--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reputations are shaped not by facts but…" description: "\"Reputations are shaped not by facts but by prejudices.\" — Barbara Mertz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/barbara-mertz-15249_facts_reputations-are-shaped-not-by-facts-but_555321.jpg" --- # Reputations are shaped not by facts but by prejudices. ![“Reputations are shaped not by facts but by prejudices.” quote by Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/barbara-mertz-15249_facts_reputations-are-shaped-not-by-facts-but_555321.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/barbara-mertz-15249_facts_reputations-are-shaped-not-by-facts-but_555321.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/barbara-mertz-15249_facts_reputations-are-shaped-not-by-facts-but_555321.jpg) > “Reputations are shaped not by facts but by prejudices.” [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reputations form from biased perceptions rather than objective facts. **In simple terms:** Bias shapes reputation more than truth. Key Takeaway Question assumptions before judging. Themes perception bias reputation truth social dynamics Mood critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - media coverage - personal relationships - workplace evaluations - online reviews Key Concepts cognitive bias social perception reputation management Questions to Reflect On - How do your biases affect how you view others? - What steps can you take to verify facts before forming judgments? A Different Perspective Bias can be unconscious and hard to detect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Facts Prejudices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts-prejudices-1862236/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Prejudices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudices/) [Reputation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reputation/) [Reputations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reputations/) [Reputations Shaped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reputations-shaped-4614672/) [Shaped Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shaped-facts-4614673/) ## Related quotes > [“The last major risk to getting good facts is our own prejudices. While we may not always test a solution based on our opinions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/the-last-major-risk-to-getting-good-facts-is-our-own-prejudices-while/) [Nat Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-greene/) > [A problem thoroughly understood is always fairly simple. Found your opinions on facts, not prejudices. We know too many things that are not true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kettering/a-problem-thoroughly-understood-is-always-fairly-simple-found-your/) [Charles Kettering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kettering/) > [“You have a reputation. If enough people tell stories about you, we call it fame; but even if it’s just your neighbors, the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-a-reputation-if-enough-people-tell-stories-about-you-we-call/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Reputations, like beavers and cloaks, shall last some people twice the time of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-william-jerrold/reputations-like-beavers-and-cloaks-shall-last-some-people-twice-the/) [Douglas William Jerrold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-william-jerrold/) > [There is a constant ebb and flow in art historical reputations. The reputation of even the greatest figures like Picasso are in flux.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-deitch/there-is-a-constant-ebb-and-flow-in-art-historical-reputations-the/) [Jeffrey Deitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-deitch/) > [“It's a matter of dishonour, and when it gets out, which it's bound to, this will be the one act you'll be remembered for.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-s-a-matter-of-dishonour-and-when-it-gets-out-which-it-s-bound-to/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [Reputations are made by searching for things that can't be done and doing them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-tyger/reputations-are-made-by-searching-for-things-that-can-t-be-done-and/) [Frank Tyger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-tyger/) > [In politics people build whole reputations off of getting one thing right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/in-politics-people-build-whole-reputations-off-of-getting-one-thing/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [I consider a good reputation is a great part of the human happiness. Some people, if they are very, very rich can permit themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle-onassis/i-consider-a-good-reputation-is-a-great-part-of-the-human-happiness/) [Aristotle Onassis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle-onassis/) > [I don't believe in destroying GOOD mysteries or adding to BAD reputations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-balance/i-don-t-believe-in-destroying-good-mysteries-or-adding-to-bad/) [John Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-balance/) > [It takes little or nothing to undo reputations, the merest trifle makes and remakes them, it is simply a question of finding the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/it-takes-little-or-nothing-to-undo-reputations-the-merest-trifle/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [Posthumous reputations have little to do with real lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/posthumous-reputations-have-little-to-do-with-real-lives/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [I've always slightly envied other actors I know who have different reputations. I think, 'God, you don't get people coming up to you, going,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-ve-always-slightly-envied-other-actors-i-know-who-have-different/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Budgets can make or break reputations and governments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priti-patel/budgets-can-make-or-break-reputations-and-governments/) [Priti Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priti-patel/) > [“What saves doctors' reputations is the fact that many illnesses are benign and that people can go on living with a large number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-chevallier/what-saves-doctors-reputations-is-the-fact-that-many-illnesses-are/) [Gabriel Chevallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-chevallier/) ## More by Barbara Mertz > [It is easier to counterfeit old age than youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/it-is-easier-to-counterfeit-old-age-than-youth/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [I never meant to marry. In my opinion, a woman born in the last half of the nineteenth century of the Christian era suffered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/i-never-meant-to-marry-in-my-opinion-a-woman-born-in-the-last-half-of/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [kissing someone out of pity is always a mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/kissing-someone-out-of-pity-is-always-a-mistake/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [Dogs can be made to feel guilty about anything, including the sins of their owners. Cats refuse to take the blame for anything -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/dogs-can-be-made-to-feel-guilty-about-anything-including-the-sins-of/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [Conventional history completely ignores half the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/conventional-history-completely-ignores-half-the-human-race/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [there is nothing like a garden to rest the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/there-is-nothing-like-a-garden-to-rest-the-soul/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [a church ought to express the joy of religion as well as its majesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/a-church-ought-to-express-the-joy-of-religion-as-well-as-its-majesty/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [Husbands do not care to be contradicted. Indeed, I do not know anyone who does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/husbands-do-not-care-to-be-contradicted-indeed-i-do-not-know-anyone/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [People who relate what they believe to be new and startling information like to have such information received with exclamations of astonishment and admiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/people-who-relate-what-they-believe-to-be-new-and-startling/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [When men start talking about 'honor', there is sure to be trouble ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/when-men-start-talking-about-honor-there-is-sure-to-be-trouble-ahead/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [Children, I feel, are as much entitled to privacy as human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/children-i-feel-are-as-much-entitled-to-privacy-as-human-beings/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [Money was the manure of politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/money-was-the-manure-of-politics/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [Noble causes have a deplorable effect on the morals of the persons who espouse them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/noble-causes-have-a-deplorable-effect-on-the-morals-of-the-persons/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [I have no writing habit. I work when I feel like it, and I work when I have to - mostly the latter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/i-have-no-writing-habit-i-work-when-i-feel-like-it-and-i-work-when-i/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [stereotypes are awfully misleading. There are typical librarians, but not all librarians are typical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/stereotypes-are-awfully-misleading-there-are-typical-librarians-but/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) [Explore all 43 Barbara Mertz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) ## More Facts quotes > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [He bombarded me with words, of all things, apparently clueless to the fact that the predawn hours rendered me incapable of coherent thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/he-bombarded-me-with-words-of-all-things-apparently-clueless-to-the/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [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/) > [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) > [Because the truth is that gossip is as good as gospel in this town. You can save face but you won't ever save your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/because-the-truth-is-that-gossip-is-as-good-as-gospel-in-this-town/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [We did an episode where she goes out to get a job and she gets fired because she's not good. They hire a babysitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/we-did-an-episode-where-she-goes-out-to-get-a-job-and-she-gets-fired/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) > [Le biologiste passe, la grenouille reste. The biologist passes, the frog remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/le-biologiste-passe-la-grenouille-reste-the-biologist-passes-the-frog/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [The fact -- not theory -- that evolution has occurred and the Darwinian theory as to how it occurred have become so confused in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gaylord-simpson/the-fact-not-theory-that-evolution-has-occurred-and-the-darwinian/) [George Gaylord Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gaylord-simpson/) [Browse all 19,906 Facts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Reputations are shaped not by facts but by prejudices.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barbara Mertz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/reputations-are-shaped-not-by-facts-but-by-prejudices/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Facts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/reputations-are-shaped-not-by-facts-but-by-prejudices/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/barbara-mertz-15249_facts_reputations-are-shaped-not-by-facts-but_555321.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/barbara-mertz-15249_facts_reputations-are-shaped-not-by-facts-but_555321.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/barbara-mertz-15249_facts_reputations-are-shaped-not-by-facts-but_555321.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Reputations are shaped not by facts but by prejudices.” — Barbara Mertz", "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": "Barbara Mertz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Reputations are shaped not by facts...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/reputations-are-shaped-not-by-facts-but-by-prejudices/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/reputations-are-shaped-not-by-facts-but-by-prejudices/#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 } } ] } ```