Francis Bacon Quotes

What we wish, we readily believe, and what we ourselves think, we imagine others think also.

We believe what we want to believe, what we like to believe, what suits our prejudices and fuels our passions.

Everyone believes very easily whatever they fear or desire

It is curious to observe the triumph of slight incidents over the mind; and what incredible weight they have in forming and governing our opinions, both of men and things, that trifles light as air shall waft a belief into the soul, and plant it so immovable within it, that Euclid's demonstrations, could they be brought to batter it in breach, should not all have power to overthrow it!

You do not need proof for what people want to believe.

For what a man would like to be true, that he more readily believes.

Human psychology has a near universal tendency to let belief be coloured by desire.

It is hard to prevent oneself from believing what one so keenly desires.

Men are nearly always willing to believe what they wish.

What we wish, that we readily believe.

The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it. The moment we want to disbelieve anything we have previously believed we suddenly discover not only that there is a mass of evidence against it but that this evidence was starting us in the face all the time.

Belief is a very peculiar thing: we tend to put more store in a belief we like than a fact we hate.

We are all very ready to believe what we like.

Men in general are quick to believe that which they wish to be true.

After people have repeated a phrase a great number of times, they begin to realize it has meaning and may even be true.

We believe easily what we fear of what we desire

When it comes to believing things without actual evidence, we all incline to what we find most attractive.

I believe that people believe what they believe they believe.

The average man does not get pleasure out of an idea because he thinks it is true; he thinks it is true because he gets pleasure out of it.

What a man wishes, he will believe.

Our inner weighing of evidence is not a careful mathematical calculation resulting in a probabilistic estimate of truth, but more like a whirlpool blending of the objective and the personal. The result is a set of beliefs - both conscious and unconscious - that guide us in interpreting all the events of our lives.

The things that we want we willingly believe, and the things that we think we expect everyone else to think.

With how much ease believe we what we wish!

Would there not be the greatest reason to apprehend, that error in the first sentence would be the parent of error in the second sentence? That the strong bias of one decision would be apt to overrule the influence of any new lights, which might be brought to vary the complexion of another decision? Those, who know any thing of human nature, will not hesitate to answer these questions in the affirmative.

As those who believe in the visibility of ghosts can easily see them, so it is always easy to see repulsive qualities in those we despise and hate.