Quotes About Truth

La invención, no la copia de la realidad, es la verdad del arte.

Eu sei que vossa excelência preferia uma delicada mentira; mas eu não conheço nada mais delicado que a verdade.

I considered the case and realized that if something can exist in opinion without existing in reality, or exist in reality without existing in opinion, the conclusion is that of the two parallel lives, only opinion is necessary – not reality, which is only a secondary consideration.

There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you.

he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.

Modesty is a shining light; it prepares the mind to receive knowledge, and the heart for truth.

Whatever truth you have chosen, read only a small portion of it, endeavouring to taste and digest it, to extract the essence and substance thereof, and proceed no farther while any savour or relish remains in the passage: when this subsides, pick up your book again and proceed as before, seldom reading more than half a page at a time, for it is not the quantity that is read, but the manner of reading, that yields us profit.

History would be far different if we did not tend to hear God most clearly when we think He is telling us exactly what it is we want to hear

I had learned from my own experience not to be surprised when a man lies about sex.

At a time like this with damage and disorder everywhere, no tale is too absurd to be believed and even decent people seek something on which to vent their anger.

The temptation is powerful to close our eyes and wait for the worst to pass, but history tells us that for freedom to survive, it must be defended and that if lies are to stop, they must be exposed.

Democracy is not only a form of state, it is not just something that is embodied in a constitution; democracy is a view of life, it requires a belief in human beings, in humanity. . . . I have already said that democracy is a discussion. But the real discussion is possible only if people trust each other and if they try fairly to find the truth.

Repeat a lie often enough and it begins to sound as if it must—or at least might—be so.

The advantage of a free press is diminished when anyone can claim to be an objective journalist, then disseminate narratives conjured out of thin air to make others believe rubbish. The tactic is effective because people sitting at home or tapping away in a coffee shop often have no reliable way to determine whether the source of what they are reading is legitimate

This is the first rule of deception: repeated often enough, almost any statement, story, or smear can start to sound plausible.

whole countries lived behind barbed wire, and governments insisted that down was up and black was white.

believe we can recognize truth when we see it, just not at first and not without ever relenting in our efforts to learn more.

The advantage of a free press is diminished when anyone can claim to be an objective journalist, then disseminate narratives conjured out of thin air to make others believe rubbish.

the clash between Nazi lies and the rule of law came to a head; the lies won.

Falsehood flies," observed Jonathan Swift, "and the truth comes limping after it." McCarthy's

Some may view this book and its title as alarmist. Good. We should be awake to the assault on democratic values that has gathered strength in many countries abroad and that is dividing America at home. The temptation is powerful to close our eyes and wait for the worst to pass, but history tells us that for freedom to survive, it must be defended, and that if lies are to stop, they must be exposed.

We need to do a better job of describing the reality we confront.

Most of us lived through the years when spam threatened to destroy e-mail. Today, democracy is being weakened by lies that come in waves and pound our senses the way a beach is assaulted by the surf. Leaders who play by the rules are having trouble staying ahead of a relentless news cycle and must devote too much effort trying to disprove stories that seem to come out of nowhere and have been invented solely to do them in.

Repeat a lie often enough and it begins to sound as if it must—or at least might—be so. "Falsehood flies," observed Jonathan Swift, "and the truth comes limping after it." McCarthy's career shows how much hysteria a skilled and shameless prevaricator can stir up, especially when he claims to be fighting in a just cause.