QuoteProject
You don't need people’s opinion on a fact. You might as well have a poll asking: ‘Which number is bigger, 15 or 5?’ or ‘Do owls exist?’ or ‘Are there hats?'
John Oliver
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Opinions do not change objective facts, and asking for them can be absurd.

This quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing that certain truths are not open for debate. Objective facts exist independently of people's opinions, and seeking consensus on obvious truths can lead to nonsensical discussions that detract from the importance of factual understanding.

Themes

FactsOpinionTruthDebateWisdom

In practice

Example use cases

During a debate about climate change, one can quote this to emphasize that science shouldn't be swayed by public opinion.

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My first 'Daily Show' piece was pretending I had this terrible immigrant journey, so I went to talk to an immigration lawyer who would help out people, and I ran into him in Penn Station about three months after I'd gotten the green card. I said, 'I got my green card yesterday.' And he hugged me because he understood that level of relief.
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Southern people are bigger-hearted and kinder than I had any right to expect.
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