--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To sum up: it is wrong always…" description: "\"To sum up: it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.\" — William Kingdon Clifford" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_always_to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere_381333.jpg" --- # To sum up: it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone… ![“To sum up: it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” quote by William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_always_to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere_381333.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_always_to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere_381333.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_always_to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere_381333.jpg) > “To sum up: it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Believing without evidence is morally wrong and universally applicable. **In simple terms:** Never accept claims without proof. Key Takeaway Demand evidence before belief. Themes evidence belief ethics Mood critical reflective Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - legal judgments - medical decisions - news consumption Key Concepts rationalism skepticism Questions to Reflect On - What standards of evidence are acceptable? - How to handle decisions with limited data? A Different Perspective Evidence can be scarce or ambiguous. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“...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 > [“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 > [“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/) > [There are no grounds for supposing that one can live a life without pain and sadness, but is it wrong to believe that somehow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-butler/there-are-no-grounds-for-supposing-that-one-can-live-a-life-without/) Hubert Butler > [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/) ## More by William Kingdon Clifford > [The rule which should guide us in such cases is simple and obvious enough: that the aggregate testimony of our neighbours is subject to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/the-rule-which-should-guide-us-in-such-cases-is-simple-and-obvious/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [We feel much happier and more secure when we think we know precisely what to do, no matter what happens, then when we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/we-feel-much-happier-and-more-secure-when-we-think-we-know-precisely/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [All our liberties are due to men who, when their conscience has compelled them, have broken the laws of the land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/all-our-liberties-are-due-to-men-who-when-their-conscience-has/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [To consider only one other such witness: the followers of the Buddha have at least as much right to appeal to individual and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-consider-only-one-other-such-witness-the-followers-of-the-buddha/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [No simplicity of mind, no obscurity of station, can escape the universal duty of questioning all that we believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/no-simplicity-of-mind-no-obscurity-of-station-can-escape-the/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [“ Newton supposed that the case of the planet was similar to that of \[a ball spun around on the end of an elastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/newton-supposed-that-the-case-of-the-planet-was-similar-to-that-of-a/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [He who truly believes that which prompts him to an action has looked upon the action to lust after it, he has committed it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/he-who-truly-believes-that-which-prompts-him-to-an-action-has-looked/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [“ Euclid 's Elements has been for nearly twenty-two centuries the encouragement and guide of that scientific thought which is one thing with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/euclid-s-elements-has-been-for-nearly-twenty-two-centuries-the/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [We may always depend on it that algebra, which cannot be translated into good English and sound common sense, is bad algebra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/we-may-always-depend-on-it-that-algebra-which-cannot-be-translated/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [There is one thing in the world more wicked than the desire to command, and that is the will to obey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/there-is-one-thing-in-the-world-more-wicked-than-the-desire-to/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [To know all about anything is to know how to deal with it under all circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-know-all-about-anything-is-to-know-how-to-deal-with-it-under-all/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [Thought is powerless, except it make something outside of itself: the thought which conquers the world is not contemplative but active.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/thought-is-powerless-except-it-make-something-outside-of-itself-the/) [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/) > [If a man, holding a belief which he was taught in childhood or persuaded of afterwards, keeps down and pushes away any doubts which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/if-a-man-holding-a-belief-which-he-was-taught-in-childhood-or/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) [Explore all 38 William Kingdon Clifford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To sum up: it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Kingdon Clifford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-anyone-to-believe/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-anyone-to-believe/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_always_to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere_381333.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_always_to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere_381333.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_always_to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere_381333.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To sum up: it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” — William Kingdon Clifford", "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 Kingdon Clifford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To sum up: it is wrong...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-anyone-to-believe/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-anyone-to-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 } } ] } ```