--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we say something often enough, we come…" description: "\"If we say something often enough, we come to believe it. We don't usually delude others until after we have first deluded ourselves.\" — David Frum" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/david-frum-3455_believe_if-we-say-something-often-enough-we-come_614779.jpg" --- # If we say something often enough, we come to believe it… ![“If we say something often enough, we come to believe it. We don't usually delude others until after we have first deluded ourselves.” quote by David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/david-frum-3455_believe_if-we-say-something-often-enough-we-come_614779.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/david-frum-3455_believe_if-we-say-something-often-enough-we-come_614779.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/david-frum-3455_believe_if-we-say-something-often-enough-we-come_614779.jpg) > “If we say something often enough, we come to believe it. We don't usually delude others until after we have first deluded ourselves.” [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Repetition convinces the self, then others; self-deception precedes propaganda. **In simple terms:** Repeating ideas makes us believe them. Key Takeaway Question repeated claims critically. Themes propaganda self-deception belief formation Mood skeptical cautious Type critical analytical When to use this quote - political discourse - marketing - personal belief systems Key Concepts psychology media studies Questions to Reflect On - Do you repeat ideas without checking facts? - How does self‑deception affect your judgments? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on repetition can ignore evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Come Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-believe-922009/) [Delude Deluded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delude-deluded-4985827/) [Deluded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deluded/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Usually Delude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usually-delude-4985826/) ## Related quotes > [Our problems come not from what we believe, but from how we believe in what we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-stone/our-problems-come-not-from-what-we-believe-but-from-how-we-believe-in/) [Craig Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-stone/) > [The best is yet to come. Believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-is-yet-to-come-believe/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We've been invited to come and believe the Unbelievable, receive the Inconceivable, and see beyond our wildest imaginations... Lord, we come with great expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-curtis-chapman/we-ve-been-invited-to-come-and-believe-the-unbelievable-receive-the/) [Steven Curtis Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-curtis-chapman/) > [For if the world treats you well, Sir, you come to believe you are deserving of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/for-if-the-world-treats-you-well-sir-you-come-to-believe-you-are-2/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“I have come to believe that when we live in a way that requires miracles, we will start to see them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/i-have-come-to-believe-that-when-we-live-in-a-way-that-requires/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [“It is not an easy thing to alter the trajectory of your life. People have expectations on your behalf. You come to believe them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-parini/it-is-not-an-easy-thing-to-alter-the-trajectory-of-your-life-people/) [Jay Parini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-parini/) > [Good things come to those who believe, Better things come to those who wait and the Best things come to those who don't give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/good-things-come-to-those-who-believe-better-things-come-to-those-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Africa, have you seen it? No? Then is it truly there?...And the past, did it happen? And the future, will it come? Believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/africa-have-you-seen-it-no-then-is-it-truly-there-and-the-past-did-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Where I come from we believe in an eye for an eye. That's what we do. That's just the way it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-crawford/where-i-come-from-we-believe-in-an-eye-for-an-eye-that-s-what-we-do/) [Terence Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-crawford/) > [“If behaving as though we had free will or God exists gets us results we want, we will not only come to believe those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-menand/if-behaving-as-though-we-had-free-will-or-god-exists-gets-us-results/) [Louis Menand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-menand/) > [And the dangerous thing about excuses is that if we recite them enough times, we actually come to believe they are true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s/and-the-dangerous-thing-about-excuses-is-that-if-we-recite-them/) [Robin S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s/) > [“We were perhaps not so unlovable as we had come to believe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-were-perhaps-not-so-unlovable-as-we-had-come-to-believe/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/if-you-repeat-a-lie-often-enough-people-will-believe-it-and-you-will/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) > [“honor will come to you who believe, but for the unbelieving,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honor-will-come-to-you-who-believe-but-for-the-unbelieving/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Maybe if I act well enough, I'll come to believe it myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/maybe-if-i-act-well-enough-i-ll-come-to-believe-it-myself/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) ## More by David Frum > [While there is an attempt by the Trump people to say that California isn't really America. California certainly seems like America to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/while-there-is-an-attempt-by-the-trump-people-to-say-that-california/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [I always believed as a speechwriter that if you could persuade the president to commit himself to certain words, he would feel himself committed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/i-always-believed-as-a-speechwriter-that-if-you-could-persuade-the/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [One of the things we're all going to have to discover, establishment is just an abusive term for institutions. It's institutions that keep us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/one-of-the-things-we-re-all-going-to-have-to-discover-establishment/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [One of the things that really has gone wrong in modern politics, one of the things that made Trump possible was that many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/one-of-the-things-that-really-has-gone-wrong-in-modern-politics-one/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [People who want to wage cultural wars ought to keep in mind that cultural views often don't move at all for a very long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/people-who-want-to-wage-cultural-wars-ought-to-keep-in-mind-that/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [A generation ago, or two, when there were three channels, plus PBS, and when you needed - when you needed 15 million people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/a-generation-ago-or-two-when-there-were-three-channels-plus-pbs-and/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [Trump is not just unlike a Republican, he's unlike a presidential candidate. The whole elaborate presidential process is designed to screen out people like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/trump-is-not-just-unlike-a-republican-he-s-unlike-a-presidential/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [More Irishmen died fighting for Britain in World War I than died fighting against her in all of Ireland's bids for independence combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/more-irishmen-died-fighting-for-britain-in-world-war-i-than-died/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [Donald Trump, as a businessman, he's not much of a builder and he's not much of dealmaker and he certainly isn't very good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/donald-trump-as-a-businessman-he-s-not-much-of-a-builder-and-he-s-not/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [The system we have is one that protects my rights under a president I don't approve. That tomorrow we'll do the same for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/the-system-we-have-is-one-that-protects-my-rights-under-a-president-i/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [ \[democrats\] hated Richard Nixon, and no wonder. It was Nixon who sent Alger Hiss to jail, and Nixon who waged the Vietnam War after… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/democrats-hated-richard-nixon-and-no-wonder-it-was-nixon-who-sent/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [Crown Prince Rupprecht, the heir to the throne of Bavaria who commanded the army group facing the British at the Somme, was the senior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/crown-prince-rupprecht-the-heir-to-the-throne-of-bavaria-who/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [Partly because of the desperate economic situation in the country, what were once the leading institutions of conservatism are constrained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/partly-because-of-the-desperate-economic-situation-in-the-country/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [ \[In politics,\] when there is no reason to speak, there is a reason not to speak. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/in-politics-when-there-is-no-reason-to-speak-there-is-a-reason-not-to/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [Look, the media are trapped by changes in the technology and business of their industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/look-the-media-are-trapped-by-changes-in-the-technology-and-business/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) [Explore all 130 David Frum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. 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Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. 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. 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