You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep seated need to believe.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Beliefs often stem from emotional needs rather than factual proof, making them resistant to logical argument.
- In plain terms
- People believe what they need to, not what evidence shows.
- What can you take from it?
- Logic rarely changes minds rooted in emotional necessity.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What need does this belief serve?
- Can evidence ever change a deep need?
Another view
Some beliefs are actually evidence-based despite appearances.
More from Carl Sagan
For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.
Permalink to quote #35 A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism.
Permalink to quote #37 In the fabric of space and in the nature of matter, as in a great work of art, there is, written small, the artist's signature.
Permalink to quote #34
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