Science Quote by William John Wills

The line points to a simple but often ignored truth about belief: to believe something is, by definition, to take oneself to be right about it. If we did not, we would abandon or revise the belief. That tautology becomes a human insight when applied to disagreement. When people clash over politics, religion, science, or everyday decisions, they are not just battling facts; they are defending their own sense of being right. The intensity of argument often springs less from malice than from the natural psychology of conviction.

Recognizing this does not make all beliefs equally good. Sincerity is not a guarantee of truth. What it does is shift the ethical posture of disagreement. If everyone thinks they are right, then certainty alone cannot be the measure of correctness. Evidence, methods, and openness to revision matter more. The line nudges us toward intellectual humility: to ask what would change my mind, to separate a persons worth from the positions they hold, and to build practices that check our biases, such as peer review, adversarial debate, and clear standards of proof.

William John Wills, a 19th-century explorer who perished during the Burke and Wills expedition across Australia, knew something about decisions made under uncertainty. On a frontier, the cost of error is stark, and conviction runs high because hesitation can be fatal. The sentiment meshes with that context: brave people can be wrong, determined plans can be misguided, and groups can reinforce each other’s certainties while reality remains indifferent. Tragedy is not proof of bad faith, only of the limits of human judgment.

Taken seriously, the observation becomes a discipline. It asks for charity toward opponents, skepticism toward one’s own blind spots, and systems that make it easier to admit error. We all feel right; the hard work is making beliefs earn that feeling.