Knowing

Do not believe what you have heard
Do not believe in tradition because it is handed down many generations
Do not believe in anything that has been spoken of many times
Do not believe because the written statements come from some old sage
Do not believe in conjecture
Do not believe in authority or teachers or elders
But after careful observation and analysis, when it agrees with reason, then accept it and live by it
                                                                                                         -   Buddha