It is now possible to look back, and to take a broad view of the connection between the beliefs which a man holds, and his ability to put those beliefs into practice. Just as there are infinitely varied shades of belief, so there are many ways of putting beliefs into practice. It is tempting to think that the man who really believes something, who is calmly confident about it, inevitably puts his belief in that thing into practice when the occasion demands, in a simple natural unassuming and uncondescending way. But I think this is an over-simplification. Very possibly he can do that if he wants to, but I doubt if anyone must put their beliefs into practice; they can always choose not to. However, I think one can say with more confidence that the person who does not believe confidently cannot put his beliefs into practice naturally. If he tries to put his beliefs into practice, his efforts will be self-conscious to some degree, and either diffident and uncertain, or else with a pretended confidence which he does not possess in fact. In other words, if he pretends more confidence than he has, it will be done in an authoritarian way, or more simply dogmatically.
I think one may go further, and say that the person who believes confidently must put his beliefs into practice, if he wishes to retain his confident…