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John Stuart Mill Quotes about Purpose

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There is the greatest difference between presuming an opinion to be true, because, with every opportunity for contesting it, it has not been refuted, and assuming its truth for the purpose of not permitting its

There is the greatest difference between presuming an opinion to be true, because, with every opportunity for contesting it, it has not been refuted, and assuming its truth for the purpose of not permitting its refutation.

John Stuart Mill
Opportunity, Differences, Purpose
Source: www.usconstitution.net

When a thing is bought not for its use but for its costliness, cheapness is no recommendation. As Sismondi remarks, the consequence of cheapening articles of vanity, is not that less is expended on such things, but that the buyers substitute for the cheapened article some other which is more costly, or a more elaborate quality of the same thing; and as the inferior quality answered the purpose of vanity equally well when it was equally expensive, a tax on the article is really paid by nobody: it is a creation of public revenue by which nobody loses.

John Stuart Mill
Vanity, Quality, Purpose
John Stuart Mill (1862). “Principles of Political Economy, with Some of Their Applications to Social Philosophy”, p.460

Men and governments must act to the best of their ability. There is no such thing as absolute certainty but there is assurance sufficient for the purposes of human life.

John Stuart Mill
Destiny, Men, Purpose
John Stuart Mill (1865). “On Liberty”, p.11

Ask yourself whether you are happy and you cease to be so. The only chance is to treat not happiness, but some end external to it, as the purpose of life.

John Stuart Mill
Purpose, Chance, Ends
John Stuart Mill, Thomas Carlyle (2010). “Autobiography of J.S. Mill & on Liberty; Characteristics, Inaugural Address at Edinburgh & Sir Walter Scott”, p.94, Cosimo, Inc.

Complete liberty of contradicting and disproving our opinion, is the very condition which justifies us in assuming its truth for purposes of action.

John Stuart Mill
Liberty, Purpose, Action
Source: www.usconstitution.net

Since reasoning , or inference, the principal subject of logic, is an operation which usually takes place by means of words , and in complicated cases can take place in no other way: those who have not a thorough insight into both the signification and purpose of words, will be under chances, amounting almost to certainty, of reasoning or inferring incorrectly.

John Stuart Mill
Mean, Way, Purpose
John Stuart Mill (2016). “A System Of Logic, Ratiocinative And Inductive: Mill's Works”, p.20, VM eBooks

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