--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you have an anecdote from one source…" description: "\"If you have an anecdote from one source, you file it away. If you hear it again, it may be true. Then the more times you hear it the less likely it is ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/anthony-holden-17089_anecdote_if-you-have-an-anecdote-from-one-source_2268836.png" --- # If you have an anecdote from one source, you file it away… ![“If you have an anecdote from one source, you file it away. If you hear it again, it may be true. Then the more times you hear it the less likely it is to be true.” quote by Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/anthony-holden-17089_anecdote_if-you-have-an-anecdote-from-one-source_2268836.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/anthony-holden-17089_anecdote_if-you-have-an-anecdote-from-one-source_2268836.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/anthony-holden-17089_anecdote_if-you-have-an-anecdote-from-one-source_2268836.png) > “If you have an anecdote from one source, you file it away. If you hear it again, it may be true. Then the more times you hear it the less likely it is to be true.” [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Repeated exposure can create a false sense of truth, but the more often a claim is heard, the more likely it is a rumor. **In simple terms:** Hearing something often makes it seem true, but it can be misleading. Key Takeaway Question repeated claims critically. Themes cognition truth information Mood skeptical analytical Type advisory educational When to use this quote - news consumption - social media - gossip - research - fact-checking Key Concepts psychology media literacy Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify a claim that sounds familiar? - What mechanisms cause repeated statements to feel true? A Different Perspective More repetitions can also reinforce genuine facts, not just falsehoods. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anecdote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdote/) [Anecdotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdotes/) ## Related quotes > [America is so vast that almost everything said about it is likely to be true, and the opposite is probably equally true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-farrell/america-is-so-vast-that-almost-everything-said-about-it-is-likely-to/) [James T. Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-farrell/) > [“To establish that a rule is likely to be true, one must try to prove it false.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-sutherland/to-establish-that-a-rule-is-likely-to-be-true-one-must-try-to-prove/) Stuart Sutherland > [I am opposed, naturally, to regurgitating anecdote or any other form of received wisdom, unless it is characterized as such.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/i-am-opposed-naturally-to-regurgitating-anecdote-or-any-other-form-of/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [Good anecdote--bad reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/good-anecdote-bad-reality/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [I watched our friends' wary, intelligent faces droop at our tale. Their shock was a mere shadow of our own, resembling more the goodwilled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-watched-our-friends-wary-intelligent-faces-droop-at-our-tale-their/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [Anecdote: It is by no means self-evident that human beings are most real when most violently excited; violent physical passions do not in themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/anecdote-it-is-by-no-means-self-evident-that-human-beings-are-most/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [I think my first general rule is that most of my experiences are not that interesting. It's usually other people's experiences. It's not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/i-think-my-first-general-rule-is-that-most-of-my-experiences-are-not/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [Anecdote: A house that is rooted to one spot but can travel as quickly as you change your mind and is complete in itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/anecdote-a-house-that-is-rooted-to-one-spot-but-can-travel-as-quickly/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [The plural of anecdote is not data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bekoff/the-plural-of-anecdote-is-not-data/) [Marc Bekoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bekoff/) > [Sometimes ... the short short appears to rest on nothing more than a fragile anecdote which the writer has managed to drape with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/sometimes-the-short-short-appears-to-rest-on-nothing-more-than-a/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [An anecdote is related of Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper (1621-1683), who, in speaking of religion, said, "People differ in their discourse and profession about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-burnet/an-anecdote-is-related-of-sir-anthony-ashley-cooper-1621-1683-who-in/) [Gilbert Burnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-burnet/) > [Somewhere, there, is an analogy, in a small way, if you have the patience for it. But I guess it isn't a very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/somewhere-there-is-an-analogy-in-a-small-way-if-you-have-the-patience/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Meanwhile with the help of an anecdote I fell in love. Words caravaggio. They have a power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/meanwhile-with-the-help-of-an-anecdote-i-fell-in-love-words/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [Art isn't anecdote. It's the consciousness we bring to bear in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/art-isn-t-anecdote-it-s-the-consciousness-we-bring-to-bear-in-our/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Art to me is an anecdote of the spirit,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/art-to-me-is-an-anecdote-of-the-spirit/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) ## More by Anthony Holden > [Consider developing your whole self with the same raw focus and intensity that you develop a particular skill set. Get focused. Go out, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/consider-developing-your-whole-self-with-the-same-raw-focus-and/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [I personally felt that his ad hominen attacks on British architects were not the sort of thing a Prince of Wales should be doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/i-personally-felt-that-his-ad-hominen-attacks-on-british-architects/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [What was funny if you were there is that we were all immensely sophisticated people who knew exactly what she was going to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/what-was-funny-if-you-were-there-is-that-we-were-all-immensely/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [What it means is that some of Charles' press secretaries have been better than others as some of the Queen's press secretaries have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/what-it-means-is-that-some-of-charles-press-secretaries-have-been/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [It's a problem for him because he's got - like Edward VII had - nearly all his lifetime to wait until he becomes Monarch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/it-s-a-problem-for-him-because-he-s-got-like-edward-vii-had-nearly/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [What it was at the time was literally a plea for, to get the pressure off for a while, to give her space to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/what-it-was-at-the-time-was-literally-a-plea-for-to-get-the-pressure/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [A close associate of his gave an interview in which the book was described as quotes 'fiction from being to end'. I suffered trial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/a-close-associate-of-his-gave-an-interview-in-which-the-book-was/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [I decided he'd changed so much that a whole new book was required and that book actually I can say so was the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/i-decided-he-d-changed-so-much-that-a-whole-new-book-was-required-and/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [When the magistrate says 'That's not a good enough reason my man.' He said 'Excuse me, could I ask you? Have you taken an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/when-the-magistrate-says-that-s-not-a-good-enough-reason-my-man-he/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [The Princess's so-called 'time and space speech' at the end of '93 about a year after the formal separation, looking back on it it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/the-princess-s-so-called-time-and-space-speech-at-the-end-of-93-about/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [As somebody who's been writing about this subject for getting on twenty years now, it's astonishing how the climate has changed in the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/as-somebody-who-s-been-writing-about-this-subject-for-getting-on/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [Not merely can people like me write things that would never have been printed before but I think an enormously dramatic change has taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/not-merely-can-people-like-me-write-things-that-would-never-have-been/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [You do now have one in three people, as shown by the famous Carlton Monarchy debate poll, saying they want to get rid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/you-do-now-have-one-in-three-people-as-shown-by-the-famous-carlton/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [I went on a long trip through South America with Prince Charles where I was the only journalist there - a couple of photographers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/i-went-on-a-long-trip-through-south-america-with-prince-charles-where/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [Charles was very intent to use his years as Prince of Wales to make his mark while he still had freedom of maneuver that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/charles-was-very-intent-to-use-his-years-as-prince-of-wales-to-make/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) [Explore all 38 Anthony Holden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) ## More Anecdote quotes > [Art to me is an anecdote of the spirit,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/art-to-me-is-an-anecdote-of-the-spirit/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) > [Art isn't anecdote. It's the consciousness we bring to bear in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/art-isn-t-anecdote-it-s-the-consciousness-we-bring-to-bear-in-our/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Sometimes I get the start of a story from a memory, an anecdote, but that gets lost and is usually unrecognizable in the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/sometimes-i-get-the-start-of-a-story-from-a-memory-an-anecdote-but/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [ “\[The cats\] scamper in front of my legs, causing me to fall and face plant into whatever furniture is closest. They especially like to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weston-locher/the-cats-scamper-in-front-of-my-legs-causing-me-to-fall-and-face/) [Weston Locher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weston-locher/) > [Meanwhile with the help of an anecdote I fell in love. Words caravaggio. They have a power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/meanwhile-with-the-help-of-an-anecdote-i-fell-in-love-words/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [Somewhere, there, is an analogy, in a small way, if you have the patience for it. But I guess it isn't a very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/somewhere-there-is-an-analogy-in-a-small-way-if-you-have-the-patience/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [An anecdote is related of Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper (1621-1683), who, in speaking of religion, said, "People differ in their discourse and profession about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-burnet/an-anecdote-is-related-of-sir-anthony-ashley-cooper-1621-1683-who-in/) [Gilbert Burnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-burnet/) > [“The usual short story cannot have a complex plot, but it often has a simple one resembling a chain with two or three links.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/the-usual-short-story-cannot-have-a-complex-plot-but-it-often-has-a/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [“She wondered if she was in the midst of an anecdote that, for reasons of proximity, she was not yet able to perceive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/she-wondered-if-she-was-in-the-midst-of-an-anecdote-that-for-reasons/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [Sometimes ... the short short appears to rest on nothing more than a fragile anecdote which the writer has managed to drape with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/sometimes-the-short-short-appears-to-rest-on-nothing-more-than-a/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [“In the middle section of the book Mirabelle breaks into not one, but two houses near Belgravia Books. I had fun scoping these out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/in-the-middle-section-of-the-book-mirabelle-breaks-into-not-one-but/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“I was fired ignominiously from the Junior School Choir for being so off tune that the choir mistress declared she couldn't even bear to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-was-fired-ignominiously-from-the-junior-school-choir-for-being-so/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [The plural of anecdote is not data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bekoff/the-plural-of-anecdote-is-not-data/) [Marc Bekoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bekoff/) > [“After all, this was the place where I’d had my first meaningful conversation with a female, it was the site of a football’s first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weston-locher/after-all-this-was-the-place-where-i-d-had-my-first-meaningful/) [Weston Locher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weston-locher/) > [I have one anecdote about the FBI breaking into an embassy in Washington, and under Hoover, they had this sort of ruse whereby they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/i-have-one-anecdote-about-the-fbi-breaking-into-an-embassy-in/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) [Browse all 54 Anecdote quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdote/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you have an anecdote from one source, you file it away. 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