richly-and-delivered-the-heart-of-that-great/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

> [“Closing her eyes, she began to let herself dream. Not sleep dreaming, but dreaming of how her life might be. It was a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/closing-her-eyes-she-began-to-let-herself-dream-not-sleep-dreaming/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

> [“He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain, which cannot forget, falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/he-who-learns-must-suffer-and-even-in-our-sleep-pain-which-cannot/)

[William Kent Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

[Explore all 68 William Kent Krueger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/)

## More Absence quotes

> [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/)

[James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/)

> [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/)

[Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/)

> [Total depravity means the entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin. A totally depraved man is not as bad as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/total-depravity-means-the-entire-absence-of-holiness-not-the-highest/)

[William Greenough Thayer Shedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/)

> [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/)

[Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/)

> [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/)

[Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/)

> [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [“I was thinking how most people don't make you feel much of anything at all. Don't make you feel like time spent with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/i-was-thinking-how-most-people-don-t-make-you-feel-much-of-anything/)

[Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/)

> [Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/cooperation-isn-t-the-absence-of-conflict-but-a-means-of-managing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. The absence of noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/many-are-observing-ferguson-and-witnessing-the-anger-demonstrations/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [We must begin by acknowledging that there is a complete absence of two things in Indian Society. One of these is equality. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/we-must-begin-by-acknowledging-that-there-is-a-complete-absence-of/)

[B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/)

[Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“In the absence of proof, you believe.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Kent Krueger"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/in-the-absence-of-proof-you-believe/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Absence"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/in-the-absence-of-proof-you-believe/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/william-kent-krueger-10066_absence_in-the-absence-of-proof-you-believe-1093_1093728.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/william-kent-krueger-10066_absence_in-the-absence-of-proof-you-believe-1093_1093728.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/william-kent-krueger-10066_absence_in-the-absence-of-proof-you-believe-1093_1093728.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In the absence of proof, you believe.” — William Kent Krueger",
                "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 Kent Krueger",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kent-krueger/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“In the absence of proof, you...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/in-the-absence-of-proof-you-believe/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kent-krueger/in-the-absence-of-proof-you-believe/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
