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I dropped all my own views of sense and nonsense. I told him that, taking all that he had told me as fact, the Presences might be either ordinary minds traversing Space in sleep; or minds such as his which had independently captured the sense of Space's quality; or, finally, the spirits of just men made perfect, behaving as psychical researchers think they do. It was a ridiculous task to set a prosaic man, and I wasn't quite serious.

John Buchan#24

MysteryScienceBeliefExplanationReasoningSkepticismUnknown

About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker offers multiple explanations for mysterious presences to a skeptical person without committing to one.
In plain terms
I gave many possible reasons for strange events to a practical man.
What can you take from it?
Offer multiple perspectives when discussing the unknown.

Where it applies

  • debating unknowns
  • explaining phenomena
  • conversation

Putting it to work

  • consider alternatives
  • respect skepticism

Questions to consider

  • How do you explain the unexplainable?
  • When do you stop seeking answers?

Another view

It relies on unproven concepts like astral travel.

More from John Buchan

  1. Of course he could only describe his impressions very lamely, for they were purely of the mind, and he had no material peg to hang them on, so that I could rea…

    Permalink to quote #23
  2. 'Think,' I told him, 'what may be waiting for you. You may discover the meaning of Spirit. You may open up a new world, as rich as the old one, but imperishabl…

    Permalink to quote #25
  3. 'There's a queer performance going on in the other world,' he said. 'It's unbelievable. I never dreamed of such a thing. I - I don't quite know how to put it, …

    Permalink to quote #22

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