My teacher in first grade said that long ago people used to believe all kinds of things, because they didn't know any better. Like you shouldn't take a bath, because it could make you sick. And then someone saw germs under a microscope and started to think differently. You can believe something really hard, and still be wrong. {Faith White}
In Jodi Picoult's book "Keeping Faith," the narrator recalls a lesson from their first-grade teacher about past beliefs held by people due to a lack of knowledge. For instance, there was a time when people thought taking a bath could be harmful to their health. This illustrates how misconceptions can persist until new information, such as the discovery of germs, shifts public understanding.
The quote emphasizes that deeply held beliefs can still be incorrect. It challenges the notion that conviction equates to truth, highlighting the importance of evidence and knowledge in shaping our understanding of the world. Faith White’s perspective invites readers to reflect on how beliefs evolve over time as discoveries are made.