7 Gertrude Stein Quotes on Belief

Gertrude Stein quotes on belief

71. I rarely believe anything, because at the time of believing I am not really there to believe. ~ Ch. 3

75. Counting is the religion of this generation it is its hope and its salvation. ~ Ch. 3

78. Explanations are clear but since no one to whom a thing is explained can connect the explanations with what is really clear, therefore clear explanations are not clear. Now this is a simple thing that anybody who has ever argued or quarreled knows perfectly well is a simple thing, only when they read it they do not understand it because they do not see that understanding and believing are not the same thing. ~ Ch. 4

96. Propaganda is not French, it is not civilized to want other people to believe what you believe because the essence of being civilised is to possess yourself as you are, and if you possess yourself as you are you of course cannot possess any one else, it is not your business. (New York: Liveright, 1970, p. 56)

104. Even the propagandists on the radio find it very difficult to really say let alone believe that the world will be a happy place, of love and peace and plenty, and that the lion will lie down with the lamb and everybody will believe anybody.

107. The nineteenth century believed in science but the twentieth century does not.

108. The thing that is most interesting about government servants is that they believe what they are supposed to believe, they really do believe what they are supposed to believe.