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About this quote

What does it mean?
A belief's truth is not guaranteed by someone's willingness to die for it.
In plain terms
Someone dying for a belief doesn't prove it's true.
What can you take from it?
Question ideas regardless of sacrifice.

Where it applies

  • political ideology
  • religious conviction

Putting it to work

  • evaluate evidence
  • separate emotion from logic

Questions to consider

  • How do you assess belief validity?
  • When is sacrifice a sign of conviction?

Another view

Some sacrifices are made for deeply held truths.

More from Oscar Wilde

  1. Be warned in time, James, and remain, as I, do, incomprehensible: to be great is to be misunderstood.

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  2. The honest ratepayer and his healthy family have no doubt often mocked at the dome-like forehead of the philosopher, and laughed over the strange perspective o…

    Permalink to quote #9
  3. And down the long and silent street, The dawn, with silver-sandalled feet, Crept like a frightened girl.

    Permalink to quote #6

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