Do not just believe.

Whenever this rings in my mind, I concur so true, so true.


Do not believe what you have heard;
Do not believe in traditions just because they have been 
handed down for many generations;
Do not believe in anything just because it is 
rumored and spoken by many;

Do not believe merely because a written statement
of some old sage is produced;
Do not believe in conjectures;
Do not believe in that as truth to which
you have become attached by habit;
Do not believe merely the authority
of your teachers and elders;

After observation and analysis, when it agrees with reason
and is conducive to the good and gain of one and all,
then accept it and live up to it.

Kālāma Sutta
Aṇguttara Nikaya 3, 65