A man said to me some time ago, “Moody, the doctrine you preach is so very absurd. You preach that men have only to believe to change the whole course of their life. A man will not change his course by simply believing.”
I replied, “I think I can make you believe that in less than two minutes.”
“No, you can’t,” he said. “I’ll never believe it.”
I said, “Let us make sure that we understand each other. You say a man is not affected by what he believes, that it will not change the course of his actions?”
“I do.”
“Supposing,” I said, “a man should put his head in at that door and say the house is on fire, what would you do? You would get out by the window if you believed it, wouldn’t you?”
“Oh,” he replied, “I didn’t think of that!”
“No,” I said, “I guess you didn’t.”
Belief is the foundation of all society, of commerce, and of everything else.