Quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., The

I hate facts. I always say the chief end of man is to form general propositions -- adding that no general proposition is worth a damn.


I hate facts. I always say the chief end of man is to form g

Summary

This quote reflects a skeptical view on the value of facts and the importance placed on forming general propositions or ideas. By expressing a dislike for facts, the speaker implies a disdain for objective truths and a preference for abstract concepts. They emphasize that the ultimate purpose of humans is to create general statements, but immediately dismiss their worth. This quote suggests a contradiction between the recognition of the necessity of generalizations and a skepticism toward their validity or utility.

By Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., The
Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

Power is not a means; it is an end....Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but more merciless as it refines itself....The old civilizations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy - everything.... No one dares trust a wife or a child or a friend any longer. But in the future there will be no wives and no friends....We shall abolish the orgasm. Our neurologists are at work upon it now. There will be no loyalty, except loyalty towards the Party. There will be no love, except the love of Big Brother. There will be no laughter, except the laugh of triumph over a defeated enemy. There will be no art, no literature, no science.... There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always - do not forget this, Winston - always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless....If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.

George Orwell, 1984