"The more we justify our beliefs, the more narrow-minded we become."
Info & reflection: It turns around the common idea that arguing for a position makes it more solid and more open to discussion. Instead, every round of justification adds a brick to the defence and narrows the gaps: you end up defending not the idea any more but what you have invested in defending it.
Attribution: uncertain. Quote collections credit The Importance of Living (1937); not checked against the book.
Related in anthology
- The need to be right is the sign of a vulgar mind. — Narrow convictions and the need to be right are the same rigidity seen from two angles.
- No sick man's monstrous dream can be so wild that some philosopher won't say it's true. — Narrow convictions are the ground on which rationalism builds its justifications.