Famous quotes
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Truth
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“It’s a debate,” he spat, “over truth. Which truth is more true? The inspiring myth or the bleak, blood-caked reality?”
Ian Tregillis (born 1973) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The family is the heart of coexistence. The most profound experience of society that we all have is the family. If the family ceases to be the place of true love, love ceases to exist in the world and it is replaced by egoism. This is a catastrophe. The Church is taking very seriously the defense of the truth of the family, defending the truth of love exactly as Jesus manifested it.”
Fernando Sebastián Aguilar (1929–2019) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: To Collaborate With the Pope Is to Collaborate With Jesus, Says New Spanish Cardinal (25 February 2014) Zenit
“OK, we'll tell her you dug the grave." It's the truth - stretch, but still true. Besides, what would be left of love without truth stretched beyond its limits, without those better versions of ourselves that we present as the only ones that exist?”
Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ (born 1988) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I think there's no difference in acting for TV and for theatre, that was just me ... As long as you are telling the truth and you are true to the script and to the character. You can get away with anything as long as you tell the truth.”
Thobani Nzuza (born 1993) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: LISTEN | Here's why 'eHostela' actor Thobani Nzuza didn't think he'd end up on TV, TimesLIVE,Chrizelda Kekana, 5 March 2021
“Living in certainty, for what we have said so far, is not living in truth. And precisely in the name of truth, we must observe that the promise of certainty [...] gives peace. But it is also true that peace, as Kafka said, is what one wishes for ashes. (p. 106)”
Maurizio Ferraris (born 1956) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Whenever you look at human nature in masses, you find every truth met by a counter truth, and both equally true.”
Charles Buxton (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[In sacred art], true genius can develop without making innovations: it attains perfection, depth and power of expression almost imperceptibly by means of the imponderables of truth and beauty ripened in that humility without which there can be no true greatness.”
Frithjof Schuon (1907–1998) said by 1998 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am saying that truth may certainly be true whatever my opinion may be, but it has no authority with me until I perceive it to be true.”
Leslie Weatherhead (1893–1976) said by 1976 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It has been said that every great emerging scientific truth goes to three phases: First people say: "It can't be true". Second they say: "It conflicts with the bible." Third they say: "It's true all along.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson (born 1958) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Let men learn (as we have said above) the difference that exists between the idols of the human mind, and the ideas of the Divine mind. The former are mere arbitrary abstractions; the latter the true marks of the Creator on his creatures, as they are imprinted on, and defined in matter, by true and exquisite touches. Truth, therefore, and utility are here perfectly identical.”
Francis Bacon (1561–1626) said by 1626 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What is not true, as everyone knows, is always immensely more fascinating and satisfying to the vast majority of men than what is true. Truth has a harshness that alarms them, and an air of finality that collides with their incurable romanticism.”
H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) said by 1956 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are three stages of truth. First is that it can't be true, and that's what they said. You couldn't immunize against polio with a killed-virus vaccine. Second phase: they say, "Well, if it's true, it's not very important. And the third stage is, 'Well, we've known it all along.”
Jonas Salk (1914–1995) said by 1995 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Truth happens to an idea. It becomes true, is made true by events. Its verity is in fact an event, a process: the process namely of its verifying itself, its veri-fication. Its validity is the process of its valid-ation.”
William James (1842–1910) said by 1910 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Some people do indeed say that Eratosthenes could not have inferred the true measure of the earth. Whether true or untrue, it cannot affect the truth of what I have written on the fixing of the quarters from which the different winds blow.”
Vitruvius (80–15 BC) said by 15 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Loving truth and living honestly is my attitude to life. Be true to yourself and be true to others, thus you can be the judge of your behavior.”
Ba Jin (1904–2005) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Living legend: Ba Jin" in News Guangdong (26 November 2003)
“I don't want to know what's good, or bad, or true. I let God worry about the truth. I just want to know the momentary fact about things. Life isn't good, or bad, or true. It's merely factual, it's sensual, it's alive. My idea of living sensual facts are you, a home, a country, a world, a universe. In that order. I want to know what I am, not what I should be.”
Paddy Chayefsky (1923–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We can never add more truth to what is true already, nor make that true which is false.”
Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle (1657–1757) said by 1757 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The consistency of determinism doesn't mean that it's true. Mathematicians are accustomed to have consistency proofs. They say nothing about truth. They just say something about what might be true.”
John Horton Conway (1937–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It was true, it was all true. But none of it was the truth.”
Guy Gavriel Kay (born 1954) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What has been said is as true as that the Temple of Knowledge shall be erected near the site of the glorification of the Teacher. What has been said is as true as that the pupil of the Blessed One shall give her name to the Temple of Knowledge. The base of the manifestation of Truth is affirmed by the labors of life. Given in Chorten-Karpo.”
Helena Roerich (1879–1955) said by 1955 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Those who become Catholics really want to find the Truth, because relativism is very strong in Sweden. They no longer know what is true or what is not true, what is good and what is not good. The Catholic Church has kept its Tradition since the origins of Christianity, and that too is very important to many people. The universal and timeless nature of the Church is very attractive.”
Anders Arborelius (born 1949) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A hunger for Truth from the only region in Europe where the Church is growing (2018) Aleteia
“Every man is born with an inherent impulse toward freedom and toward the search for truth which should lead, ultimately, to love, but to achieve true freedom, it is necessary to remove all obstacles such as prejudice, distorted views, hate, anger, greed, which leads to corruption. This means that reconciliation with others is a prerequisite to attain true freedom.”
Paul Tan Chee Ing (born 1940) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Church: yes to a Commission for truth and reconciliation (26 June 2012)
“The scientific realist maintains that in at least some cases, we have good evidential reasons to accept theories or theoretical claims as true, or approximately true, or on-the-road-to-truth. The scientific antirealist denies this. These attitudes come in degrees... [T]his is a question addressed by epistemology and confirmation theory...”
Tim Maudlin (born 1958) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“People think because a novel's invented, it isn't true. Exactly the reverse is the case. Because a novel's invented, it is true. Biography and memoirs can never be wholly true, since they can't include every conceivable circumstance of what happened. The novel can do that. The novelist himself lays it down. His decision is binding.”
Anthony Powell (1905–2000) first seen 1975 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Hearing Secret Harmonies (1975), ch. 3.
“The touch, sure and light [is] fixing something of the passing moment.. ..memory is the true, imperishable life, that which has sunk without trace and been forgotten was not worth experiencing, the sweet hours, and the great and dread, are immutable. Dreams are life itself – and dreams are more true than reality; in them we behave as our true selves – if we have a soul it is there.”
Berthe Morisot (1841–1895) first seen 1882 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote from her letter to her friend Mallarmé 1882; as cited in The Correspondence of Berthe Morisot, ed. Denis Rouart; Camden, London 1986 / Kinston, R. I. Moyer Bell, 1989, p. 160
“Someone's been telling you stories Someone's been telling you stories And they just ain't true No, they just ain't true They just ain't true Someone's been telling you stories]].”
Dan Fogelberg (1951–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The doctrines that by keeping out foreign goods more wealth, and consequently more employment, will be created at home, are either true or they are not true. We contend that they are not true. We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) said by 1965 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's true I've got no shirts to wear, It's true my butcher's bill is due, It's true my prospects all look blue, But don't let that unsettle you! Never you mind! Roll on! (It rolls on.)”
W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) said by 1911 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My spell is done, my prize is won ; True love! thou hast equal none; True love ! who could choose for thee Gold or gems or vanity ? Where is the spell whose charm will prove, Like the spell of thy charm, true love ?”
Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1802–1838) first seen 1824 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (28th February 1824) Metrical Tales. Tale I. The Three Wells - A Fairy Tale
“There is no right in the world not to be offended. That right simply doesn't exist. In a free society, an open society, people have strong opinions, and these opinions very often clash. In a democracy, we have to learn to deal with this. And this is true about novels, it's true about cartoons, it's true about all these products.”
Salman Rushdie (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And will he who is a true lover of wisdom, and is persuaded in like manner that only in the world below can he worthily enjoy her, still repine at death? Will he not depart with joy? Surely he will, my friend, if he be a true philosopher. ...And if this be true, he would be very absurd, ...if he were to fear death.”
Socrates (470–399 BC) said by 399 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The more I considered this answer, the more obviously true it appeared. But, strange to say, the more true it appeared, the less important the question to which it could be the true answer seemed. A sad, but not unprecedented, fate for a philosophical question to suffer.”
Daniel Dennett (1942–2024) said by 2024 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He's certainly not doing enough to help Palestinians. He's certainly not doing enough to help people over there suffering — which is also true for you, also true for me, true for everybody.”
Penn Jillette (born 1955) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“True thusness is the substance of thought, and thought is the function of true thusness. There is no thought except that of true thusness. Thusness does not move, but its motion and function are inexhaustible.”
Bruce Lee (1940–1973) said by 1973 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“On Don King: "I found out that someone I believed was my surrogate father, my brother, my blood figure turns out to be the true Uncle Tom, the true nigger, the true sellout. He did more bad to black fighters than any white promoter ever in the history of boxing.”
Mike Tyson (born 1966) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But is diversity our strength? The less we have in common, the stronger we are? Is that true of families? Is it true in neighborhoods or businesses? Of course not. Then why is it true of America? Nobody knows. Nobody’s even allowed to ask the question.”
Tucker Carlson (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Among many morals which press upon us from the poor minister's miserable experience, we put only this into a sentence: — "Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!”
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) said by 1864 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If they think their dead grandmother is visiting them at night, more power to them. They don't need me telling them (it's) true or not true. There are those few people who may challenge the facts and say some of the stuff may not be true. I say to them, "Chill out, relax and have an open mind.”
George Noory (born 1950) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: February 15, 2006, Wired News: Coast to Coast AM is No Wack Job
“There are no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false. (p. 11)”
Harold Pinter (1930–2008) said by 2008 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Is it true what Contreras testified before the courts, that the president of the junta and later the president of the Republic was the direct head of DINA? I don't remember, but it is not true. It is not true and if it was, I don't remember. Contreras liked to cajole, wrap around his boss. Contreras gave the orders. It was he who managed the institution.”
Augusto Pinochet (1915–2006) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Exchange between Judge Victor Montiglio and Pinochet (November 16, 2005), quoted in Heraldo Muñoz (2008) The Dictator's Shadow
“To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that Love is the reason for my existence, for God is love. Love is my true identity. Selflessness is my true self. Love is my true character. Love is my name.”
Thomas Merton (1915–1968) first seen 1949 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Seeds of Contemplation (1949).
“Propaganda films I am against,” Kamal Haasan said at a presser in Abu Dhabi, adding, “It’s not enough if you just write ‘true story’ at the bottom as a logo. It has to really be true, and that (the film) is not true.”
Kamal Haasan (born 1954) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Exclusive| The Kerala Story director Sudipto Sen reacts to Kamal Haasan calling it ‘propaganda’: There are very stupid… 2023
“The True Word. Once every quarter, once every new-style month, I preach it.” “The True Word on what? Everybody’s got his own true word, you know.” “On how not to die, woman. The basis of every religion.” “No,” Zoe said. Not every one of them; just the ones that don’t know exactly what to do with the here-and-now.”
Michael Bishop (1945–2023) said by 2023 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Is there a conspiracy theory about Twitter that didn’t turn out to be true? So far they’ve all turned out to be true — if not more true than people thought.”
Elon Musk (born 1971) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: All-In” podcast, theme of show, “all things” with Chamath Palihapitiva, co-host (December 27, 2022)
“One thing I'm very glad to see. Your General Lee is a moralist, as are all true gentlemen, of course, but he respects minor vice, harmless vice, when he finds it in others. Now that's the mark of a true gentlemen. That is what distinguishes the man so to me, aside from his military prowess, of course. The true gentlemen has no vices, but he allows you your own.”
Michael Shaara (1928–1988) said by 1988 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A true friend can be a blood or legal relation. They can be in the same clique or neighborhood or workplace. They can belong to the same racial, cultural, religious, or national group. But a true “friend” asks the right questions about category itself, and thereby transcends it. A true friend has the conversation.”
Sarah Schulman (born 1958) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Those who sit atop the resulting pyramids of power all too often use their favored positions for personal gain at expense of those less favored. It was true for the kings and emperors who ruled by divine right. It is true for many of the political elites who hold power by electoral mandate. And it is true for many corporate CEOs, as the Enron scandal revealed so dramatically.”
David Korten (born 1937) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is more in common between true democracy and true communism than there would seem to be today. What is called communism today, as it exists in Russia, China and the communist world, is in no sense true communism, but it is an evolving structure, moving towards a more perfect expression of the thoughtform as it exists in the Divine Mind; likewise with democracy.”
Benjamin Creme (1922–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is also true that the present Ayodhya is the same old Ayodhya...It is also true that it is found from the sources of Jain religion that Saket and Ayodhya are the same, It is also true that at many places, Lord Rama has been referred to as Koshal Naresh (king of Koshal)”
Ram Sharan Sharma (1919–2011) said by 2011 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Frederick Douglass once said: Any man may say things that are true of Abraham Lincoln, but no man can say anything that is new of Abraham Lincoln. If that were true in the past century, in the early seventies, how much more is it true today”
Alice Dunbar Nelson (1875–1935) said by 1935 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source