Belief is not subject to the will. Men think as they must. Children do not, and cannot, believe exactly as they were taught. They are not exactly like their parents. They differ in temperament, in experience, in capacity, in surroundings. And so there is a continual, though almost imperceptible change. There is development, conscious and unconscious growth, and by comparing long periods of time we find that the old has been almost abandoned, almost lost in the new. . Robert G. Ingersoll
About This Quote

Belief is not subject to the will. This quote is a reminder that people do not always believe as they must. People can be influenced by outside factors, even if those factors are only thought of. A person may have a belief that is influenced by something they saw on TV, or a belief that comes from a book they read, or a belief that is influenced by what they hear from their parents.

However, people do not always believe exactly as they were taught. They are not exactly like their parents. They differ in temperament, in experience, in capacity, in surroundings.

And so there is a continual, though almost imperceptible change. There is development, conscious and unconscious growth, and by comparing long periods of time we find that the old has been almost abandoned, almost lost in the new.

Source: Superstition And Other Essays

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