---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are living in a world where everything…"
description: "\"We are living in a world where everything is false. The society is like bright paint applied on top of rotten wood.\" — Amy Tan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/amy-tan-730_community_we-are-living-in-a-world-where-everythin_3047359.jpg"
---

#  We are living in a world where everything is false. The…

![“We are living in a world where everything is false. The society is like bright paint applied on top of rotten wood.” quote by Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/amy-tan-730_community_we-are-living-in-a-world-where-everythin_3047359.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/amy-tan-730_community_we-are-living-in-a-world-where-everythin_3047359.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/amy-tan-730_community_we-are-living-in-a-world-where-everythin_3047359.jpg)

> “We are living in a world where everything is false. The society is like bright paint applied on top of rotten wood.”

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Society masks deep decay with superficial attractiveness, implying false appearances hide serious problems.

**In simple terms:** Surface beauty hides rot.

Key Takeaway

Look beyond appearances for truth.

Themes

appearance deception societal critique

Mood

cautious thoughtful

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- politics
- media
- personal relationships

Key Concepts

superficiality underlying decay

Questions to Reflect On

- What " signs indicate deeper problems?
- How can we address underlying decay?

A Different Perspective

Superficial fixes cannot resolve fundamental issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [False Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-society-1855383/) [Living World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-world/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Rotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rotten/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Society Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-like-251818/) [Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woods/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World False](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-false-975061/)

## Related quotes

> [When you live in a false society, that bases its wealth upon money, then that society itself will collapse eventually. Not because I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/when-you-live-in-a-false-society-that-bases-its-wealth-upon-money/)

[Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/)

> [The entire money structure and materialistic society is a false society...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/the-entire-money-structure-and-materialistic-society-is-a-false/)

[Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/)

> [Any spirit that permits compromise with the world is a false spirit. Any religious movement that imitates the world in any of its manifestations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/any-spirit-that-permits-compromise-with-the-world-is-a-false-spirit/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [A great deal of time and intellectual force are lost in the world, because the false seems great and the truth so small and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/a-great-deal-of-time-and-intellectual-force-are-lost-in-the-world/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [Truth has scarce done so much good in the world as the false appearances of it have done hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/truth-has-scarce-done-so-much-good-in-the-world-as-the-false/)

[Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/)

> [Ant has been so supportive. He's very grounded. As he entered my world, there's so many false stories spinning out there and he's never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-anstead/ant-has-been-so-supportive-he-s-very-grounded-as-he-entered-my-world/)

[Christina Anstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-anstead/)

> [“As a rule the tales which get abroad in the world are false. . . . People always exaggerate things. More so, when months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/as-a-rule-the-tales-which-get-abroad-in-the-world-are-false-people/)

[Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/)

> [“In a terrified world, false news was king.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-a-terrified-world-false-news-was-king/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“How can man become complete? From the world’s point of view, he will become Truth when he eliminates his false world and false self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woo-myung/how-can-man-become-complete-from-the-world-s-point-of-view-he-will/)

[Woo Myung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woo-myung/)

> [I don't wish to inhabit the human world under false pretences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/i-don-t-wish-to-inhabit-the-human-world-under-false-pretences/)

[Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/)

> [“No living being can ever “hitch” another living being. If one were able to “hitch” another, then we can say that the principle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/no-living-being-can-ever-hitch-another-living-being-if-one-were-able/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [I don't want to inhabit the human world under false pretenses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/i-don-t-want-to-inhabit-the-human-world-under-false-pretenses/)

[Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/)

> [Long enough I had heard of irrelevant things; now at length I was glad to make acquaintance with the light that dwells in rotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/long-enough-i-had-heard-of-irrelevant-things-now-at-length-i-was-glad/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [We live in society. Our security is dependent on our position in society. So whether we like it or not, a certain amount of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/we-live-in-society-our-security-is-dependent-on-our-position-in/)

[Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

## More by Amy Tan

> [So sad! This is the saddest part when you lose someone you love- that person keeps changing. And later you wonder, Is this the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/so-sad-this-is-the-saddest-part-when-you-lose-someone-you-love-that/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [Too many good things all seem the same after a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/too-many-good-things-all-seem-the-same-after-a-while/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“bad, how likely is it to come”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/bad-how-likely-is-it-to-come/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/a-mother-is-always-the-beginning-she-is-how-things-begin/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [Shanghainese people are good negotiators, they're very persistent, and you grow up in an atmosphere like that - very competitive. That becomes part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/shanghainese-people-are-good-negotiators-they-re-very-persistent-and/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [But now that I am old, moving every year closer to the end of my life, I also feel closer to the beginning. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/but-now-that-i-am-old-moving-every-year-closer-to-the-end-of-my-life/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [You should think about your character. Know where you are changing, how you will be changed, what cannot be changed back again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/you-should-think-about-your-character-know-where-you-are-changing-how/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [Now you see,' said the turtle, drifting back into the pond, 'why it is useless to cry. Your tears do not wash away your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/now-you-see-said-the-turtle-drifting-back-into-the-pond-why-it-is/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [I hid my deepest feelings so well I forgot where I placed them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-hid-my-deepest-feelings-so-well-i-forgot-where-i-placed-them/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“Lebih baik jadi orang yang TIDAK TERLUPAKAN daripada orang yang MEMBOSANKAN -”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/lebih-baik-jadi-orang-yang-tidak-terlupakan-daripada-orang-yang/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [After all, Bao Bomu says, what is the past but what we choose to remember?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/after-all-bao-bomu-says-what-is-the-past-but-what-we-choose-to/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [We all become different readers in how we respond to books, why we need them, what we take from them. We become different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-all-become-different-readers-in-how-we-respond-to-books-why-we/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-was-no-longer-scared-i-could-see-what-was-inside-me/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/when-i-go-back-and-read-my-journals-or-fiction-i-am-always-surprised/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“I am ashamed she is ashamed. Because she is my daughter and I am proud of her, and I am her mother but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-am-ashamed-she-is-ashamed-because-she-is-my-daughter-and-i-am-proud/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

[Explore all 383 Amy Tan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

## More Community quotes

> [Race is the idea that a human being is more superior than another human being, race in society grants illusional rights to mistreat each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/race-is-the-idea-that-a-human-being-is-more-superior-than-another/)

[Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/)

> [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/)

[Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/)

[Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/)

> [Hackney gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's the only place I've ever lived that felt like a community. I know my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-horgan/hackney-gets-a-bit-of-a-bad-rap-but-it-s-the-only-place-i-ve-ever/)

[Sharon Horgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-horgan/)

> [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/)

[Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/)

> [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/)

[Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/)

> [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/)

[Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/)

> [It rolls off my back. Ridicule doesn't mean anything - even from people you're supposed to wear knee pads around, like the scientific community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-schultz/it-rolls-off-my-back-ridicule-doesn-t-mean-anything-even-from-people/)

[Dwight Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-schultz/)

> [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/)

[Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/)

> [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/)

[Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/)

> [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/)

[Sheila Kamerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-kamerman/)

> [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [Perhaps the greatest and least visible form of impoverishment caused by the Corporate State is the destruction of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/perhaps-the-greatest-and-least-visible-form-of-impoverishment-caused/)

[Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/)

[Browse all 13,840 Community quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We are living in a world where everything is false. The society is like bright paint applied on top of rotten wood.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Amy Tan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-are-living-in-a-world-where-everything-is-false-the-society-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Community"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-are-living-in-a-world-where-everything-is-false-the-society-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/amy-tan-730_community_we-are-living-in-a-world-where-everythin_3047359.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/amy-tan-730_community_we-are-living-in-a-world-where-everythin_3047359.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/amy-tan-730_community_we-are-living-in-a-world-where-everythin_3047359.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We are living in a world where everything is false. The society is like bright paint applied on top of…” — Amy Tan",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Amy Tan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We are living in a world...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-are-living-in-a-world-where-everything-is-false-the-society-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-are-living-in-a-world-where-everything-is-false-the-society-is/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
