The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.

Summary

This quote, by English statistician Bertrand Russell, suggests that the popularity or widespread acceptance of an opinion does not make it valid or reasonable. In fact, the collective foolishness of humanity implies that commonly held beliefs are more likely to be foolish rather than sensible. It serves as a reminder to critically evaluate popular opinions instead of blindly accepting them solely based on their popularity.