Quotes about the truth page 19
“Everything to be imagined is an image of truth.”
William Blake (1757–1827) English Romantic poet and artist
“You can only push the truth down for so long, and then it bubbles back up.”
Cassandra Clare book City of Glass
Source: City of Glass
Douglas Adams (1952–2001) English writer and humorist
Source: The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
“In truth, Freud sees nothing and understands nothing.”
Gilles Deleuze (1925–1995) French philosopher
Source: A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia
Brenda Ueland (1891–1985) Journalist and writer
Source: If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit
“seeker of truth
follow no path
all paths lead where
truth is here”
E.E. Cummings (1894–1962) American poet
3
73 poems (1963)
Robert M. Pirsig book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Source: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974), Ch. 1
Source: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
“The complexities of adult life get in the way of the truth.”
Mortimer J. Adler (1902–2001) American philosopher and educator
Source: How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading
“When kindness comes at the expense of truth, it is not a kindness worth having.”
Rachel Simmons (1974) American writer
Source: The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence
“Fiction just makes it all more interesting. Truth is so boring.”
Charlaine Harris book Dead as a Doornail
Source: Dead as a Doornail
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) German philosopher
"Religion: A Dialogue."
Variant translation: To free a man from error does not mean to take something from him, but to give him something.
Essays
Source: Essays and Aphorisms
Context: To free a man from error is to give, not to take away. Knowledge that a thing is false is a truth. Error always does harm; sooner or later it will bring mischief to the man who harbors it. Then give up deceiving people; confess ignorance of what you don't know, and leave everyone to form his own articles of faith for himself. Perhaps they won't turn out so bad, especially as they'll rub one another's corners down, and mutually rectify mistakes. The existence of many views will at any rate lay a foundation of tolerance. Those who possess knowledge and capacity may betake themselves to the study of philosophy, or even in their own persons carry the history of philosophy a step further.
Ingmar Bergman (1918–2007) Swedish filmmaker
On his plans for his autobiography Laterna Magica, as quoted in "Who is he really?" http://www.ingmarbergman.se/universe.asp?guid=4F72F9D3-43BB-405D-B42B-3D091B8FAF3A <br class="br">Source: The Magic Lantern
“Knock Knock. Who's there? The Truth. No joke.”
Stephen Colbert (1964) American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor
“It is the greatest truth of our age: Information is not knowledge.”
Caleb Carr (1955) Novelist, screenwriter, military historian
“The truth lies in between the 1st and the 40th drink”
Tori Amos (1963) American singer
Source: To Venus and Back
“Tell people the hammered truth, and it will ring like steel against an anvil.”
Elizabeth Haydon book The Floating Island
Source: The Floating Island
“Truth might be stranger than fiction, but it needs a better editor.”
David Benioff book City of Thieves
Source: City of Thieves
“They must find it hard to take Truth for authority who have so long mistaken Authority for Truth.”
Gerald Massey (1828–1907) British poet
A Retort, from Gerald Massey's Lectures c.1900; often cited as They must find it difficult, those who have taken authority as truth, rather than truth as authority. <br class="br">Based on a quote of Lucretia Mott, "… my convictions led me to adhere to the sufficiency of the light within us, resting on truth as authority, rather than “taking authority for truth.”", quoted in " Eminent women of the age http://books.google.de/books?id=gGFEDpWYWpwC&pg=PA375" By James Parton et. al., (S.M. Betts & Company, 1868, p375).
Thomas Szasz (1920–2012) Hungarian psychiatrist
Source: The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct
“If accusations fit your prejudices, truth is easily pushed aside.”
Gerald N. Lund (1939) American Mormon leader
George W. Bush (1946) 43rd President of the United States
May 24, 2005 http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/05/20050524-3.html <br class="br">2000s, 2005
Giordano Bruno (1548–1600) Italian philosopher, mathematician and astronomer
"Introductory Epistle : Argument of the Third Dialogue"
On the Infinite Universe and Worlds (1584)
Context: After it hath been seen how the obstinate and the ignorant of evil disposition are accustomed to dispute, it will further be shewn how disputes are wont to conclude; although others are so wary that without losing their composure, but with a sneer, a smile, a certain discreet malice, that which they have not succeeded in proving by argument — nor indeed can it be understood by themselves — nevertheless by these tricks of courteous disdain they pretend to have proven, endeavouring not only to conceal their own patently obvious ignorance but to cast it on to the back of their adversary. For they dispute not in order to find or even to seek Truth, but for victory, and to appear the more learned and strenuous upholders of a contrary opinion. Such persons should be avoided by all who have not a good breastplate of patience.
“Truth only exists for those who cling to it.
"Sosuke Aizen”
Tite Kubo (1977) Japanese manga artist
Source: Bleach―ブリーチ― 46 [Burīchi 46]
“In war-time,’ I said, ‘truth is so precious she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.”
Winston S. Churchill (1874–1965) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Discussion of Operation Overlord with Stalin at the Teheran Conference (November 30, 1943); in The Second World War, Volume V : Closing the Ring (1952), Chapter 21 (Teheran: The Crux), p. 338.
Post-war years (1945–1955)
Variant: In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.
“All liars… lie to protect themselves, to shield their egos from the raw pain of truth.”
Aminatta Forna book The Memory of Love
Source: The Memory of Love
“dreams are shadows cast by truth shining on our darkest secrets”
Elizabeth Chandler (1954) writer
Source: Legacy of Lies & Don't Tell
“Be very, very careful not to let the facts get mixed up with the truth.”
Jerry Spinelli (1941) American children's writer
“The truth is always exciting. Speak it, then. Life is dull without it.”
Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973) American writer
As quoted in Know Your Limits — Then Ignore Them (2000) by John Mason, p. 46
“Truth only means something when it's hard to admit.”
Nicholas Sparks book The Last Song
Source: The Last Song
“the strange ideas we derive today will one day be our celebrated truths”
Dan Brown book The Lost Symbol
Source: The Lost Symbol
Jonathan Haidt (1963) American psychologist
Source: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion (2012)
“Anyone who values truth should stop worshipping reason.”
Jonathan Haidt (1963) American psychologist
Cited in: Alistair Croll, Benjamin Yoskovitz (2013) Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster. p. 168.
Source: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion (2012)
Haruki Murakami book Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Source: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (1985), Chapter 38, Escape
“You know there's no such thing as a complete lie. There's always some truth in there.”
David Levithan book Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Source: Will Grayson, Will Grayson
“They were always on the move. But in truth said bull we are all going nowhere”
Kate DiCamillo book The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Source: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
“If you've got the truth you can demonstrate it. Talking doesn't prove it.”
Robert A. Heinlein book Stranger in a Strange Land
Source: Stranger in a Strange Land
Lisa Kleypas (1964) American writer
Source: Smooth Talking Stranger
“Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion.”
Edward Abbey (1927–1989) American author and essayist
A Voice Crying in the Wilderness (Vox Clamantis in Deserto) (1990)
Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677) Dutch philosopher
Letter 56 (60), to Hugo Boxel (1674) http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=1711&chapter=144218&layout=html&Itemid=27 <br class="br">Source: The Letters <br class="br">Context: When you say that if I deny, that the operations of seeing, hearing, attending, wishing, &c., can be ascribed to God, or that they exist in him in any eminent fashion, you do not know what sort of God mine is; I suspect that you believe there is no greater perfection than such as can be explained by the aforesaid attributes. I am not astonished; for I believe that, if a triangle could speak, it would say, in like manner, that God is eminently triangular, while a circle would say that the divine nature is eminently circular. Thus each would ascribe to God its own attributes, would assume itself to be like God, and look on everything else as ill-shaped.<br>The briefness of a letter and want of time do not allow me to enter into my opinion on the divine nature, or the questions you have propounded. Besides, suggesting difficulties is not the same as producing reasons. That we do many things in the world from conjecture is true, but that our redactions are based on conjecture is false. In practical life we are compelled to follow what is most probable; in speculative thought we are compelled to follow truth. A man would perish of hunger and thirst, if he refused to eat or drink, till he had obtained positive proof that food and drink would be good for him. But in philosophic reflection this is not so. On the contrary, we must take care not to admit as true anything, which is only probable. For when one falsity has been let in, infinite others follow.<br>Again, we cannot infer that because sciences of things divine and human are full of controversies and quarrels, therefore their whole subject-matter is uncertain; for there have been many persons so enamoured of contradiction, as to turn into ridicule geometrical axioms.
Mortimer J. Adler (1902–2001) American philosopher and educator
Source: How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading
Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957) American children's writer, diarist, and journalist
Letter to children (February 1947) http://www.liwfrontiergirl.com/letter.html <br class="br">Context: The Little House books are stories of long ago. The way we live and your schools are much different now, so many changes have made living and learning easier. But the real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.
Michel Foucault (1926–1984) French philosopher
Source: The History of Sexuality, Volume 1: An Introduction
“The truth is always simpler than you can imagine.”
Christopher Pike (1954) American author Kevin Christopher McFadden
Source: The Red Dice
“It frightens me the awful truth of how sweet life can be.”
Bob Dylan (1941) American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and artist
Song lyrics, Biograph (1985), Up to Me (recorded 1974)
Cormac McCarthy book No Country for Old Men
Source: No Country for Old Men (2005)
Context: The stories gets passed on and the truth gets passed over. As the sayin goes. Which I reckon some would take as meanin that the truth cant compete. But I dont believe that. I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt. You cant corrupt it because that's what it is. It's the thing you're talkin about. I've heard it compared to the rock — maybe in the bible—and I wouldnt disagree with that. But it'll be here even when the rock is gone. I'm sure they's people would disagree with that. Quite a few, in fact. But I never could find out what any of them did believe.
“Memories did one no good, not when one knew the truth in the present”
Cassandra Clare book Clockwork Prince
Source: Clockwork Prince
“The truth comes to me. The truth loves me.”
Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) American poet, novelist and short story writer
Bill Watterson (1958) American comic artist
Source: The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
“at the center of every fairy tale lay a truth that gave the story its power.”
Susan Wiggs (1958) American writer
Source: The You I Never Knew
