"There is a principal which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep man in everlasting ignorance –

"There is a principal which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep man in everlasting ignorance – That principle is contempt prior to investigation.” -- Herbert Spencer I find that breaking the habit of being quick to judge leads to open-mindedness. This is also a tenet of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - your first thought and subsequent feelings that arise from that thought are often wrong.