---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That queen, of error, whom we call fancy…"
description: "\"That queen, of error, whom we call fancy and opinion, is the more deceitful because she does not always deceive. She would be the infallible rule of tr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/blaise-pascal-167_character_that-queen-of-error-whom-we-call-fancy-a_2734312.jpg"
---

#  That queen, of error, whom we call fancy and opinion, is…

![“That queen, of error, whom we call fancy and opinion, is the more deceitful because she does not always deceive. She would be the infallible rule of truth if she were the infallible rule of falsehood; but being only most frequently in error, she gives no evidence of her real quality, for she marks…” quote by Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/blaise-pascal-167_character_that-queen-of-error-whom-we-call-fancy-a_2734312.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/blaise-pascal-167_character_that-queen-of-error-whom-we-call-fancy-a_2734312.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/blaise-pascal-167_character_that-queen-of-error-whom-we-call-fancy-a_2734312.jpg)

> “That queen, of error, whom we call fancy and opinion, is the more deceitful because she does not always deceive. She would be the infallible rule of truth if she were the infallible rule of falsehood; but being only most frequently in error, she gives no evidence of her real quality, for she marks with the same character both that which is true and that which is false.”

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The mind’s tendency to treat personal preference as objective truth leads to self‑deception, obscuring the line between truth and falsehood.

**In simple terms:** Fancy disguises bias as truth, making self‑deception common.

Key Takeaway

Question your assumptions and seek external verification.

Themes

philosophy psychology truth bias self‑deception

Mood

reflective critical skeptical

Type

aphilosophical analytical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal decision‑making
- political discourse
- media consumption
- scientific research
- interpersonal relationships

Key Concepts

Epistemology cognitive bias subjectivity

Questions to Reflect On

- What beliefs do you treat as facts without proof?
- How can you test the reliability of your own judgments?

A Different Perspective

It can be hard to distinguish genuine insight from personal bias without objective criteria.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Deceitful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceitful/) [Deceive Infallible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceive-infallible-2978092/) [Deceiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceiving/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Does Deceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/does-deceive-2978095/) [Errors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/errors/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Falsehood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehood/) [Falsehood Frequently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehood-frequently-2978094/) [Fancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fancy/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Infallible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infallible/) [Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mark/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Opinion Deceitful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion-deceitful-2978091/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Queens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/queens/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Rule Falsehood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-falsehood-2978093/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/)

## Related quotes

> [Propaganda does not deceive people; it merely helps them to deceive themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/propaganda-does-not-deceive-people-it-merely-helps-them-to-deceive/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Truth is more deceptive than falsehood, for it is more frequently presented by those from whom we do not expect it, and so has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/truth-is-more-deceptive-than-falsehood-for-it-is-more-frequently/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [Take heed thou trust not the deceitful lap Of wanton Dalilah; the world's a trap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/take-heed-thou-trust-not-the-deceitful-lap-of-wanton-dalilah-the/)

[Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/)

> [If we define an American fascist as one who in case of conflict puts money and power ahead of human beings, then there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/if-we-define-an-american-fascist-as-one-who-in-case-of-conflict-puts/)

[Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/)

> [“The heart is deceitful above all things,         and desperately sick;         who can understand it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-heart-is-deceitful-above-all-things-and-desperately-sick-who-can/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [People who share a muddled, careless, or deceitful attitude towards gathering evidence often find themselves drawn to eachother's fantasies. If you believe one wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-thompson/people-who-share-a-muddled-careless-or-deceitful-attitude-towards/)

[Damian Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-thompson/)

> [Common sense, the half-truths of a deceitful society, is honored as the honest truths of a frank world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-jacoby/common-sense-the-half-truths-of-a-deceitful-society-is-honored-as-the/)

[Russell Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-jacoby/)

> [“I was trying to spare her any further stress(...)I wasn’t trying to be deceitful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinn-loftis/i-was-trying-to-spare-her-any-further-stress-i-wasn-t-trying-to-be/)

[Quinn Loftis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinn-loftis/)

> [Be leery of silence. It doesn't mean you won the argument. Often, people are just busy reloading their guns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder-2/be-leery-of-silence-it-doesn-t-mean-you-won-the-argument-often-people/)

[Shannon L Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder-2/)

> [By the word simplicity, is not always meant folly or ignorance; but often, pure and upright Nature, free from artifice, craft or deceitful ornament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/by-the-word-simplicity-is-not-always-meant-folly-or-ignorance-but/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [When temptation comes your way, name that boastful, deceitful giant “Goliath!” and do with it as David did to the Philistine of Gath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/when-temptation-comes-your-way-name-that-boastful-deceitful-giant/)

[Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/)

> [I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ; I therefore hatethe corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial, and hypocritical Christianity of this land.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-love-the-pure-peaceable-and-impartial-christianity-of-christ-i/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [The world is deceitful; her end is doubtful, her conclusion is horrible, her judge terrible, and her judgment is intolerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/the-world-is-deceitful-her-end-is-doubtful-her-conclusion-is-horrible/)

[Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/)

> [Life is deceitful because all warfare is based on deception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/life-is-deceitful-because-all-warfare-is-based-on-deception/)

[William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/)

> [THE POISON TREE I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-poison-tree-i-was-angry-with-my-friend-i-told-my-wrath-my-wrath/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

## More by Blaise Pascal

> [“Do they think that they have given us great pleasure by telling us that they hold our soul to be no more than wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/do-they-think-that-they-have-given-us-great-pleasure-by-telling-us/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [There should be in eloquence that which is pleasing and that which is real; but that which is pleasing should itself be real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/there-should-be-in-eloquence-that-which-is-pleasing-and-that-which-is/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [The method of not erring is sought by all the world. The logicians profess to guide it, the geometricians alone attain it, and apart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-method-of-not-erring-is-sought-by-all-the-world-the-logicians/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [When we read too fast or too slowly, we understand nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/when-we-read-too-fast-or-too-slowly-we-understand-nothing/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Mahomet established a religion by putting his enemies to death; Jesus Christ by commanding his followers to lay down their lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/mahomet-established-a-religion-by-putting-his-enemies-to-death-jesus/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Reflect on death as in Jesus Christ, not as without Jesus Christ. Without Jesus Christ it is dreadful, it is alarming, it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/reflect-on-death-as-in-jesus-christ-not-as-without-jesus-christ/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [The Stoics say, "Retire within yourselves; it is there you will find your rest." And that is not true. Others say, "Go out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-stoics-say-retire-within-yourselves-it-is-there-you-will-find/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Happiness can be found neither in ourselves nor in external things, but in God and in ourselves as united to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/happiness-can-be-found-neither-in-ourselves-nor-in-external-things/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Amusement that is excessive and followed only for its own sake, allures and deceives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/amusement-that-is-excessive-and-followed-only-for-its-own-sake/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Rivers are highways that move on and bear us whither we wish to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/rivers-are-highways-that-move-on-and-bear-us-whither-we-wish-to-go/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [We desire truth, and find within ourselves only uncertainty. We seek happiness, and find only misery and death. We cannot but desire truth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/we-desire-truth-and-find-within-ourselves-only-uncertainty-we-seek/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Vanity is illustrated in the cause and effect of love, as in the case of Cleopatra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/vanity-is-illustrated-in-the-cause-and-effect-of-love-as-in-the-case/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [“There is no denying it; one must admit that there is something astonishing about Christianity. 'It is because you were born in it,' they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/there-is-no-denying-it-one-must-admit-that-there-is-something/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Imagination is the deceptive part in man, the mistress of error and falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/imagination-is-the-deceptive-part-in-man-the-mistress-of-error-and/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [The majority is the best way, because it is visible, and has strength to make itself obeyed. Yet it is the opinion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-majority-is-the-best-way-because-it-is-visible-and-has-strength/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

[Explore all 988 Blaise Pascal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

## More Character quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/)

[David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/)

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/)

[Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

[Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "That queen, of error, whom we call fancy and opinion, is the more deceitful because she does not always deceive. She would be the infallible rule of truth if she were the infallible rule of falsehood; but being only most frequently in error, she gives no evidence of her real quality, for she marks with the same character both that which is true and that which is false.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Blaise Pascal"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/that-queen-of-error-whom-we-call-fancy-and-opinion-is-the-more/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/that-queen-of-error-whom-we-call-fancy-and-opinion-is-the-more/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/blaise-pascal-167_character_that-queen-of-error-whom-we-call-fancy-a_2734312.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/blaise-pascal-167_character_that-queen-of-error-whom-we-call-fancy-a_2734312.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/blaise-pascal-167_character_that-queen-of-error-whom-we-call-fancy-a_2734312.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That queen, of error, whom we call fancy and opinion, is the more deceitful because she does not always…” — Blaise Pascal",
                "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": "Blaise Pascal",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "That queen, of error, whom we...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/that-queen-of-error-whom-we-call-fancy-and-opinion-is-the-more/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/that-queen-of-error-whom-we-call-fancy-and-opinion-is-the-more/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
