--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ordinary fools are all right; you can…" description: "\"Ordinary fools are all right; you can talk to them, and try to help them out. But pompous fools-guys who are fools and are covering it all over and imp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69b/anonymous-1_covering_ordinary-fools-are-all-right-you-can-tal_2979702.jpg" --- # Ordinary fools are all right; you can talk to them, and… ![“Ordinary fools are all right; you can talk to them, and try to help them out. But pompous fools-guys who are fools and are covering it all over and impressing people as to how wonderful they are with all this hocus pocus-THAT, I CANNOT STAND! An ordinary fool isn't a faker; an honest fool is all…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69b/anonymous-1_covering_ordinary-fools-are-all-right-you-can-tal_2979702.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69b/anonymous-1_covering_ordinary-fools-are-all-right-you-can-tal_2979702.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69b/anonymous-1_covering_ordinary-fools-are-all-right-you-can-tal_2979702.jpg) > “Ordinary fools are all right; you can talk to them, and try to help them out. But pompous fools-guys who are fools and are covering it all over and impressing people as to how wonderful they are with all this hocus pocus-THAT, I CANNOT STAND! An ordinary fool isn't a faker; an honest fool is all right. But a dishonest fool is terrible!” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ordinary honest people are fine, but pretentious fools are intolerable. **In simple terms:** Honest fools are okay; pretentious fools are bad. Key Takeaway Value authenticity over showmanship. Themes honesty pretension integrity Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical advisory When to use this quote - team dynamics - leadership - public discourse Key Concepts ethical philosophy social critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you distinguish genuine confidence? - What strategies curb pretentious behavior? A Different Perspective Not all pretentiousness is harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [“Pompous fools drive me up the wall. Ordinary fools are alright; you can talk to them and try to help them out. But pompous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/pompous-fools-drive-me-up-the-wall-ordinary-fools-are-alright-you-can/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [An ordinary fool isn't a faker; an honest fool is all right. But a dishonest fool is terrible!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/an-ordinary-fool-isn-t-a-faker-an-honest-fool-is-all-right-but-a/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [“There were a lot of fools at that conference—pompous fools—and pompous fools drive me up the wall. Ordinary fools are all right; you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-were-a-lot-of-fools-at-that-conference-pompous-fools-and/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Whatever talents I possess may suddenly diminish or suddenly increase. I can with ease become an ordinary fool. I may be one now. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/whatever-talents-i-possess-may-suddenly-diminish-or-suddenly-increase/) [Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/) > [“Logic is something the mind has created to conceal its timidity, a hocus-pocus designed to give formal validity to conclusions we are willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/logic-is-something-the-mind-has-created-to-conceal-its-timidity-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You will see the fool in others. But if you're honest, you may also see the fool in yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/egbearor-favour/you-will-see-the-fool-in-others-but-if-you-re-honest-you-may-also-see/) [Egbearor Favour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/egbearor-favour/) > [“It is better to be an honest fool than only a fool.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/digger/it-is-better-to-be-an-honest-fool-than-only-a-fool/) Digger > [It’s better to be sworn to an honest fool than to a lying scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/it-s-better-to-be-sworn-to-an-honest-fool-than-to-a-lying-scholar/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [Some concepts are so incredibly risky they take an honest fool to try to articulate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/some-concepts-are-so-incredibly-risky-they-take-an-honest-fool-to-try/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [“So she tried all the magical passwords she could think of. “Abracadabra. Open sesame. Sim salabim. Alakazam. Hocus pocus. Voilà. Please.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/so-she-tried-all-the-magical-passwords-she-could-think-of-abracadabra/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [I persist in preferring philosophers to rabbis priests imams ayatollahs and mullahs. Rather than trust their theological hocus-pocus I prefer to draw on alternatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-onfray/i-persist-in-preferring-philosophers-to-rabbis-priests-imams/) [Michel Onfray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-onfray/) > [“Hocus Pocus let's try to focus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/hocus-pocus-let-s-try-to-focus/) [Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/) > [I think William Shakespeare was the wisest human being I ever heard of. To be perfectly frank, though, that's not saying much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-think-william-shakespeare-was-the-wisest-human-being-i-ever-heard/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The law is a sort of hocus-pocus science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-macklin/the-law-is-a-sort-of-hocus-pocus-science/) [Charles Macklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-macklin/) > [the twelve or fifteen millions in the British Empire, who, while they possess no electoral rights, are yet persuaded they are freemen, and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cobden/the-twelve-or-fifteen-millions-in-the-british-empire-who-while-they/) [Richard Cobden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cobden/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Covering quotes > [My favorite performance would definitely be "Toxic," which was my blind audition song. It was the start of it all and it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/my-favorite-performance-would-definitely-be-toxic-which-was-my-blind/) [Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/) > [Women covering their heads is traditional, but now we're seeing more and more women covering themselves from head to toe. This is said to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/women-covering-their-heads-is-traditional-but-now-we-re-seeing-more/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [It's often frustrating when you're a war reporter and you're covering these places that far away. You're frustrated by making stories that people can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-rowley/it-s-often-frustrating-when-you-re-a-war-reporter-and-you-re-covering/) [Rick Rowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-rowley/) > [Life is so full of meaning and of purpose, so full of beauty - beneath its covering - that you will find that earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanni-giocondo/life-is-so-full-of-meaning-and-of-purpose-so-full-of-beauty-beneath/) [Giovanni Giocondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanni-giocondo/) > [I got my first job when I moved to Los Angeles. I worked at a coffee shop for five years and it was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-leclerc/i-got-my-first-job-when-i-moved-to-los-angeles-i-worked-at-a-coffee/) [Katie Leclerc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-leclerc/) > [Our covering ministry is Challenge for Christ ministries, and Travel the Road was solely our mission arm, designed to expose people to what missions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/our-covering-ministry-is-challenge-for-christ-ministries-and-travel/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [I was born to love - but none of you wanted to believe it, and that misunderstanding was crucial in forming my character. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/i-was-born-to-love-but-none-of-you-wanted-to-believe-it-and-that/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [I assert most unhesitatingly, that the religion of the South is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes—a justifier of the most appalling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-assert-most-unhesitatingly-that-the-religion-of-the-south-is-a-mere-2/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [A woman with cut hair is a filthy spectacle, and much like a monsterit being natural and comely to women to nourish their hair,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-prynne/a-woman-with-cut-hair-is-a-filthy-spectacle-and-much-like-a-monsterit/) [William Prynne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-prynne/) > [One of the greatest problems for international journalists covering the Middle East is that people who serve as guides for journalists are often affiliated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-glick/one-of-the-greatest-problems-for-international-journalists-covering/) [Caroline Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-glick/) > [ I think everybody is covering their \[posteriors\] with the Enron scandal and it was very convenient that Sept. 11 came along to deflect the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-think-everybody-is-covering-their-posteriors-with-the-enron-scandal/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [News is the backbone of our network; the main commodity and the main successes of Al Jazeera came out of our involvement in covering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/news-is-the-backbone-of-our-network-the-main-commodity-and-the-main/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [I gravitate towards places where humans have been and are no more, to the edge of man's influence, where the elements are taking over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/i-gravitate-towards-places-where-humans-have-been-and-are-no-more-to/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [Newspapers are not free and they never have been. They can appear to be so, but someone, somewhere is covering the costs whether that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-brooke/newspapers-are-not-free-and-they-never-have-been-they-can-appear-to/) [Heather Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-brooke/) > [“Real MEN don't need a woman covering for him because a Real MAN IS a woman's covering!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/real-men-don-t-need-a-woman-covering-for-him-because-a-real-man-is-a/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) Browse all 439 Covering quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ordinary fools are all right; you can talk to them, and try to help them out. But pompous fools-guys who are fools and are covering it all over and impressing people as to how wonderful they are with all this hocus pocus-THAT, I CANNOT STAND! An ordinary fool isn't a faker; an honest fool is all right. 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