Man, in spite of his fatal degradation, bears always the evident marks of his divine origin, in that every universal belief is always more or less true.
Joseph De MaistreRead
False opinions are like false money, struck first of all by guilty men and thereafter circulated by honest people who perpetuate the crime without knowing what they are doing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
False opinions can be harmful, as they are often spread by innocent individuals unaware of their origins.
This quote highlights the insidious nature of falsehoods. Even if individuals who propagate misinformation do so without ill intent, they are still contributing to a larger deception. The comparison to counterfeit money emphasizes how false opinions can circulate widely, affecting the integrity of public discourse and personal beliefs without those involved understanding the underlying deceit.
Themes
False OpinionsDeceptionMisinformationIntegrityBeliefs
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate, one might use this quote to caution against unverified claims.
More from Joseph De Maistre
All quotes βMan is insatiable for power; he is infantile in his desires and, always discontented with what he has, loves only what he has not. People complain of the despotism of princes; they ought to complain of the despotism of man.
Joseph De MaistreRead
A constitution that is made for all nations is made for none.
Joseph De MaistreRead
Reason speaks in words alone, but love has a song.
Joseph De MaistreRead
Man in harmony with his Creator is sublime, and his action is creative; equally, once he separates himself from God and acts alone, he does not cease to be powerful, since this is the privilege of his nature, but his acts are negative and lead only to destruction.
Joseph De MaistreRead
Wherever an altar is found, there civilization exists.
Joseph De MaistreRead
Similar quotes
They say everything can be replaced, Yet every distance is not near. So I remember every face Of every man who put me here. I see my light come shining From the west unto the east. Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
Bob DylanRead
The study of history is a powerful antidote to contemporary arrogance. It is humbling to discover how many of our glib assumptions, which seem to us novel and plausible, have been tested before, not once but many times and in innumerable guises; and discovered to be, at great human cost, wholly false.
Paul JohnsonRead
It looks as if there were a single ultimate goal for mankind, a far goal toward which all persons strive. This is called variously by different authors self-actualization, self-realization, integration, psychological health, individuation, autonomy, creativity, productivity, but they all agree that this amounts to realizing the potentialities of the person, that is to say, becoming fully human, everything that person can be.
Abraham MaslowRead
The trouble is that you think you have time.
Jack KornfieldRead
My son, by all means desist from kicking the venerable and enlightened Vizier: for as a costly jewel retains its value even if hidden in a dung-hill, so old age and discretion are to be respected even in the vile persons of our subjects. Desist therefore, and tell us what you desire and propose.
C. S. LewisRead
He that lies with the dogs, riseth with fleas.
George HerbertRead