لقد أقنعتني ملاحظاتي على المدى الطويل بأن بعض الناس، حين يستدلّون استدلالًا معوجًّا، يُرسّخون في عقولهم نتيجةً ما، وذلك إما لأنها من بنات أفكارهم، أو لأنهم تلقّوها ممن يثقون به ثقةً تامة، فتتغلغل فيهم إلى حدّ يستحيل معه اقتلاعها من رؤوسهم.

“In the long run my observations have convinced me that some men, reasoning preposterously, first establish some conclusion in their minds which, either because of its being their own or because of their having received it from some person who has their entire confidence, impresses them so deeply that one finds it impossible ever to get it out of their heads.”Galileo Galilei — Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems