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About this quote

What does it mean?
Doubt is valuable when studying past events.
In plain terms
Be skeptical when looking at history or philosophy.
What can you take from it?
Question historical claims.

Where it applies

  • research
  • debates

Putting it to work

  • verify sources
  • challenge narratives

Questions to consider

  • Why trust history?
  • How much doubt is healthy?

Another view

Excessive skepticism can halt progress.

More from Napoleon Bonaparte

  1. Six hours sleep for a man, seven for a woman and eight for a fool.

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  2. So you think the police foresees and knows everything. The police invents more than it discovers.

    Permalink to quote #147
  3. Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them.

    Permalink to quote #144

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