
“Truth can never be told so as to be understood, and not be believed.”
Source: 1790s, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790–1793), Proverbs of Hell, Line 69
Re: Evolution (24 June 1994) This is derived from a statement of William Blake: "Truth cannot be told, so as to be understood, and not be believ'd."
Variant: If the truth can be told so as to be understood, it will be believed.
“Truth can never be told so as to be understood, and not be believed.”
Source: 1790s, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790–1793), Proverbs of Hell, Line 69
Why I Am An Agnostic (1929)
J 77
Aphorisms (1765-1799), Notebook J (1789)
Eino Leino, "Smiling Apollo," in: Antti Tuomainen (2015), Dark As My Heart, p. 87
Source: Gargantua and Pantagruel (1532–1564), Third Book (1546), Chapter 52 : How a certain kind of Pantagruelion is of that nature that the fire is not able to consume it
Context: I have already related to you great and admirable things; but, if you might be induced to adventure upon the hazard of believing some other divinity of this sacred Pantagruelion, I very willingly would tell it you. Believe it, if you will, or otherwise, believe it not, I care not which of them you do, they are both alike to me. It shall be sufficient for my purpose to have told you the truth, and the truth I will tell you.
“How many times have I told you not to believe everything you hear? Seek truth for yourself.”
Source: Kingdom of the Golden Dragon
So Sweet Love Seemed, st. 2 (1893).
Shorter Poems (1879-1893)