"The need to be right is the sign of a vulgar mind."
Info & reflection: Camus ties vulgarity not to a lack of culture but to a psychological need: whoever must always be right gives away an insecurity they mistake for strength. It's an implicit criticism of a certain way of arguing, the one that looks for victory instead of truth.
Related in anthology
- You do not change people's minds by defeating them with logic. — The same need to be right explains why logic doesn't change minds.
- The more we justify our beliefs, the more narrow-minded we become. — Lin Yutang links narrow convictions and lack of humour, the same rigidity as the need to be right.
- No one wants the truth if it is inconvenient. — the other side: refusing the truth when it's uncomfortable