--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Truth was the last thing on my mind, and…" description: "\"“Truth was the last thing on my mind, and even if there was such a thing, I didn' t want it in my house. Oedipus went looking for the truth and when he..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/bob-dylan-168_biography_truth-was-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-and_2594732.jpg" --- # Truth was the last thing on my mind, and even if there was… ![“Truth was the last thing on my mind, and even if there was such a thing, I didn' t want it in my house. Oedipus went looking for the truth and when he found it, it ruined him. It was a cruel horror of a joke. So much for the truth. I was gonna talk out of both sides of my mouth and what you heard…” quote by Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/bob-dylan-168_biography_truth-was-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-and_2594732.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/bob-dylan-168_biography_truth-was-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-and_2594732.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/bob-dylan-168_biography_truth-was-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-and_2594732.jpg) > ““Truth was the last thing on my mind, and even if there was such a thing, I didn' t want it in my house. Oedipus went looking for the truth and when he found it, it ruined him. It was a cruel horror of a joke. So much for the truth. I was gonna talk out of both sides of my mouth and what you heard depended on which side you were standing.”” [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker dismisses truth as dangerous, suggesting that seeking it can cause ruin, and that perception depends on perspective. **In simple terms:** Truth is dangerous and subjective. Key Takeaway Question truth, but beware its impact. Themes truth perception danger subjectivity illusion Mood cynical reflective skeptical Type ly philosophical cautionary When to use this quote - political debate - personal relationships - media consumption - self‑reflection Key Concepts existentialism relativism psychology Questions to Reflect On - Do you avoid uncomfortable truths? - How does perspective shape what you accept as truth? A Different Perspective Truth can be destabilizing and may not always be beneficial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biography/) [Bob dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob-dylan/) [House Oedipus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-oedipus-1891003/) [Oedipus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oedipus/) [Oedipus Went](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oedipus-went-1891001/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-quotes/) [Truth Ruined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-ruined-1891002/) [Truth Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-thing-610682/) ## Related quotes > [“Truth was the last thing on my mind, and even if there was such a thing, I didn't want it in my house. Oedipus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/truth-was-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-and-even-if-there-was-such-a/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [“I must admit, it gives me some satisfaction that my life isn't the only one that was irrevocably altered by him and what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-pearl/i-must-admit-it-gives-me-some-satisfaction-that-my-life-isn-t-the/) [Danielle Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-pearl/) > [Only write from your own passion, your own truth. That's the only thing you really know about, and anything else leads you away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/only-write-from-your-own-passion-your-own-truth-that-s-the-only-thing/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“Truth is the last thing I can take because it’s the last thing you took.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pleasefindthis/truth-is-the-last-thing-i-can-take-because-it-s-the-last-thing-you/) [pleasefindthis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pleasefindthis/) > [“Lies and the truth both have one thing in common, Shawn,” Remy said in a low, steady voice. “They both have their consequences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-roux/lies-and-the-truth-both-have-one-thing-in-common-shawn-remy-said-in-a/) [Abigail Roux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-roux/) > [There is no such thing as truth. The only thing that is actually there is your 'logically' ascertained premise, which you call truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/u-g-krishnamurti/there-is-no-such-thing-as-truth-the-only-thing-that-is-actually-there/) [U.G. Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/u-g-krishnamurti/) > [The truth is the last thing that matters,' she said. 'And you can believe one thing of the truth and me: I keep it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/the-truth-is-the-last-thing-that-matters-she-said-and-you-can-believe/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“It made me wonder if always telling the truth was a thing only for people who are about to die. And who know it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/it-made-me-wonder-if-always-telling-the-truth-was-a-thing-only-for/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [There is no 'the truth,' 'a truth'--truth is not one thing, or even a system. It is an increasing complexity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/there-is-no-the-truth-a-truth-truth-is-not-one-thing-or-even-a-system/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Truth - there's no such thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tankred-dorst/truth-there-s-no-such-thing/) [Tankred Dorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tankred-dorst/) > [Truth is the only thing that defeats deception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/truth-is-the-only-thing-that-defeats-deception/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“When everything gets messy and brutal and complicated, the truth is the first thing to go, isn't it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-dave/when-everything-gets-messy-and-brutal-and-complicated-the-truth-is/) [Laura Dave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-dave/) > [The truth is the thing I invented so I could live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/the-truth-is-the-thing-i-invented-so-i-could-live/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [If what you seek is Truth, there is one thing you must have above all else.” “I know. An overwhelming passion for it.” “No.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/if-what-you-seek-is-truth-there-is-one-thing-you-must-have-above-all/) [Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/) > [To regard the successful experiences which ensue from a belief as a criterion of its truth is one thing--and a thing that is sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-pepperell-montague/to-regard-the-successful-experiences-which-ensue-from-a-belief-as-a/) [William Pepperell Montague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-pepperell-montague/) ## More by Bob Dylan > [The hollow horn plays wasted words, proves to warn that he not busy being born is busy dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/the-hollow-horn-plays-wasted-words-proves-to-warn-that-he-not-busy/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Don't forget to support your public library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/don-t-forget-to-support-your-public-library/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [You don't count the dead, when god's on your side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/you-don-t-count-the-dead-when-god-s-on-your-side/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [She makes love just like a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/she-makes-love-just-like-a-woman/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Silvio, I gotta go, find out something only dead men know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/silvio-i-gotta-go-find-out-something-only-dead-men-know/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [I don't really have a retirement plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-don-t-really-have-a-retirement-plan/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Just a reminder, if you tell anyone about what happened with Jonah last night, I'll destroy all of my writing and never play music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/just-a-reminder-if-you-tell-anyone-about-what-happened-with-jonah/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Little red wagon, little red bike, I ain’t no monkey but I know what I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/little-red-wagon-little-red-bike-i-ain-t-no-monkey-but-i-know-what-i/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Twenty years of schooling and they put you on the day shift - look out out kid, they keep it all hid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/twenty-years-of-schooling-and-they-put-you-on-the-day-shift-look-out/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [The drunken politician leaps upon the street where mothers weep, and the saviors who are fast asleep, they wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/the-drunken-politician-leaps-upon-the-street-where-mothers-weep-and/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/your-eyes-are-like-two-jewels-in-the-sky/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [I gotta friend who spends his life, stabbing my picture with a bowie knife. Dreams of strangling me with a scarf, when my name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-gotta-friend-who-spends-his-life-stabbing-my-picture-with-a-bowie/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [She speaks with a stutter and she and she walks with a hop. I don't know why I love her, but I just can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/she-speaks-with-a-stutter-and-she-and-she-walks-with-a-hop-i-don-t/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [The man in the coon skin cap in the pig pen wants eleven dollar bills, you've only got ten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/the-man-in-the-coon-skin-cap-in-the-pig-pen-wants-eleven-dollar-bills/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Don't put my faith in nobody, not even a scientist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/don-t-put-my-faith-in-nobody-not-even-a-scientist/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) [Explore all 1,018 Bob Dylan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) ## More Biography quotes > [I have my own biography of Gram Parsons - I don't want to be part of somebody else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-have-my-own-biography-of-gram-parsons-i-don-t-want-to-be-part-of/) [Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/) > [“If you can choose your way into a cage, you can choose your way out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-kempton/if-you-can-choose-your-way-into-a-cage-you-can-choose-your-way-out/) [Beth Kempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-kempton/) > [All Philosophy is Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-carroll/all-philosophy-is-biography/) [Peter J. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-carroll/) > [I've read every Madonna biography. I've also looked up every pop star to see how they first made it. The biggest thing I learnt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-and-the-diamonds/i-ve-read-every-madonna-biography-i-ve-also-looked-up-every-pop-star/) [Marina and the Diamonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-and-the-diamonds/) > [I went on a Buddha jag. I read 'Confession of a Buddhist Atheist' by Stephen Batchelor and Karen Armstrong's biography of Buddha, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-o-hare/i-went-on-a-buddha-jag-i-read-confession-of-a-buddhist-atheist-by/) [Denis O'Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-o-hare/) > [“What drove us crazy wasn't necessarily the sexual freedom his critic claimed he was unleashing, but freedom, period. Freedom to be yourself, to express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-spector-larry-geller-patricia-romanowski/what-drove-us-crazy-wasn-t-necessarily-the-sexual-freedom-his-critic/) [Joel Spector Larry Geller Patricia Romanowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-spector-larry-geller-patricia-romanowski/) > [“Maybe he'd never come acrross anybody as well versed at objectifying body parts as I was. In my defense, this was an occupational hazard;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-shaw/maybe-he-d-never-come-acrross-anybody-as-well-versed-at-objectifying/) [Aiden Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-shaw/) > [It's time for male leaders to not only ask for binders of qualified women, but to re-write the definition of 'qualified.' The best man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/it-s-time-for-male-leaders-to-not-only-ask-for-binders-of-qualified/) [Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/) > [“Pong had mutated into large stand-up Sega consoles by '82 and here was some extra revenue the guys were well up for. So the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-wilson/pong-had-mutated-into-large-stand-up-sega-consoles-by-82-and-here-was/) [Tony Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-wilson/) > [I think that I'm busy in the present, and I don't want to go back. Well, there's been an unauthorized biography, and you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-finney/i-think-that-i-m-busy-in-the-present-and-i-don-t-want-to-go-back-well/) [Albert Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-finney/) > [“The trouble with life (the novelist will feel) is its amorphousness, its ridiculous fluidity. Look at it: thinly plotted, largely themeless, sentimental and ineluctably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-trouble-with-life-the-novelist-will-feel-is-its-amorphousness-its/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [History is neither more nor less than biography on a large scale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonse-de-lamartine/history-is-neither-more-nor-less-than-biography-on-a-large-scale/) [Alphonse de Lamartine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonse-de-lamartine/) > [“I don't know enough to have any regrets”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-grabin/i-don-t-know-enough-to-have-any-regrets/) [Vince Grabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-grabin/) > [“Up to four chauffeurs, two secretaries, two personal maids, and a masseur traveled with her to each home”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estella-m-chung/up-to-four-chauffeurs-two-secretaries-two-personal-maids-and-a/) [Estella M. Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estella-m-chung/) > [I'm not spitting in my own soup, I love having spent my life thinking about these things-but you don't have to know anything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-greenblatt/i-m-not-spitting-in-my-own-soup-i-love-having-spent-my-life-thinking/) [Stephen Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-greenblatt/) [Browse all 348 Biography quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biography/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Truth was the last thing on my mind, and even if there was such a thing, I didn' t want it in my house. Oedipus went looking for the truth and when he found it, it ruined him. It was a cruel horror of a joke. So much for the truth. I was gonna talk out of both sides of my mouth and what you heard depended on which side you were standing.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bob Dylan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/truth-was-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-and-even-if-there-was-such-a-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Biography" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/truth-was-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-and-even-if-there-was-such-a-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/bob-dylan-168_biography_truth-was-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-and_2594732.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/bob-dylan-168_biography_truth-was-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-and_2594732.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/bob-dylan-168_biography_truth-was-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-and_2594732.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Truth was the last thing on my mind, and even if there was such a thing, I didn' t want it in my house…” — Bob Dylan", "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": "Bob Dylan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Truth was the last thing on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/truth-was-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-and-even-if-there-was-such-a-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/truth-was-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-and-even-if-there-was-such-a-2/#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 } } ] } ```