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I love the truth. It's the facts I'm not a fan of.
Stephen Colbert
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote humorously highlights the difference between the subjective nature of truth and the objective nature of facts.

Stephen Colbert's quote plays on the idea that while truth may be appreciated for its deeper, often emotional significance, facts can be seen as cold and unwelcoming. It suggests a tension between people's desire for an idealized version of truth and the sometimes harsh reality that facts present, implying that what we perceive as truth may not always align with objective reality.

Themes

TruthFactsHumorPerceptionReality

In practice

Example use cases

In a comedic speech about honesty, you could use this quote to emphasize the importance of perspective.

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And that brings us to tonight's word: Truthiness. Now I'm sure some of the word-police, the 'wordanistas' over at Websters, are gonna say, 'Hey, that's not a word!' Well, anybody who knows me knows that I am no fan of dictionaries or reference books. They're elitist. Constantly telling us what is or isn't true, what did or didn't happen.
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