--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: These are all cases of proved or…" description: "\"These are all cases of proved or presumptive baloney. A deception arises, sometimes innocently but collaboratively, sometimes with cynical premeditatio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/carl-sagan-160_acceptance_these-are-all-cases-of-proved-or-presump_2287720.jpg" --- # These are all cases of proved or presumptive baloney. A… ![“These are all cases of proved or presumptive baloney. A deception arises, sometimes innocently but collaboratively, sometimes with cynical premeditation. Usually the victim is caught up in a powerful emotion -- wonder, fear, greed, grief. Credulous acceptance of baloney can cost you money; that's…” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/carl-sagan-160_acceptance_these-are-all-cases-of-proved-or-presump_2287720.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/carl-sagan-160_acceptance_these-are-all-cases-of-proved-or-presump_2287720.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/carl-sagan-160_acceptance_these-are-all-cases-of-proved-or-presump_2287720.jpg) > “These are all cases of proved or presumptive baloney. A deception arises, sometimes innocently but collaboratively, sometimes with cynical premeditation. Usually the victim is caught up in a powerful emotion -- wonder, fear, greed, grief. Credulous acceptance of baloney can cost you money; that's what P. T. Barnum meant when he said, 'There's a sucker born every minute.' But it can be much more dangerous than that, and when governments and societies lose the capacity for critical thinking, the results can be catastrophic -- however sympathetic we may be to those who have bought the baloney.” [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Deceptive ideas exploit emotions; gullibility leads to loss and societal harm. **In simple terms:** Emotions make us vulnerable to scams. Key Takeaway Question and verify emotional claims. Themes deception emotion critical thinking Mood cautious analytical Type educational warning When to use this quote - financial decisions - political discourse - media consumption Key Concepts cognitive bias media literacy Questions to Reflect On - What emotions do you notice when you feel persuaded? - How can you test a claim before accepting it? A Different Perspective Not all emotional appeals are malicious. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acceptance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) [Arise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arise/) [Baloney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baloney/) [Baloney Deception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baloney-deception-5363547/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Capacity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capacity/) [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Caught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caught/) [Caught up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caught-up/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Credulous Acceptance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credulous-acceptance-1117574/) [Critical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critical/) [Critical thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critical-thinking/) [Cynical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynical/) [Cynical Premeditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynical-premeditation-1117573/) [Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous/) [Deception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deception/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Every Minute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-minute/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government and society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-and-society/) [Greed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greed/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loses/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Powerful emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful-emotions/) [Premeditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/premeditation/) [Presumptive Baloney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presumptive-baloney-5363548/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Sucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sucker/) [Sympathetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sympathetic/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [“A deception arises, sometimes innocently but collaboratively, sometimes with cynical premeditation. Usually the victim is caught up in a powerful emotion - wonder, fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/a-deception-arises-sometimes-innocently-but-collaboratively-sometimes/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The premeditation of death is the premeditation of liberty; he who has learnt to die has forgot to serve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-premeditation-of-death-is-the-premeditation-of-liberty-he-who-has/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Speaking for myself, art differs from writing in that I never know what I'm going to paint until I paint it, so it's almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/speaking-for-myself-art-differs-from-writing-in-that-i-never-know/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Nothing I do is natural, realistic, organic or accidental. I'm never spontaneous, I'm completely premeditated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuno-roque/nothing-i-do-is-natural-realistic-organic-or-accidental-i-m-never/) [Nuno Roque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nuno-roque/) > [“Who tries to sabotage my time and priority in life can never understand the sensible, best choices of my heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-hopes/who-tries-to-sabotage-my-time-and-priority-in-life-can-never/) [Angelica Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-hopes/) > [My understanding of first-degree murder is that premeditation needs to be proven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/my-understanding-of-first-degree-murder-is-that-premeditation-needs/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Virtue by premeditation isn't worth much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/virtue-by-premeditation-isn-t-worth-much/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [We are living in the era of premeditation and the perfect crime. Our criminals are no longer helpless children who could plead love as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-are-living-in-the-era-of-premeditation-and-the-perfect-crime-our/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [In the course of history, all empires have been created with premeditation, by an effort often sustained over several generations. Every power has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-malraux/in-the-course-of-history-all-empires-have-been-created-with/) [Andre Malraux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-malraux/) > [For me, the sketchbooks are more like a secret and wholly spontaneous jeu d'esprit and some of them I like as much as anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-motherwell/for-me-the-sketchbooks-are-more-like-a-secret-and-wholly-spontaneous/) [Robert Motherwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-motherwell/) > [“How merciful a thing is man's ignorance of his immediate future! What a ghastly, paralysing thing it would have been if all those present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mervyn-peake/how-merciful-a-thing-is-man-s-ignorance-of-his-immediate-future-what/) [Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/) > [It is only the surprise and newness of the thing which makes that misfortune terrible which by premeditation might be made easy to us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/it-is-only-the-surprise-and-newness-of-the-thing-which-makes-that/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [ \[The lion\] began to contemplate me with a kind of quiet premeditation, like that of a slow-witted man fondling an unaccustomed thought. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/the-lion-began-to-contemplate-me-with-a-kind-of-quiet-premeditation/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [It would have been very alarming - morally, and in other ways too - if an attack of that nature, the 11 September attacks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-would-have-been-very-alarming-morally-and-in-other-ways-too-if-an/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/what-country-can-preserve-its-liberties-if-its-rulers-are-not-warned/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by Carl Sagan > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-prediction-of-nuclear-winter-is-drawn-not-of-course-from-any/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Telepathy’ literally means to feel at a distance, just as ‘telephone’ is to hear at a distance and ‘television’ is to see at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/telepathy-literally-means-to-feel-at-a-distance-just-as-telephone-is/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“On the scale of worlds—to say nothing of stars or galaxies—humans are inconsequential, a thin film of life on an obscure and solitary lump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/on-the-scale-of-worlds-to-say-nothing-of-stars-or-galaxies-humans-are/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-one-of-us-is-in-the-cosmic-perspective-precious-if-a-human/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [In our time, we have sifted the sands of Mars, we have established a presence there, we have fulfilled a century of dreams!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/in-our-time-we-have-sifted-the-sands-of-mars-we-have-established-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ “\[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :\] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-about-fulfilled-prophecies-he/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Don't judge everyone else by your own limited experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/don-t-judge-everyone-else-by-your-own-limited-experience/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Books permit us to voyage through time, to tap the wisdom of our ancestors. The library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/books-permit-us-to-voyage-through-time-to-tap-the-wisdom-of-our/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [We live on a hunk of rock and metal that circles a humdrum star that is one of 400 billion other stars that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-live-on-a-hunk-of-rock-and-metal-that-circles-a-humdrum-star-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [A tiny blue dot set in a sunbeam. Here it is. That's where we live. That's home. We humans are one species and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/a-tiny-blue-dot-set-in-a-sunbeam-here-it-is-that-s-where-we-live-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Any sufficiently crisp question can be answered by a single binary digit-0 or 1, yes or no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/any-sufficiently-crisp-question-can-be-answered-by-a-single-binary/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Humans — who enslave, castrate, experiment on, and fillet other animals — have had an understandable penchant for pretending animals do not feel pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/humans-who-enslave-castrate-experiment-on-and-fillet-other-animals/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Every star may be a sun to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-star-may-be-a-sun-to-someone/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) [Explore all 1,043 Carl Sagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## More Acceptance quotes > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Acceptance of death when it arrives is one thing, but to allow it to upstage the joys of living is ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-blythe/acceptance-of-death-when-it-arrives-is-one-thing-but-to-allow-it-to/) [Ronald Blythe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-blythe/) > [“Loving someone who does not love you back hurts, alot, i know. It is liking seeing these pair of shoes at the retail store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomthandazo-tsembeni/loving-someone-who-does-not-love-you-back-hurts-alot-i-know-it-is/) [Nomthandazo Tsembeni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomthandazo-tsembeni/) > [Take responsibily for your past, the bad memories of poor decisions you took were your choices once, and you liked them for the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aruho-marvin/take-responsibily-for-your-past-the-bad-memories-of-poor-decisions/) [Aruho Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aruho-marvin/) > [Let us learn to accept and appreciate things now, and we'll find more happiness in every moment we live. Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [“Love first; ask questions later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-courtney/love-first-ask-questions-later/) [Jeremy Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-courtney/) > [“There was beauty in chaos, she'd just never known it before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-linsmeier/there-was-beauty-in-chaos-she-d-just-never-known-it-before/) [Amanda Linsmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-linsmeier/) > [Accepting the challenges in life makes it interesting and overcoming them makes it eloquent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/accepting-the-challenges-in-life-makes-it-interesting-and-overcoming/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Acceptance is the only thing you should teach. Be it Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Dalit, you must inculcate acceptance, not tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamal-haasan/acceptance-is-the-only-thing-you-should-teach-be-it-christian-muslim/) [Kamal Haasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamal-haasan/) > [There just seems to be more acceptance now of other kinds of British films, than the picture-postcard ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/there-just-seems-to-be-more-acceptance-now-of-other-kinds-of-british/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 3,960 Acceptance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "These are all cases of proved or presumptive baloney. A deception arises, sometimes innocently but collaboratively, sometimes with cynical premeditation. Usually the victim is caught up in a powerful emotion -- wonder, fear, greed, grief. 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