Things a Man Should Believe

"Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things that a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good. That honor, courage and virtues mean everything. That power and money, money and power mean nothing; that Good always triumphs over Evil; and I want you to remember this: That Love, true Love never dies. Doesn't matter if any of this is true or not. You see, a man should believe in these things because these are the things worth believing in."
-Hub McCann from the movie Secondhand Lions


Pragmatism is the idea that truth should be measured by its utility rather than its relation to objective reality. For example, you may have heard: Don’t get close to a porcupine because they can shoot their quills. This, in fact, is not true. Porcupines can not projectile shoot their quills. It is, however, useful to tell people they can so they keep a safe distance.

This strikes at the heart of Uncle Hub’s wisdom to a young Walt. There are truths that are important irrespective of their tie to objective reality. The type of truths that shape a boy into a man. Truth be damned.

The last three books I read…
The Bomber Mafia
Impact Players
Essentialism