Harry Frankfurt Quotes

The fact about himself that the liar hides is that he is attempting to lead us away from a correct apprehension of reality; we are not to know that he wants us to believe something he supposes to be false. The fact about himself that the bullshitter hides, on the other hand, is that the truth-values of his statements are of no central interest to him . . . He does not care whether the things he says describe reality correctly. He just picks them out, or makes them up, to suit his purpose.

Harry Frankfurt

• Reality
• Liar

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Quotes to Explore

• The inner reality of love can be recognized only by love.

  

  Hans Urs von Balthasar
  • Love
  • Reality
  • Can

• Once you have perfect virtual reality, what else are you supposed to perfect?

  

  Palmer Luckey
  • Reality
  • You
  • Perfect

• One of the reasons I've gotten so attached to talking to scientists is that... they know there is a reality.

  

  A. S. Byatt
  • Reality
  • Know
  • Talking

• I knew it was time to get off of reality TV when someone asked me if I sang as well as acted.

  

  Ozzy Osbourne Black Sabbath
  • Time
  • Reality
  • Me

• You think about the artists I look at as icons, and you assume they were instantly embraced. That's usually not the case. In reality, they had to overcome a lot of noes to get where they wanted to be.

  

  Sam Hunt
  • Think
  • Reality
  • Look

• I believe we can do more in making the President's vision for space exploration a reality by awarding cash prizes to encourage greater participation of the private sector in the national space program.

  

  Dana Rohrabacher
  • Believe
  • Reality
  • Space

• I'm not proud of it, but I'm a great liar when I travel. I smile and lie, and things are smooth.

  

  Paolo Bacigalupi
  • Great
  • Proud
  • Travel

• The fundamental laws of physics do not describe true facts about reality. Rendered as descriptions of facts, they are false; amended to be true, they lose their explanatory force.

  

  Nancy Cartwright
  • True
  • Reality
  • Facts

• I must try and break through the cliches about Latin America. Superpowers and other outsiders have fought over us for centuries in ways that have nothing to do with our problems. In reality we are all alone.

  

  Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  • America
  • Reality
  • Alone

• The 21st-century curator works in a supremely globalised reality.

  

  Hans-Ulrich Obrist
  • Reality
  • Works
  • Curator

• I've been a staunch advocate of women's empowerment, and I've worked hard throughout my career to advance the cause. It is heartening to see that gender equality is really becoming more of a reality. There is still much more to be done, and I'm confident that, by working together, we can empower women worldwide.

  

  Madhuri Dixit
  • Women
  • Done
  • Together

• Reality can be elastic, and I want to see how elastic it can be, you know?

  

  Yoko Ono
  • Want
  • Reality
  • Know

• I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life.

  

  J. D. Salinger
  • Life
  • You
  • Liar

• We know as little of a supreme being as of Matter. But there is as little doubt of the existence of a supreme being as of Matter. The world beyond is reality, and experiential fact. We only don't understand it.

  

  Carl Jung
  • World
  • Reality
  • Doubt

• In wartime Shanghai I saw so many horrors … Civilised life is based on a huge number of illusions in which we all collaborate willingly. The trouble is, we forget after a while that they are illusions and we are deeply shocked when reality is torn down around us.

  

  J. G. Ballard
  • Life
  • Reality

• Some people think reality must be constantly depressing, but I think reality is something you rise above.

  

  Liza Minnelli
  • People
  • Reality

• If you start off writing an album with a band, the reality is that you're constantly in each other's company, so it's really important that you get on with each other.

  

  Bernard Sumner Joy Division
  • Important
  • Writing
  • Reality

• A studio allows me more freedom. You can create your own sort of reality which is actually more exciting than shooting on location. You can conjure up a complete atmosphere of escapism for the public.

  

  Ken Adam
  • Up
  • Reality
  • Freedom

• The reality of the Eucharistic sacrifice has always been at the heart of Catholic faith; called into question in the 16th century, it was solemnly reaffirmed at the Council of Trent against the backdrop of our justification in Christ.

  

  Pope Benedict XVI
  • Heart
  • Reality
  • Faith

• If you do a good job for others, you heal yourself at the same time, because a dose of joy is a spiritual cure. It transcends all barriers.

  

  Ed Sullivan
  • Time
  • Good
  • Job

• A large part of the creative process is tolerating the gap between the glorious image you had in your mind and the sad thing you've just made.

  

  Pamela Druckerman
  • Mind
  • Sad

• Death is the final wake-up call.

  

  Douglas Horton
  • Up
  • Death

• For a selfie, it's not about the pose, it's about you. There's a reason why you look great in the picture or you look great in real life, because someone has caught the essence of who you are, and a pose is not you.

  

  Nigel Barker
  • Life
  • Real
  • Reason

• The fact about himself that the liar hides is that he is attempting to lead us away from a correct apprehension of reality; we are not to know that he wants us to believe something he supposes to be false. The fact about himself that the bullshitter hides, on the other hand, is that the truth-values of his statements are of no central interest to him . . . He does not care whether the things he says describe reality correctly. He just picks them out, or makes them up, to suit his purpose.

  

  Harry Frankfurt
  • Reality
  • Liar