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Truth told clearly cannot be understood without also being believed; understanding entails assent.

William Blake · Căsătoria Cerului cu Infernul · 1793 · Proverbele Infernului1 minute readpublic domain
Truth can never be told so as to be understood, and not be believ'd.William Blake · Căsătoria Cerului cu Infernul · 1793 · Proverbele Infernului

Blake makes a point about communication: if someone truly understands a true statement, they also accept it. Refusing to believe means real understanding has not happened yet, only an empty paraphrase. The mechanism is that to understand a proposition is to see what it claims about the world; if your world contradicts it, you have not reached the same meaning. That is why persuasion comes not from more arguments but from the shift of perspective that makes the claim visible.

Why it mattersExplains why disputes persist: often the parties do not disagree, they simply talk past each other.

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