"The folly of mistaking a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a proof, a torrent of verbiage for a spring of capital truths, and oneself for an oracle, is inborn in us"

This quote by Paul Valery speaks to the human propensity to error a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a proof, a torrent of words for a source of important facts, and to consider oneself as an oracle. Simply put, we typically make the mistake of thinking that something holds true simply due to the fact that it sounds great or because we desire it to be real. This is a hazardous routine, as it can lead us to make decisions based upon false info or misdirected beliefs. Valery is alerting us to be familiar with this tendency and to be careful not to fall under the trap of believing something simply since it sounds good or due to the fact that we want it to be true. We must want to question our own beliefs and to seek out evidence to support our claims. Only then can we be sure that we are making decisions based on facts and not on false assumptions.