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If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.
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“If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.”

Francis Bacon

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Source
The Advancement of Learning
Date
1605
Meaning

Meaning of “If a man will begin with certainties, he…”

Intellectual confidence can be improved by beginning with questions rather than pretending certainty too early.

Source context

Where does it come from?

The Advancement of Learning, First Book, Project Gutenberg #5500, transcribed from the 1893 Cassell & Company edition. Bacon contrasts impatience of doubt with mature suspension of judgment and then sets out two ways of contemplation before saying that beginning with certainties ends in doubts while beginning with doubts can end in certainties. It remains early-modern epistemological argument rather than a modern experimental rule for scientific method.

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AttitudeBookChange and GrowthCuriosityDeepEducation Quotes About Teaching & Intellectual FormationGrowthGrowth MindsetHonestyHumilityInspirational Quotes About Hope, Courage & PossibilityLearning Quotes About Curiosity, Study & ExperienceLifeLife AdviceLife LessonsMindMindsetMotivation For LifePersonal GrowthReadingSelf ImprovementThinking Quotes About Reasoning, Reflection & JudgmentThought-Provoking Quotes That Invite ReflectionTruthUnderstandingWisdom Quotes About Judgment & Living WellBeginningBeliefDoubtWords of Wisdom: Practical & Philosophical Counsel
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