--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a thing is absolutely true, how can it…" description: "\"“If a thing is absolutely true, how can it not also be a lie? An absolute must contain its opposite. ”\" — Charlotte Painter" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/758/charlotte-painter-227248_quote_if-a-thing-is-absolutely-true-how-can-it_1086108.jpg" --- # If a thing is absolutely true, how can it not also be a… ![“If a thing is absolutely true, how can it not also be a lie? An absolute must contain its opposite.” quote by Charlotte Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/758/charlotte-painter-227248_quote_if-a-thing-is-absolutely-true-how-can-it_1086108.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/758/charlotte-painter-227248_quote_if-a-thing-is-absolutely-true-how-can-it_1086108.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/758/charlotte-painter-227248_quote_if-a-thing-is-absolutely-true-how-can-it_1086108.jpg) > ““If a thing is absolutely true, how can it not also be a lie? An absolute must contain its opposite. ”” [Charlotte Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-painter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If something is absolutely true, it must also contain its opposite, implying that absolute truth includes contradiction. **In simple terms:** Absolute truth includes its opposite. Key Takeaway Embrace nuance and paradox. Themes philosophy logic paradox truth Mood thoughtful intriguing Type philosophical provocative paradoxical When to use this quote - debate - theory - spiritual practice Key Concepts metaphysics critical thinking dialectics Questions to Reflect On - Can truth be without contradiction? - How does this affect belief systems? A Different Perspective Absolute truths may be rare; contradictions can be problematic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolute/) [Absolute Contain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolute-contain-2783202/) [Contain Opposite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contain-opposite-2783203/) [Lie Absolute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lie-absolute-2783201/) [True Lie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-lie-276675/) ## Related quotes > [ “\[His research into biblical criticism had lead him to the conclusion that most of what was contained in traditional religion simply wasn't true\] Was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/his-research-into-biblical-criticism-had-lead-him-to-the-conclusion/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [“3-Tell yourself a true lie: Fake it till you make it,The lie will become the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-chandler/3-tell-yourself-a-true-lie-fake-it-till-you-make-it-the-lie-will/) [Steve Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-chandler/) > [What is true will always be true. What is a lie, will always be a lie. What wasn't said, will never be heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-true-will-always-be-true-what-is-a-lie-will-always-be-a-lie/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“True love will triumph in the end-which may or may not be true,but if it's a lie,then it's the most beautiful lie we have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/true-love-will-triumph-in-the-end-which-may-or-may-not-be-true-but-if/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [If nobody talks about you, hen you are nobody, whether its true or lie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-sly/if-nobody-talks-about-you-hen-you-are-nobody-whether-its-true-or-lie/) [King Sly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-sly/) > [“it argues that true love will triumph in the end (which may or may not be true) but if it’s a lie, it’s the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-argues-that-true-love-will-triumph-in-the-end-which-may-or-may-not/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [People see stories everywhere...We take random events and we put them together in a pattern so we can comfort ourselves with a story, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/people-see-stories-everywhere-we-take-random-events-and-we-put-them/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“To know that your reality is just that, and have others dismiss it as fabrication or fairy tale no matter how hard you try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rosch/to-know-that-your-reality-is-just-that-and-have-others-dismiss-it-as/) [Peter Rosch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rosch/) > [I follow the quote, Always be true to yourself because I only lie to others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/i-follow-the-quote-always-be-true-to-yourself-because-i-only-lie-to/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [Worse than telling a lie is spending the rest of your life staying true to a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/worse-than-telling-a-lie-is-spending-the-rest-of-your-life-staying/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [It's true, a lie can't stand the truth,so always say what you feel,if you want to know who your friends are, be real, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-true-a-lie-can-t-stand-the-truth-so-always-say-what-you-feel-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Your truly the reason I'm dying inside, looking back, to me you have always lied, you arent true to anyone, you lie for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana/your-truly-the-reason-i-m-dying-inside-looking-back-to-me-you-have/) [Ana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana/) > [. . .and the thing that you know to be true is the lie that will kill you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-cook/and-the-thing-that-you-know-to-be-true-is-the-lie-that-will-kill-you/) [Glen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-cook/) > [But still, if it's true, how can it be a lie?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astrid-lindgren/but-still-if-it-s-true-how-can-it-be-a-lie/) [Astrid Lindgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astrid-lindgren/) > [“I sometimes believe there should have been only two religions - true & lie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farooq/i-sometimes-believe-there-should-have-been-only-two-religions-true-lie/) [Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farooq/) ## More Absolute quotes > [“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-intoxication-of-the-ego-of-i-am/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Absolute is a game with only one player where Absolute forgets itself so it would have a reason to fulfill the motion while returning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/absolute-is-a-game-with-only-one-player-where-absolute-forgets-itself/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“The necessity of nothingness does not create anything. The real value and meaning of the Being are not in its necessity but in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/the-necessity-of-nothingness-does-not-create-anything-the-real-value/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/anarchy-is-the-stepping-stone-to-absolute-power/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [I can like something. You can like something. It's not an absolute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-i-am/i-can-like-something-you-can-like-something-it-s-not-an-absolute/) [will.i.am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-i-am/) > [Nothing is absolute. Everything changes, everything moves, everything revolves, everything flies and goes away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frida-kahlo/nothing-is-absolute-everything-changes-everything-moves-everything/) [Frida Kahlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frida-kahlo/) > [I - it's simply not for me to evaluate an independent rating agency's processes. But I will say that there was reason to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-carney/i-it-s-simply-not-for-me-to-evaluate-an-independent-rating-agency-s/) [Jay Carney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-carney/) > [Absolute morality is the regulation of conduct in such a way that pain shall not be inflicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/absolute-morality-is-the-regulation-of-conduct-in-such-a-way-that/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [What is liberty? There is no such thing as absolute liberty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benito-mussolini/what-is-liberty-there-is-no-such-thing-as-absolute-liberty/) [Benito Mussolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benito-mussolini/) > [Doing the right thing at all costs is an absolute, and only a sith deals in absolutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-filoni/doing-the-right-thing-at-all-costs-is-an-absolute-and-only-a-sith/) [Dave Filoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-filoni/) > [“Energy is the world-born phenomenon, the world that puts itself in motion and flies into space by receiving space into itself. From this point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/energy-is-the-world-born-phenomenon-the-world-that-puts-itself-in/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“As we see it, space is possible only when the primordial Being swallows emptiness. 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