In religion and politics people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.

Summary

This quote suggests that both in religion and politics, individuals often adopt beliefs and convictions from authorities without critically examining them. These authorities, in turn, may have received their beliefs from others who also didn't examine the issues thoroughly. The quote further implies that these non-examiners have little credibility or value in their opinions. Ultimately, the quote challenges people to question and critically evaluate the beliefs and ideas they inherit rather than blindly accepting them.