The discovery of truth is prevented more effectively, not by the false appearance things present and which mislead into error, not directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived opinion, by prejudice.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Yet, analytical truth is not as mysterious, or as secret, so as to not allow us to see that people with a talent for directing consciences see truth rise spontaneously.
A prejudice, unlike a simple misconception, is actively resistant to all evidence that would unseat it.
A truth that disheartens because it is true is of more value than the most stimulating of falsehoods.
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.
False facts are highly injurious to the progress of science, for they often endure long; but false views, if supported by some evidence, do little harm, for every one takes a salutary pleasure in proving their falseness.
Man's mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth.
Man associates ideas not according to logic or verifiable exactitude, but according to his pleasure and interests. It is for this reason that most truths are nothing but prejudices.
When a truth is necessary, the reason for it can be found by analysis, that is, by resolving it into simpler ideas and truths until the primary ones are reached.
Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear.
But truth is most likely to be exhibited by the general sense of contemporaries, when the feelings of the heart can be expressed without suffering itself to be disguised by the prejudices of man.