"Learn to control ego. Humans hold their dogmas and biases too tightly, and we only think that our opponents are dogmatic! But we all need criticism. Criticism is the only known antidote to error."

David Brin Literature See all quotes by David Brin →

React to this quote

More by David Brin

“Alas, criticism has always been what human beings, especially leaders, most hate to hear.”

“What hope has any endeavor which is based on hate and fear?”

“Daisy had learned not to pay much heed to techno-fads. To her fell the task of preserving as much as possible, so that when humanity finally did fall, it wouldn’t take everything else to the grave with it.”

““After all,” he muttered, “what can they do to shake the confidence of a fellow who’s got delusions of adequacy?”

“Contrary Brin, David Brin's blog”

“Wisdom. No match for the troublemaker Curiosity.”

Resonant Thoughts

"Animals are born, are sentient and are mortal. In these things they resemble man. In their superficial anatomy — less in their deep anatomy — in their habits, in their time, in their physical capaciti…"

— John Berger

Art1926–2017

#life

"But I think all of us would also agree that there's a very central part of your faith in how you approach public life. And I, frankly, would be really worried if somebody assured me that nothing in th…"

— Newt Gingrich

Politics1943

#faith

"A modern theory of knowledge which takes account of the relational as distinct from the merely relative character of all historical knowledge must start with the assumption that there are spheres of t…"

— Karl Mannheim

philosophy1893–1947

#knowledge

"You know there’s no advantage to be gained by murdering idiots—it doesn’t teach the idiot anything and it might give onlookers the idea that you take them seriously."

— Charles Stross

Literature1964

#knowledge