Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it.

Gide’s aphorism contrasts the intellectual humility of inquiry with the complacency of certainty. Those “seeking the truth” remain open to evidence, revision, and dialogue; their stance is provisional and therefore more trustworthy. By contrast, people who claim they have “found” the truth often signal dogmatism—an attachment to a final answer that can harden into ideology, self-deception, or coercion. The line reflects a modern, skeptical sensibility: truth is approached through continual questioning rather than possessed as a finished object. It also serves as a warning about charismatic authorities and closed systems of belief, urging readers to value process over proclamation.