--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are infinite possibilities of…" description: "\"There are infinite possibilities of error, and more cranks take up fashionable untruths than unfashionable truths.\" — Bertrand Russell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/bertrand-russell-69_crank_there-are-infinite-possibilities-of-erro_2540480.jpg" --- # There are infinite possibilities of error, and more cranks… ![“There are infinite possibilities of error, and more cranks take up fashionable untruths than unfashionable truths.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/bertrand-russell-69_crank_there-are-infinite-possibilities-of-erro_2540480.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/bertrand-russell-69_crank_there-are-infinite-possibilities-of-erro_2540480.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/bertrand-russell-69_crank_there-are-infinite-possibilities-of-erro_2540480.jpg) > “There are infinite possibilities of error, and more cranks take up fashionable untruths than unfashionable truths.” [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Infinite error possibilities exist, yet fashionable falsehoods attract more followers than unpopular truths. **In simple terms:** Trendy lies outnumber hard truths. Key Takeaway Question popular narratives. Themes truth error social influence critical thinking Mood skeptical analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - media consumption - academic research - public debates - policy making Key Concepts philosophy of knowledge media criticism Questions to Reflect On - Why do people prefer comfortable falsehoods? - How can we promote truth in public discourse? A Different Perspective Truth may be suppressed by social pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fashionable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashionable/) [Infinite possibilities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinite-possibilities/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Untruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untruth/) [Untruths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untruths/) ## Related quotes > [More cranks take up unfashionable errors than unfashionable truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/more-cranks-take-up-unfashionable-errors-than-unfashionable-truths/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“In his opinion, all the world’s misfortunes stemmed from the countless untruths, both deliberate and unintentional, which people told because of haste or carelessness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/in-his-opinion-all-the-world-s-misfortunes-stemmed-from-the-countless/) [Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/) > [“People who tell untruths are easily deceived because they have placed their energy in that negative vibration location and are now a match for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-friedenfeld/people-who-tell-untruths-are-easily-deceived-because-they-have-placed/) [Molly Friedenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-friedenfeld/) > [ I don't like to see facts twisted, untruths fabricated to give the \[Supreme Court\] nominee a black eye, even before he comes before Senate… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-grassley/i-don-t-like-to-see-facts-twisted-untruths-fabricated-to-give-the/) [Chuck Grassley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-grassley/) > [Live by the harmless untruths that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/live-by-the-harmless-untruths-that-make-you-brave-and-kind-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Not all deceptions are palatable. Untruths are too easy to come by, too quickly exploded, too cheap and ephemeral to give lasting comfort. Mundus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kaufmann/not-all-deceptions-are-palatable-untruths-are-too-easy-to-come-by-too/) [Walter Kaufmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kaufmann/) > [It was possible, maybe, to have facts in your mind that weren't facts at all. You could build a whole life's story on false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/it-was-possible-maybe-to-have-facts-in-your-mind-that-weren-t-facts/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [The more we read God’s truths and let truth fill our minds, the less time we’ll spend contemplating untruths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/the-more-we-read-god-s-truths-and-let-truth-fill-our-minds-the-less/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [I looked at Mum and realized -- twang! -- that she was telling an untruth. A big untruth. 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Anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/dr-arnold-the-admired-reformer-of-public-schools-came-across-some/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“But the lie had to be a good one, because if your lie is badly done it makes everyone feel wretched, liar and lied-to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/but-the-lie-had-to-be-a-good-one-because-if-your-lie-is-badly-done-it/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [Don't read, click links or subscribe to any media organisations that peddle sinister untruths and stereotypes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eniola-aluko/don-t-read-click-links-or-subscribe-to-any-media-organisations-that/) [Eniola Aluko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eniola-aluko/) > [“No happy marriage was, in his estimation, ever based on thoughtless, automatic untruths and exclusions. And the best way to make someone unhappy, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/no-happy-marriage-was-in-his-estimation-ever-based-on-thoughtless/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [I suppose I shouldn't go around admitting I speak untruths on the radio. When I say something untrue on the air, I mean for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/i-suppose-i-shouldn-t-go-around-admitting-i-speak-untruths-on-the/) [Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/) ## More by Bertrand Russell > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/that-the-world-is-in-a-bad-shape-is-undeniable-but-there-is-not-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [All movements go too far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/all-movements-go-too-far/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Such, in outline, but even more purposeless, more void of meaning, is the world which Science presents for our belief. Amid such a world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/such-in-outline-but-even-more-purposeless-more-void-of-meaning-is-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Dr. Arnold . . . the admired reformer of public schools, came across some cranks who thought it a mistake to flog boys. Anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/dr-arnold-the-admired-reformer-of-public-schools-came-across-some/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Of all evils of war the greatest is the purely spiritual evil: the hatred, the injustice, the repudiation of truth, the artificial conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/of-all-evils-of-war-the-greatest-is-the-purely-spiritual-evil-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/aristotle-maintained-that-women-have-fewer-teeth-than-men-although-he/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-an-opinion-contrary-to-your-own-makes-you-angry-that-is-a-sign/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I cannot escape from the conclusion that the great ages of progress have depended upon a small number of individuals of transcendent ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-cannot-escape-from-the-conclusion-that-the-great-ages-of-progress/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I think it would be just to say the most essential characteristic of mind is memory, using this word in its broadest sense to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-think-it-would-be-just-to-say-the-most-essential-characteristic-of/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [The newspapers at one time said that I was dead but after carefully examining the evidence I came to the conclusion that this statement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-newspapers-at-one-time-said-that-i-was-dead-but-after-carefully/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Persecution is used in theology, not in arithmetic, because in arithmetic there is knowledge, but in theology there is only opinion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/persecution-is-used-in-theology-not-in-arithmetic-because-in/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Many orthodox people speak as though it were the business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather than of dogmatists to prove them. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/many-orthodox-people-speak-as-though-it-were-the-business-of-sceptics/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [There is no greater reason for children to honour parents than for parents to honour children except, that while the children are young, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/there-is-no-greater-reason-for-children-to-honour-parents-than-for/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) [Explore all 1,620 Bertrand Russell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) ## More Crank quotes > [Dr. Arnold . . . the admired reformer of public schools, came across some cranks who thought it a mistake to flog boys. Anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/dr-arnold-the-admired-reformer-of-public-schools-came-across-some/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Really great moral teachers never do introduce new moralities: it is quacks and cranks who do that. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/really-great-moral-teachers-never-do-introduce-new-moralities-it-is/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [There you go, now crank her back just a hair right there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-moore/there-you-go-now-crank-her-back-just-a-hair-right-there/) [Justin Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-moore/) > [Living more lives than one, knowing people of all classes, all shades of opinion, monarchists, republicans, socialists, anarchists, has had a salutary effect on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rheta-childe-dorr/living-more-lives-than-one-knowing-people-of-all-classes-all-shades/) [Rheta Childe Dorr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rheta-childe-dorr/) > [I feel like every time I start up, it's like a truck you have to get into 15th gear, so you very solely crank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/i-feel-like-every-time-i-start-up-it-s-like-a-truck-you-have-to-get/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [Once we used to have to crank up our cars, now you can pop it on from inside your house. Everything has changed except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/once-we-used-to-have-to-crank-up-our-cars-now-you-can-pop-it-on-from/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [Enlightened self-interest from those involved in hydrocarbons should lead to the support of technologies enabling the clean use of hydrocarbons, such as carbon capture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-stern/enlightened-self-interest-from-those-involved-in-hydrocarbons-should/) [Nicholas Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-stern/) > [People like 'Crank,' some people like 'Redemption.' I'm just happy to do things that satiate a different part of me, that test me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-statham/people-like-crank-some-people-like-redemption-i-m-just-happy-to-do/) [Jason Statham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-statham/) > [I get so many ideas for songs, but I'm so seldom disciplined enough to sit down and crank them out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-palmer/i-get-so-many-ideas-for-songs-but-i-m-so-seldom-disciplined-enough-to/) [Amanda Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-palmer/) > [Really great moral teachers never do introduce new moralities: it is quacks and cranks who do that… The real job of every moral teacher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/really-great-moral-teachers-never-do-introduce-new-moralities-it-is-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we like a man's dream, we call him a reformer; if we don't like his dream, we call him a crank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/if-we-like-a-man-s-dream-we-call-him-a-reformer-if-we-don-t-like-his/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [We cannot hope to change human nature. There will always be cranks and conspiracy theorists among us. But we can try to improve things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-avlon/we-cannot-hope-to-change-human-nature-there-will-always-be-cranks-and/) [John Avlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-avlon/) > [I never felt at home. I stuck outIn New York City, especially in Greenwich Village, down among the cranks and the misfits and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mitchell/i-never-felt-at-home-i-stuck-outin-new-york-city-especially-in/) [Joseph Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mitchell/) > [I'm a Crank. I'm slowly going crazy. I keep wanting to chew off my own fingers and randomly kill people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dashner/i-m-a-crank-i-m-slowly-going-crazy-i-keep-wanting-to-chew-off-my-own/) [James Dashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dashner/) > [I don't want to write formula. I don't want to crank these books out like sausages. Every book is different, which takes a hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/i-don-t-want-to-write-formula-i-don-t-want-to-crank-these-books-out/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) Browse all 131 Crank quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are infinite possibilities of error, and more cranks take up fashionable untruths than unfashionable truths.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bertrand Russell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/there-are-infinite-possibilities-of-error-and-more-cranks-take-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crank" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/there-are-infinite-possibilities-of-error-and-more-cranks-take-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/bertrand-russell-69_crank_there-are-infinite-possibilities-of-erro_2540480.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/bertrand-russell-69_crank_there-are-infinite-possibilities-of-erro_2540480.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/bertrand-russell-69_crank_there-are-infinite-possibilities-of-erro_2540480.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are infinite possibilities of error, and more cranks take up fashionable untruths than unfashionable…” — Bertrand Russell", "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": "Bertrand Russell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are infinite possibilities of error,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/there-are-infinite-possibilities-of-error-and-more-cranks-take-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/there-are-infinite-possibilities-of-error-and-more-cranks-take-up/#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 } } ] } ```