"What we wish, that we readily believe"
About this Quote
Demosthenes is accusing the mind of being a cozy accomplice to power. “What we wish, that we readily believe” isn’t just a comment on human weakness; it’s a warning about how democracies get talked into danger. The line works because it turns belief into a kind of self-indulgence. Reason isn’t defeated by better arguments, it’s bribed by desire.
As a statesman in fourth-century Athens, Demosthenes spent his career trying to rally a fractious public against Philip of Macedon. He watched citizens prefer comforting stories (peace is secure, the threat is distant, someone else will pay the cost) over the unpleasant arithmetic of defense. In that context, the quote is less about private psychology than civic vulnerability: a public can be conquered long before the army arrives, if it chooses optimism as a substitute for judgment.
The subtext is prosecutorial. Demosthenes isn’t flattering his audience’s ideals; he’s indicting their appetites. “Wish” signals more than hope: it implies self-interest, convenience, the desire to avoid sacrifice. “Readily” is the knife twist, suggesting not an honest mistake but an eagerness to be persuaded when persuasion lets you stay comfortable.
Rhetorically, it’s devastating because it’s compact and reversible: it doesn’t say people believe what’s true, but what’s useful to believe. That’s why it still lands in an era of spin, bubbles, and motivated reasoning. The quote doesn’t ask us to be smarter; it asks us to notice what we’re trying to purchase with our credulity.
As a statesman in fourth-century Athens, Demosthenes spent his career trying to rally a fractious public against Philip of Macedon. He watched citizens prefer comforting stories (peace is secure, the threat is distant, someone else will pay the cost) over the unpleasant arithmetic of defense. In that context, the quote is less about private psychology than civic vulnerability: a public can be conquered long before the army arrives, if it chooses optimism as a substitute for judgment.
The subtext is prosecutorial. Demosthenes isn’t flattering his audience’s ideals; he’s indicting their appetites. “Wish” signals more than hope: it implies self-interest, convenience, the desire to avoid sacrifice. “Readily” is the knife twist, suggesting not an honest mistake but an eagerness to be persuaded when persuasion lets you stay comfortable.
Rhetorically, it’s devastating because it’s compact and reversible: it doesn’t say people believe what’s true, but what’s useful to believe. That’s why it still lands in an era of spin, bubbles, and motivated reasoning. The quote doesn’t ask us to be smarter; it asks us to notice what we’re trying to purchase with our credulity.
Quote Details
| Topic | Truth |
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