“Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There’s no better rule.”
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 40. Mr. Jaggers offers this advice to Pip, as he shares his own basic rule of life with him. He tells him not to make decisions based on looks, but rely instead to on concrete proof and verifiable evidence. Pip was saying how he thought Miss Havisham was his benefactor. But Jaggers a successful lawyer and expert on the law says there was no evidence for that. He is stressing the importance of avoiding self-deception, something Pip is prone to.