Who really said it
Peirce is credited with this maxim in Collected Papers 1.135. Sourced and specialist quotations pin the wording, but the original collected volume was not independently checked.
Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?
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Unconfirmed quote & credit
“Do not block the way of inquiry” — Charles Sanders Peirce
Can you use it?
Still under copyright (rights held by Harvard University Press and/or the rights holders of the collected edition.). A short, credited quote is generally fine for talks, teaching, and internal decks; for commercial, published, or large-scale reuse, get permission.
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In context
Evoking the world of Charles Sanders Peirce — American philosopher and logician. Theme: "Do not block the way of inquiry". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
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Provenance
the way of inquiry
A brief literal excerpt from the fetched source; the explanation above identifies the full passage and its context.
Read the sourceHow we verified this
The identified source is a publication from 1931 or later. The passage is treated as in copyright; only a brief source excerpt is reproduced here.
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Context
The maxim follows a rule that genuine learning requires a desire to learn rather than satisfaction with existing beliefs. The manuscript or lecture occasion and the later publication are separate dates; no first-publication claim is made for an earlier lecture year.
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Wikiquote supplies the exact sentence and paragraph reference; Peirce biographer Joseph Brent reproduces it in context. A scholarly citation identifies volume I’s 1931 publication.
The biographer quotes the maxim with its surrounding argument about learning.
The accepted scholarly article cites the passage in the 1931 Harvard volume in note79.
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The author
For writers & researchers
Charles Sanders Peirce. Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce, volume I. 1931. Volume I, paragraph135; scholarly note79 confirms 1931 volume.. Consulted via the linked source.
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Do not block the way of inquiry’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/do-not-block-the-way-of-inquiry/