---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not so difficult a task to plant…"
description: "\"It is not so difficult a task to plant new truths, as to root out old errors; for there is this paradox in men, they run after that which is new, but a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06f/charles-caleb-colton-270_difficult_it-is-not-so-difficult-a-task-to-plant-n_869149.jpg"
---

#  It is not so difficult a task to plant new truths, as to…

![“It is not so difficult a task to plant new truths, as to root out old errors; for there is this paradox in men, they run after that which is new, but are prejudiced in favor of that which is old.” quote by Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06f/charles-caleb-colton-270_difficult_it-is-not-so-difficult-a-task-to-plant-n_869149.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06f/charles-caleb-colton-270_difficult_it-is-not-so-difficult-a-task-to-plant-n_869149.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06f/charles-caleb-colton-270_difficult_it-is-not-so-difficult-a-task-to-plant-n_869149.jpg)

> “It is not so difficult a task to plant new truths, as to root out old errors; for there is this paradox in men, they run after that which is new, but are prejudiced in favor of that which is old.”

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

## About This Quote

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

Colton argues that adopting new ideas is easier than discarding old ones, highlighting human resistance to change despite novelty’s appeal

**In simple terms:** People cling to old errors even while seeking new truths

Key Takeaway

Challenge yourself to question entrenched beliefs

Themes

philosophy psychology change

Mood

critical inquisitive

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- education reform
- organizational change
- cultural shifts
- policy development

Key Concepts

cognitive bias paradox innovation

Questions to Reflect On

- What old errors persist in your field?
- How can you facilitate letting go of outdated practices?

A Different Perspective

New ideas can be rejected if they threaten established comfort zones

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Paradox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truths/)

## Related quotes

> [Every fact and every work exercises a fresh persuasion over every age and every new species of man. History always enunciates new truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-fact-and-every-work-exercises-a-fresh-persuasion-over-every-age/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“History warns us, however, that it is the customary fate of new truths to begin as heresies and to end as superstitions; and, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/history-warns-us-however-that-it-is-the-customary-fate-of-new-truths/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [He wanted to talk to them, if he could, to discover whether they had truths about life which he had never heard before. Here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-wanted-to-talk-to-them-if-he-could-to-discover-whether-they-had/)

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

> [It is not so difficult a task as to plant new truths, as to root out old errors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-not-so-difficult-a-task-as-to-plant-new-truths-as-to-root-out/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [if you pursue the truth far enough you always wind up in the land of paradox. You reach a point where the apparent truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-howatch/if-you-pursue-the-truth-far-enough-you-always-wind-up-in-the-land-of/)

[Susan Howatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-howatch/)

> [“Some of the simplest of truths are also some of the most difficult of truths, but such is Christianity: 'If it's not about Christ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/some-of-the-simplest-of-truths-are-also-some-of-the-most-difficult-of/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [There are no new truths, but only truths that have not been recognized by those who have perceived them without noticing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/there-are-no-new-truths-but-only-truths-that-have-not-been-recognized/)

[Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/)

> [“The greatest and noblest pleasure which we have in this world is to discover new truths, and the next is to shake off old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-the-great/the-greatest-and-noblest-pleasure-which-we-have-in-this-world-is-to-2/)

[Frederick the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-the-great/)

> [To all new truths, or renovation of old truths, it must be as in the ark between the destroyed and the about-to-be renovated world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/to-all-new-truths-or-renovation-of-old-truths-it-must-be-as-in-the/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [“How will people change, if they are not exposed to new ideas, new truths?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faye-e-hager/how-will-people-change-if-they-are-not-exposed-to-new-ideas-new-truths/)

Faye E Hager

> [The greatest and noblest pleasure which we have in this world is to discover new truths, and the next is to shake off old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-the-great/the-greatest-and-noblest-pleasure-which-we-have-in-this-world-is-to/)

[Frederick The Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-the-great/)

> [It is well when the wise and the learned discover new truths; but how much better to diffuse the truths already discovered amongst the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/it-is-well-when-the-wise-and-the-learned-discover-new-truths-but-how/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [We primarily grow as human beings by discovering new truths about ourselves and our reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-pavlina/we-primarily-grow-as-human-beings-by-discovering-new-truths-about/)

[Steve Pavlina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-pavlina/)

> [“This spiritual light is not the suggesting of any new truths or propositions not contained in the word of God. This suggesting of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-edwards/this-spiritual-light-is-not-the-suggesting-of-any-new-truths-or/)

[Jonathan Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-edwards/)

> [History warns us that it is the customary fate of new truths to begin as heresies and to end as superstitions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/history-warns-us-that-it-is-the-customary-fate-of-new-truths-to-begin/)

[Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/)

## More by Charles Caleb Colton

> [Villainy that is vigilant will be an overmatch for virtue, if she slumber at her post.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/villainy-that-is-vigilant-will-be-an-overmatch-for-virtue-if-she/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [A beautiful woman, if poor, should use double circumspection; for her beauty will tempt others, her poverty herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/a-beautiful-woman-if-poor-should-use-double-circumspection-for-her/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Were the life of man prolonged, he would become such a proficient in villainy, that it would become necessary again to drown or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/were-the-life-of-man-prolonged-he-would-become-such-a-proficient-in/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [To dare to live alone is the rarest courage; since there are many who had rather meet their bitterest enemy in the field, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/to-dare-to-live-alone-is-the-rarest-courage-since-there-are-many-who/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [It is doubtful whether mankind are most indebted to those who like Bacon and Butler dig the gold from the mine of literature, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-doubtful-whether-mankind-are-most-indebted-to-those-who-like/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. Where one has been saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/be-very-slow-to-believe-that-you-are-wiser-than-all-others-it-is-a/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [None are so fond of secrets as those who do not mean to keep them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/none-are-so-fond-of-secrets-as-those-who-do-not-mean-to-keep-them/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Mental pleasures never cloy; unlike those of the body, they are increased by reputation, approved by reflection, and strengthened by enjoyment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/mental-pleasures-never-cloy-unlike-those-of-the-body-they-are/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Ignorance lies at the bottom of all human knowledge, and the deeper we penetrate, the nearer we arrive unto it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/ignorance-lies-at-the-bottom-of-all-human-knowledge-and-the-deeper-we/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Heroism, self-denial, and magnanimity, in all instances where they do not spring from a principle of religion, are but splendid altars on which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/heroism-self-denial-and-magnanimity-in-all-instances-where-they-do/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [We ought not to be over-anxious to encourage innovation in cases of doubtful improvement, for an old system must ever have two advantages over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/we-ought-not-to-be-over-anxious-to-encourage-innovation-in-cases-of/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [We owe almost all our knowledge not to those who have agreed, but to those who have differed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/we-owe-almost-all-our-knowledge-not-to-those-who-have-agreed-but-to/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Metaphysicians have been learning their lessons for the last four thousand years, and it is high time that they should now begin to teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/metaphysicians-have-been-learning-their-lessons-for-the-last-four/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Faith and works are necessary to our spiritual life as Christians, as soul and body are to our natural life as men; for faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/faith-and-works-are-necessary-to-our-spiritual-life-as-christians-as/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [When all moves equally (says Pascal), nothing seems to move as in a vessel under sail; and when all run by common consent into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/when-all-moves-equally-says-pascal-nothing-seems-to-move-as-in-a/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

[Explore all 778 Charles Caleb Colton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

## More Difficult quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [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/)

> [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/)

[Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/)

> [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/)

[Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/)

> [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/)

[Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/)

> [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/)

[Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/)

[Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/)

[Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/)

> [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/)

[Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/)

> [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/)

[Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/)

> [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/)

[Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/)

> [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/)

[Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/)

Browse all 13,132 Difficult quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is not so difficult a task to plant new truths, as to root out old errors; for there is this paradox in men, they run after that which is new, but are prejudiced in favor of that which is old.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Caleb Colton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-not-so-difficult-a-task-to-plant-new-truths-as-to-root-out-old/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Difficult"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-not-so-difficult-a-task-to-plant-new-truths-as-to-root-out-old/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06f/charles-caleb-colton-270_difficult_it-is-not-so-difficult-a-task-to-plant-n_869149.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06f/charles-caleb-colton-270_difficult_it-is-not-so-difficult-a-task-to-plant-n_869149.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06f/charles-caleb-colton-270_difficult_it-is-not-so-difficult-a-task-to-plant-n_869149.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is not so difficult a task to plant new truths, as to root out old errors; for there is this paradox in…” — Charles Caleb Colton",
                "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": "Charles Caleb Colton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is not so difficult a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-not-so-difficult-a-task-to-plant-new-truths-as-to-root-out-old/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-not-so-difficult-a-task-to-plant-new-truths-as-to-root-out-old/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
