I'm A Speaker, Your A Listener.
Belief is a wonderful way to pass the time until the facts come in.
It is not enough to call yourself a 'free thinker' just because you can change your beliefs. A whole mess of people change their beliefs based on what is fashionable rather than what is factual, which...
History will always repeat itself, because it makes for good reading. It doesn't have to be truthful or factual, just entertaining with the odd fact thrown in for good measure.
While what I write is always largely consistent with the records that remain I freely admit that where historical fact proves a barrier to invention, I simply move a detail a little one way or another...
Not to understand something is better than misunderstanding it.
... Whenever the man of science introduces his personal value judgment, a full understanding of the facts ceases.
Quoting Shakespeare doesn't make you an intellectual. It just makes you a fan of Shakespeare.