Opinion is that exercise of the human will which helps us to make a decision without information.

Erskine’s aphorism treats “opinion” less as a reasoned judgment than as a volitional act: when evidence is missing or inadequate, people still feel compelled to choose, and the will supplies a stance. The line is a wry critique of how confidently humans pronounce on matters they have not studied, suggesting that opinion often functions as a psychological shortcut that resolves uncertainty rather than a conclusion earned by information. It also implies a moral/intellectual challenge: to distinguish between decisions grounded in knowledge and those propelled by mere preference, temperament, or social pressure, and to cultivate the patience to suspend judgment when facts are lacking.