"I spent, as you know, a year and a half in a clergyman's family and heard almost every Tuesday the very best, most earnest and most impressive preacher it has ever been my fortune to meet with, but it produced no effect whatever on my mind"
- Alfred Russel Wallace
About this Quote
This quote by Alfred Russel Wallace talks to the power of individual experience and the value of private beliefs. Wallace spent a year and a half in a clergyman's family and heard a really remarkable preacher every Tuesday, yet it had no impact on his mind. This recommends that Wallace had currently formed his own beliefs and was not swayed by the preacher's words. It also suggests that personal experience is more effective than external impacts when it comes to forming beliefs. This quote highlights the value of individual idea and the power of personal experience in forming beliefs. It also suggests that no matter how persuasive someone may be, it is ultimately optional to choose what they think.
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