“It is no use trying to fight these forces without giving up the idea of conversion, which I assure you is the deadliest poison which ever sapped the fountain of truth.”
Share this quote
About this quote
Trying to win people over to your own creed treats their conscience as territory to capture rather than something to respect. The warning is that this impulse corrupts the very truth it claims to serve — real conviction can't be installed in someone from the outside.
When to use it
- A parent who lets an adult child hold different beliefs instead of pressing the point at every dinner.
- A mentor who shares his approach but stops short of insisting the junior abandon her own methods.
- A traveler who learns local customs with curiosity rather than trying to correct them.