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Abhors Quotes

On strong reactions dressed up as plain fact.

Several of these lines lean on the same idea from different angles — that minds, like nature, "abhor" gaps: discrepancies, unexplained phenomena, a vacuum of explanation. One older text uses the word in a heavier, more legal sense about forced belief. Browse Book for more.

The brain abhors discrepancies.

Quotes by Vilayanur S. Ramachandran

To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.

Thomas Jefferson

Nature abhors a hero. For one thing, he violates the law of conservation of energy. For another, how can it be the survival of the fittest when the fittest keeps putting himself in situations where he is most likely to...

Quotes by Solomon Short

I'm absolutely confident that the God that I worship abhors violence.

Quotes by Richard Mourdock

Annihilation Quotes

The reason people turn to supernatural explanations is that the mind abhors a vacuum of explanation. Because we do not yet have a fully natural explanation for mind and consciousness, people turn to supernatural explanations to fill the void.

Quotes by Michael Shermer

Politics abhors a vacuum.

Quotes by Max Baucus

Nature abhors annihilation.

Quotes by Marcus Tullius Cicero

By the law of Christ, every man is bound to love his neighbour as himself; but every servant is a neighbour of every civil lord; therefore every civil lord must love any of his servants as himself; but by natural...

Quotes by John Wycliffe

Those who abhors democracy would rarely immigrate to an authoritarian state if they have to.

Quotes by Joe Chung

Asset Quotes

There is nothing more inimical to writing than the spirit of fundamentalism. Fundamentalism abhors the play of signs, the endlessness of writing. Fundamentalism means nothing more or less than going back to an origin and staying there. It stands for...

Quotes by J. M. Coetzee

Democracy abhors a vacuum.

Quotes by Gina Miller

Political nature abhors a vacuum, which is what often exists for a year or two in a party after it loses a presidential election.

Quotes by George Will

Nature abhors a vacuum.

Quotes by Francois Rabelais

Nature abhors a virgin - a frozen asset.

Quotes by Clare Boothe Luce

Authoritarian Quotes

Government tends to stifle innovation, and it abhors improvisation. Any good military strategist will tell you that a battle plan rarely survives past the first engagement. After that, you have to improvise to survive and to win.

Quotes by Betsy DeVos

Sane judgment abhors nothing so much as a picture perpetrated with no technical knowledge, although with plenty of care and diligence.

Quotes by Albrecht Durer

Frequently Asked Questions

What ties the Abhors quotes together?
Most of them use "abhors" to describe a mind or a field of study rejecting the unresolved — discrepancies, unexplained phenomena, gaps in understanding — rather than a person hating something outright.
Why would someone search for quotes using 'abhors'?
This word shows up often in science writing and older philosophical or religious texts, so readers researching either area tend to land on this page.
Is there a scientific quote in this set?
Yes, one plainly states that the brain abhors discrepancies, a line often used to describe how minds seek consistent explanations.
Does the word appear in an older or historical context too?
It does — one quote uses "abhors" in a heavier, older sense tied to compelling belief and moral duty, quite different from the scientific usage.
What's a related page to explore?
The Book quotes are a fitting next stop for readers interested in the ideas behind this one.

The common thread is discomfort with the unresolved, whether that's a scientific puzzle or a moral one. For nearby ideas, see Asset and Authoritarian.