The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is that it is robbing the human race; posterity as read more

The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.

A fellow can't keep people from having a bad opinion of him, but he can keep them from being right read more

A fellow can't keep people from having a bad opinion of him, but he can keep them from being right about it.

A good listener tries to understand what the other person is saying. In the end he may disagree sharply, but read more

A good listener tries to understand what the other person is saying. In the end he may disagree sharply, but because he disagrees, he wants to know exactly what it is he is disagreeing with.

The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed, read more

The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed, in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a wide-spread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible

A man is getting along on the road to wisdom when he begins to realize that his opinion is just read more

A man is getting along on the road to wisdom when he begins to realize that his opinion is just an opinion.

I never make the mistake of arguing with people for whose opinions I have no respect.

I never make the mistake of arguing with people for whose opinions I have no respect.

We must always think about things, and we must think about things as they are, not as they are said read more

We must always think about things, and we must think about things as they are, not as they are said to be.

This is the test of your manhood: How much is there left in you after you have lost everything outside read more

This is the test of your manhood: How much is there left in you after you have lost everything outside of yourself?

Nobody holds a good opinion of a man who holds a low opinion of himself

Nobody holds a good opinion of a man who holds a low opinion of himself