"Let us call an antischolar—someone who focuses on the unread books, and makes an attempt not to treat his knowledge as a treasure, or even a possession, or even a self-esteem enhancement device—a skeptical empiricist."
Part One, Umerto Eco's Antilibrary, or How We Seek Validation, p. 2

"It is one thing to be cosmetically defiant of authority by wearing unconventional clothes—what social scientists and economists call 'cheap signaling'—and another to prove willingness to translate belief into action."
Chapter 1, The Apprenticeship of an Empirical Skeptic, p. 6

"It is true that a thousand days cannot prove you right, but one day can prove you wrong."
Chapter 5, Confirmation Shmonfirmation! p. 57

"The very same desire for order, interestingly, applies to scientific pursuits—it is just that, unlike art, the (stated) purpose of science is to get to the truth, not to give you a...