--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Allow a friend to believe in a bogus…" description: "\"Allow a friend to believe in a bogus prospectus or a false promise and you cease, after a short while, to be a friend at all.\" — Christopher Hitchens" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/christopher-hitchens-117_believe_allow-a-friend-to-believe-in-a-bogus-pro_682865.jpg" --- # Allow a friend to believe in a bogus prospectus or a false… ![“Allow a friend to believe in a bogus prospectus or a false promise and you cease, after a short while, to be a friend at all.” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/christopher-hitchens-117_believe_allow-a-friend-to-believe-in-a-bogus-pro_682865.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/christopher-hitchens-117_believe_allow-a-friend-to-believe-in-a-bogus-pro_682865.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/christopher-hitchens-117_believe_allow-a-friend-to-believe-in-a-bogus-pro_682865.jpg) > “Allow a friend to believe in a bogus prospectus or a false promise and you cease, after a short while, to be a friend at all.” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Abandoning a friend who believes in false hopes shows a loss of loyalty. **In simple terms:** Losing a friend over false hopes. Key Takeaway Stay loyal despite doubts. Themes loyalty trust deception Mood serious reflective Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - business deals - political alliances - mentorship - conflict Key Concepts ethical responsibility friendship integrity Questions to Reflect On - When should you confront a friend's delusion? - Can loyalty coexist with honesty? A Different Perspective Sometimes confronting falsehood is necessary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [False promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-promise/) [False promises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-promises/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) ## Related quotes > [Spring is always cruel, with its false promise of resurrection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/spring-is-always-cruel-with-its-false-promise-of-resurrection/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [You claim that any promise which gives you the power, and guarantees you the love of God must be the false promise of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/you-claim-that-any-promise-which-gives-you-the-power-and-guarantees/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [I can tell you, honest friend, what to believe: believe life; it teaches better that book or orator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-can-tell-you-honest-friend-what-to-believe-believe-life-it-teaches-2/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [My shoulders aren't that big… but they're big enough for my friends to lean on…because the world comes to light when you have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercy-pheona/my-shoulders-aren-t-that-big-but-they-re-big-enough-for-my-friends-to/) [Mercy Pheona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercy-pheona/) > [A friend is someone who believe in you even when you've ceased to believe in yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rymtz-ryme/a-friend-is-someone-who-believe-in-you-even-when-you-ve-ceased-to/) Rymtz Ryme > [I can tell you, honest friend, what to believe: believe life; it teaches better than book or orator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-can-tell-you-honest-friend-what-to-believe-believe-life-it-teaches/) [Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [A true friend believe you even you are lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-true-friend-believe-you-even-you-are-lying/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A clear rejection is better than a false promise...!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/balu-k-s/a-clear-rejection-is-better-than-a-false-promise/) Balu K S > [“One of the main reasons and excuses behind every religious failure is a” FALSE PROMISE”.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/one-of-the-main-reasons-and-excuses-behind-every-religious-failure-is/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Your false promise, your burning dreams, your heartless wishes, i hate at all, as long as I live, as long as I live!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak/your-false-promise-your-burning-dreams-your-heartless-wishes-i-hate/) [Deepak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak/) > [And our conception that the way we can mitigate the fact that people don't have retirement savings can be more work, or working longer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-ghilarducci/and-our-conception-that-the-way-we-can-mitigate-the-fact-that-people/) [Teresa Ghilarducci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-ghilarducci/) > [“Too many live with the false promise that their faith will deliver them from doubt and conveniently supply all the answers to all their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/too-many-live-with-the-false-promise-that-their-faith-will-deliver/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“your one true promise can make someone's life beautiful , in the same way your one false promise can destroy someone's life So make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/your-one-true-promise-can-make-someone-s-life-beautiful-in-the-same/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [“She cared about him too much to deceive him with the false promise of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alexander/she-cared-about-him-too-much-to-deceive-him-with-the-false-promise-of/) [Felix Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alexander/) > [Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/religion-has-actually-convinced-people-that-there-s-an-invisible-man/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) ## More by Christopher Hitchens > [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [To be against rationalization is not the same as to be opposed to reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/to-be-against-rationalization-is-not-the-same-as-to-be-opposed-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“In the very recent past, we have seen the Church of Rome befouled by its complicity with the unpardonable sin of child rape, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-very-recent-past-we-have-seen-the-church-of-rome-befouled-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“It isn’t so long since a test of Anglican orthodoxy was applied to anyone seeking to study or teach at Oxford and Cambridge universities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-isn-t-so-long-since-a-test-of-anglican-orthodoxy-was-applied-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Gullibility and credulity are considered undesireable qualities in every department of human life - except religion ... 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Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-much-worse-to-see-a-woman-drunk-than-a-man-i-don-t-know-quite/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I worked out early on to give up things I couldn't do well at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-worked-out-early-on-to-give-up-things-i-couldn-t-do-well-at-all/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that - or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/writing-is-what-s-important-to-me-and-anything-that-helps-me-do-that/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Explore all 1,241 Christopher Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. 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And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Allow a friend to believe in a bogus prospectus or a false promise and you cease, after a short while, to be a friend at all.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Hitchens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/allow-a-friend-to-believe-in-a-bogus-prospectus-or-a-false-promise/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/allow-a-friend-to-believe-in-a-bogus-prospectus-or-a-false-promise/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/christopher-hitchens-117_believe_allow-a-friend-to-believe-in-a-bogus-pro_682865.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/christopher-hitchens-117_believe_allow-a-friend-to-believe-in-a-bogus-pro_682865.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/christopher-hitchens-117_believe_allow-a-friend-to-believe-in-a-bogus-pro_682865.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Allow a friend to believe in a bogus prospectus or a false promise and you cease, after a short while, to be…” — Christopher Hitchens", "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": "Christopher Hitchens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Allow a friend to believe in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/allow-a-friend-to-believe-in-a-bogus-prospectus-or-a-false-promise/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/allow-a-friend-to-believe-in-a-bogus-prospectus-or-a-false-promise/#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 } } ] } ```