--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is a truth so brutally self-evident…" description: "\"“This is a truth so brutally self-evident that he can't fathom why it's not more widely perceived, hence his contempt for the usual public shock and ou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/ben-fountain-3198_outrage_this-is-a-truth-so-brutally-self-evident_2832606.png" --- # This is a truth so brutally self-evident that he can't… ![“This is a truth so brutally self-evident that he can't fathom why it's not more widely perceived, hence his contempt for the usual public shock and outrage when a particular situation goes to hell” quote by Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/ben-fountain-3198_outrage_this-is-a-truth-so-brutally-self-evident_2832606.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/ben-fountain-3198_outrage_this-is-a-truth-so-brutally-self-evident_2832606.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/ben-fountain-3198_outrage_this-is-a-truth-so-brutally-self-evident_2832606.png) > ““This is a truth so brutally self-evident that he can't fathom why it's not more widely perceived, hence his contempt for the usual public shock and outrage when a particular situation goes to hell”” [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Obvious truths are ignored, leading to public outrage when crises worsen. **In simple terms:** Ignored truths cause outrage. Key Takeaway Address truths early to prevent crisis. Themes truth public perception crisis management Mood critical analytical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - politics - media - community health - environmental issues Key Concepts denial contempt shock Questions to Reflect On - Why do we ignore obvious problems? - How can we foster openness to truth? A Different Perspective People may resist confronting uncomfortable facts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Outrage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outrage/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“Without ever exactly putting his mind to it, he's come to believe that loss is the standard trajectory. Something new appears in the world-a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/without-ever-exactly-putting-his-mind-to-it-he-s-come-to-believe-that-2/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“Any time we feel ourselves moved to outrage by the behavior of people we think of as them, have we, accidentally or deliberately, allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-time-we-feel-ourselves-moved-to-outrage-by-the-behavior-of-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everybody should be mad but anger only takes you so far. At some point, you'll have outrage fatigue and burn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/everybody-should-be-mad-but-anger-only-takes-you-so-far-at-some-point/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [“Wow. My feminist sensibilities are outraged,” she murmured. “Yeah? I’ll outrage them like they’ve never been outraged before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-mckenna/wow-my-feminist-sensibilities-are-outraged-she-murmured-yeah-i-ll/) [Shannon McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-mckenna/) > [“Sexually active? Sexually active ? Patrick and I hadn't even learned the fine points of kissing yet! I marched on down. 'For your information,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/sexually-active-sexually-active-patrick-and-i-hadn-t-even-learned-the/) [Phyllis Reynolds Naylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/) > [Monarchs not only fashion their age, but are fashioned by it, so that they can become a sort of personification of the age. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-figes/monarchs-not-only-fashion-their-age-but-are-fashioned-by-it-so-that/) [Eva Figes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-figes/) > [“Men are such cowards. They outrage every law of the world, and are afraid of the world’s tongue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-are-such-cowards-they-outrage-every-law-of-the-world-and-are/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [My friends on Twitter didn't abandon their beliefs or their principles - only their scorn. They channeled their infinitely justifiable offense and came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-phelps-roper/my-friends-on-twitter-didn-t-abandon-their-beliefs-or-their/) [Megan Phelps-Roper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-phelps-roper/) > [I think it's sort of an outrage that companies should have to hire firms to teach the college graduates they employ how to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/i-think-it-s-sort-of-an-outrage-that-companies-should-have-to-hire/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [While the principles of our Constitution give just latitude to inquiry, every citizen faithful to it will deem embodied expressions of discontent and open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/while-the-principles-of-our-constitution-give-just-latitude-to/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“I firmly believe that if we can all approach this topic with open minds, the inevitable result will be a level of outrage that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-befumo/i-firmly-believe-that-if-we-can-all-approach-this-topic-with-open/) [Joseph Befumo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-befumo/) > [“A part of a healthy conscience is being able to confront consciencelessness. When you teach your daughter, explicitly or by passive rejection, that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/a-part-of-a-healthy-conscience-is-being-able-to-confront/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [Fear is often disguised as moral outrage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/fear-is-often-disguised-as-moral-outrage/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [There’s my baby!” I cried, quite carried away. “There’s my Poochiekins!” Ammit ran at me and leaped into my arms, nuzzling me with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/there-s-my-baby-i-cried-quite-carried-away-there-s-my-poochiekins/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [The president we have today is a typical Washington politician that's prone to hyperbole and decisiveness and false outrage. And I think it's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/the-president-we-have-today-is-a-typical-washington-politician-that-s/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) ## More by Ben Fountain > [“The singing triggers a soft detonation at his core, molten parts of him are flying everywhere and his ears ring to the tune of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/the-singing-triggers-a-soft-detonation-at-his-core-molten-parts-of/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“Even harder was describing his sense that Shroom’s death might have ruined him for anything else, because when he died? when I felt his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/even-harder-was-describing-his-sense-that-shroom-s-death-might-have/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“Without ever exactly putting his mind to it, he's come to believe that loss is standard trajectory. Something new appears in the world—a baby,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/without-ever-exactly-putting-his-mind-to-it-he-s-come-to-believe-that/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“But I am scared. Everybody's scared." "You know what I mean, like scared scared. Like coward scared, like if you never went to begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/but-i-am-scared-everybody-s-scared-you-know-what-i-mean-like-scared/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“God knows the war sucks, but he sees no great appeal in these tepid peacetime lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/god-knows-the-war-sucks-but-he-sees-no-great-appeal-in-these-tepid/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“What he'd like to say is that he's lived it, if not the entire breadth and depth of the Christian faith then certainly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/what-he-d-like-to-say-is-that-he-s-lived-it-if-not-the-entire-breadth/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [By the end of the first decade of writing, I considered myself a confirmed failure in the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/by-the-end-of-the-first-decade-of-writing-i-considered-myself-a/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [I started publishing stories in small magazines early on, but after seven or eight or nine years you feel like you need a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/i-started-publishing-stories-in-small-magazines-early-on-but-after/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“I think sometimes nothing is better than something. I mean, I’d rather have nothing than let this guy use me like his bitch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/i-think-sometimes-nothing-is-better-than-something-i-mean-i-d-rather/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“No it was my choice. It's what I wanted to do. And I knew they'd probably send me to Iraq. It's not like anybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/no-it-was-my-choice-it-s-what-i-wanted-to-do-and-i-knew-they-d/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [It's amazing what happens when you stick yourself in a place and let things take their more or less natural course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/it-s-amazing-what-happens-when-you-stick-yourself-in-a-place-and-let/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“As if sorrow is the true reality? Without ever putting his mind to it, he's come to believe that loss is the standard trajectory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/as-if-sorrow-is-the-true-reality-without-ever-putting-his-mind-to-it/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [If you want to see a bunch of happy Americans, go out to opening day at any baseball stadium in the land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/if-you-want-to-see-a-bunch-of-happy-americans-go-out-to-opening-day/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [There was no such thing as perfection in this world, only moments of such extreme transparency that you forgot yourself, a holy mercy if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/there-was-no-such-thing-as-perfection-in-this-world-only-moments-of/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“He decides he wants both more and less. He’d like to hang out with Beyonce in a nice way, get to know her by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/he-decides-he-wants-both-more-and-less-he-d-like-to-hang-out-with/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) [Explore all 127 Ben Fountain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) ## More Outrage quotes > [The president we have today is a typical Washington politician that's prone to hyperbole and decisiveness and false outrage. And I think it's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/the-president-we-have-today-is-a-typical-washington-politician-that-s/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [There’s my baby!” I cried, quite carried away. “There’s my Poochiekins!” Ammit ran at me and leaped into my arms, nuzzling me with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/there-s-my-baby-i-cried-quite-carried-away-there-s-my-poochiekins/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Fear is often disguised as moral outrage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/fear-is-often-disguised-as-moral-outrage/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [“A part of a healthy conscience is being able to confront consciencelessness. When you teach your daughter, explicitly or by passive rejection, that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/a-part-of-a-healthy-conscience-is-being-able-to-confront/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [“I firmly believe that if we can all approach this topic with open minds, the inevitable result will be a level of outrage that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-befumo/i-firmly-believe-that-if-we-can-all-approach-this-topic-with-open/) [Joseph Befumo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-befumo/) > [While the principles of our Constitution give just latitude to inquiry, every citizen faithful to it will deem embodied expressions of discontent and open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/while-the-principles-of-our-constitution-give-just-latitude-to/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I think it's sort of an outrage that companies should have to hire firms to teach the college graduates they employ how to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/i-think-it-s-sort-of-an-outrage-that-companies-should-have-to-hire/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [My friends on Twitter didn't abandon their beliefs or their principles - only their scorn. They channeled their infinitely justifiable offense and came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-phelps-roper/my-friends-on-twitter-didn-t-abandon-their-beliefs-or-their/) [Megan Phelps-Roper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-phelps-roper/) > [“Men are such cowards. They outrage every law of the world, and are afraid of the world’s tongue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-are-such-cowards-they-outrage-every-law-of-the-world-and-are/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Monarchs not only fashion their age, but are fashioned by it, so that they can become a sort of personification of the age. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-figes/monarchs-not-only-fashion-their-age-but-are-fashioned-by-it-so-that/) [Eva Figes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-figes/) > [“Sexually active? Sexually active ? Patrick and I hadn't even learned the fine points of kissing yet! I marched on down. 'For your information,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/sexually-active-sexually-active-patrick-and-i-hadn-t-even-learned-the/) [Phyllis Reynolds Naylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/) > [“Wow. My feminist sensibilities are outraged,” she murmured. “Yeah? I’ll outrage them like they’ve never been outraged before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-mckenna/wow-my-feminist-sensibilities-are-outraged-she-murmured-yeah-i-ll/) [Shannon McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-mckenna/) > [Everybody should be mad but anger only takes you so far. At some point, you'll have outrage fatigue and burn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/everybody-should-be-mad-but-anger-only-takes-you-so-far-at-some-point/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [“Any time we feel ourselves moved to outrage by the behavior of people we think of as them, have we, accidentally or deliberately, allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-time-we-feel-ourselves-moved-to-outrage-by-the-behavior-of-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I worship nothing. Not a good lie nor a dark one. If nature is proof of God's amazing creation then I have truly seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-numan/i-worship-nothing-not-a-good-lie-nor-a-dark-one-if-nature-is-proof-of/) [Gary Numan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-numan/) [Browse all 418 Outrage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outrage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This is a truth so brutally self-evident that he can't fathom why it's not more widely perceived, hence his contempt for the usual public shock and outrage when a particular situation goes to hell”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ben Fountain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/this-is-a-truth-so-brutally-self-evident-that-he-can-t-fathom-why-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Outrage" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/this-is-a-truth-so-brutally-self-evident-that-he-can-t-fathom-why-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/ben-fountain-3198_outrage_this-is-a-truth-so-brutally-self-evident_2832606.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/ben-fountain-3198_outrage_this-is-a-truth-so-brutally-self-evident_2832606.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/ben-fountain-3198_outrage_this-is-a-truth-so-brutally-self-evident_2832606.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This is a truth so brutally self-evident that he can't fathom why it's not more widely perceived, hence his…” — Ben Fountain", "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": "Ben Fountain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“This is a truth so brutally...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/this-is-a-truth-so-brutally-self-evident-that-he-can-t-fathom-why-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/this-is-a-truth-so-brutally-self-evident-that-he-can-t-fathom-why-it/#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 } } ] } ```