The Scripture saith, The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God; it is not said, The fool hath thought in his heart; so as he rather saith it, by rote to himself, as that he would have, than that he can thoroughly believe it, or be persuaded of it....It appeareth in nothing more, that atheism is rather in the lip, than in the heart of man.
The human understanding is no dry light, but receives an infusion from the will and affections... What a man had rather were true he more readily believes.
It is the true office of history to represent the events themselves, together with the counsels, and to leave the observations and conclusions thereupon to the liberty and faculty of every man's judgment
It is a good point of cunning for a man to shape the answer he would have in his own words and propositions, for it makes the other party stick the less.