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A Demonstration (n.) demanded ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠in the ordinary affairs of life would leave a man sure of nothing in this world but of perishing quickly.

A Demonstration (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠always preceded by doubt, which intuition never is — no more than the eye doubts whether ink and paper are the same colour.

A Demonstration (n.) comes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠easily to those who claim the privilege of taking their principles for granted — grant Locke that, and he can demonstrate too.

A Demonstration (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a chain of intuitions held in memory; because memory slips in long deductions, men often embrace falsehood for demonstrations.

A Demonstration (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠agreement shown to the understanding by intervening ideas called proofs — the mind made to see that it is so.

A Demonstration (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not the privilege of number and figure; that it has seldom been aimed at elsewhere may be want of method in us, not want of evidence in things.

A Demonstration (n.) by ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠maxims is only verbal: a child whose idea of man includes white skin can "prove" by the principle of contradiction that a negro is not a man.

A Demonstration (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠like a face reflected from mirror to mirror: still knowledge as long as it keeps the likeness, but dimmer at every remove, until after a long train of proof it is hard to know at first sight.

A Demonstration (n.) that ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠is merely verbal leaves a man no wiser than a bag of counters leaves him richer, when he calls one a pound, another a shilling and a third a penny, casts up a great sum, and still does not know what a pound is.