The general root of superstition is that men observe when things hit, and not when they miss, and commit to memory the one, and pass over the other.
Francis Bacon (1826). “The Works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Alban and Lord High Chancellor of England: Sylva sylvarum (century IX-X) Physiological remains. Medical remains. Medical receipts. Works moral: Colours of good and evil. Essays of counsels civil and moral. Theological works”, p.70
