"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool."
— Richard Feynman
The First Principle Is That You
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool.
About this quote
Richard Feynman said this in his 1974 Caltech commencement address, published as "Cargo Cult Science." The full statement is: "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool." He used it to introduce the concept of scientific integrity — the special obligation scientists have not to rationalize results they want to be true. The address is one of the most quoted texts in the philosophy of science education.
Source
Cargo Cult Science, Caltech commencement address (1974)
