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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/29498
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/29498
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

It is not necessary to qualify every statement you make. You are the one making the statement. It goes without saying that you believe the statement you are making.

However, there are specific times when it is appropriate to add "I believe".

- You are contrasting your belief with someone else's belief, and you wish to acknowledge that the other's belief is also reasonable. "I believe it will rain tomorrow but Tom thinks it will stay dry." 

- You are making a statement in which you have less confidence than the statements that have come before. "It is roast beef for dinner, and I believe there is pie for dessert."

- You are making an affirmation of faith: "I believe in God, the father almighty...", "I believe in love."

- You are making a romantic or figurative affirmation: "I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows." 

In short, the appropriate use of "I believe" is to signal that the statement you are making is in some way different in type or certainty from the ordinary statements you make. (Curiously, it is used both for statement you are more certain of and for statements you are less certain of, than ordinary statements.)

Original score: 10