--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man's mind is so formed that it is far…" description: "\"Man's mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth.\" — Desiderius Erasmus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/desiderius-erasmus-3351_falsehood_man-s-mind-is-so-formed-that-it-is-far-m_1771714.jpg" --- # Man's mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to… ![“Man's mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth.” quote by Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/desiderius-erasmus-3351_falsehood_man-s-mind-is-so-formed-that-it-is-far-m_1771714.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/desiderius-erasmus-3351_falsehood_man-s-mind-is-so-formed-that-it-is-far-m_1771714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/desiderius-erasmus-3351_falsehood_man-s-mind-is-so-formed-that-it-is-far-m_1771714.jpg) > “Man's mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth.” [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human cognition tends to favor comforting falsehoods over harsh truths, leading to self‑deception. **In simple terms:** Mind prefers lies over truth. Key Takeaway Cultivate critical thinking and seek evidence. Themes psychology philosophy truth bias Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - decision making - education - media consumption - personal growth Key Concepts cognitive bias confirmation bias epistemology Questions to Reflect On - What beliefs do you hold despite contrary evidence? - How can we better detect self‑deception? A Different Perspective People can also value truth when it aligns with identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Falsehood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehood/) [Falsehood Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehood-truth-236724/) [Man Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-mind/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind Formed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-formed-1785496/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Susceptible Falsehood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/susceptible-falsehood-1785495/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“The assertion that you are in falsehood and I am in truth ist the most cruel thing one man can say to another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-assertion-that-you-are-in-falsehood-and-i-am-in-truth-ist-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“We must fight their falsehood with our truth, but we must also fight the falsehood in our truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-must-fight-their-falsehood-with-our-truth-but-we-must-also-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It taught me, at an early age, that being wrong can be dangerous, but being right, when society regards the majority’s falsehood as truth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-taught-me-at-an-early-age-that-being-wrong-can-be-dangerous-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I thought I know you, but it was only me. The you that you truly are is not the you I see. My mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-ching/i-thought-i-know-you-but-it-was-only-me-the-you-that-you-truly-are-is/) [Tao Ching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-ching/) > [My mind was formed by studying philosophy, Plato and that sort of thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/my-mind-was-formed-by-studying-philosophy-plato-and-that-sort-of-thing/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [A mind, once formed, is never suited after, One yet in growth will ever grateful be. \[Ger., Wer fertig ist, dem ist nichts recht…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/a-mind-once-formed-is-never-suited-after-one-yet-in-growth-will-ever/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [How resilient was the body, to return to its prior form so quickly! Yet the mind was formed of a less pliable substance. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galen-beckett/how-resilient-was-the-body-to-return-to-its-prior-form-so-quickly-yet/) [Galen Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galen-beckett/) > [Truth is like the stars; it does not appear except from behind obscurity of the night. Truth is like all beautiful things in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/truth-is-like-the-stars-it-does-not-appear-except-from-behind/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [So near is falsehood to truth that a wise man would do well not to trust himself on the narrow edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/so-near-is-falsehood-to-truth-that-a-wise-man-would-do-well-not-to/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [It is the surest proof of man's natural enmity against God that he dares to impute falsehood to one who is truth itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/it-is-the-surest-proof-of-man-s-natural-enmity-against-god-that-he/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [As fear is a close companion to falsehood, so truth follows fearlessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jawaharlal-nehru/as-fear-is-a-close-companion-to-falsehood-so-truth-follows/) [Jawaharlal Nehru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jawaharlal-nehru/) > [Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth; Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust; Lead me from hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satish-kumar/lead-me-from-death-to-life-from-falsehood-to-truth-lead-me-from/) [Satish Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satish-kumar/) > [“There cannot be even the smallest grain of falsehood in it or it is not truth. I have discovered the source of all truth;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-lawhead/there-cannot-be-even-the-smallest-grain-of-falsehood-in-it-or-it-is/) [Stephen R. Lawhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-lawhead/) > [ A mind conscious of right laughs at the falsehoods of rumour. \[Lat., Conscia mens recti famae mendacia risit.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/a-mind-conscious-of-right-laughs-at-the-falsehoods-of-rumour-lat/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [ “\[Roger\] “Do you know how amazingly beautiful you are to me?” “As beautiful as you are to me.” She slid her gaze down then… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-saint/roger-do-you-know-how-amazingly-beautiful-you-are-to-me-as-beautiful/) [J.L. Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-saint/) ## More by Desiderius Erasmus > [Wherever you encounter truth, look upon it as Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/wherever-you-encounter-truth-look-upon-it-as-christianity/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [War is delightful for those who don't know it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/war-is-delightful-for-those-who-don-t-know-it/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [They may attack me with an army of six hundred syllogisms; and if I do not recant, they will proclaim me a heretic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/they-may-attack-me-with-an-army-of-six-hundred-syllogisms-and-if-i-do/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [Invoked or not invoked, the god is present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/invoked-or-not-invoked-the-god-is-present/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [Eagles don't catch flies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/eagles-don-t-catch-flies/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [The entire world is my temple, and a very fine one too, if I'm not mistaken, and I'll never lack priests to serve it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/the-entire-world-is-my-temple-and-a-very-fine-one-too-if-i-m-not/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [A good prince will tax as lightly as possible those commodities which are used by the poorest members of society: grain, bread, beer, wine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/a-good-prince-will-tax-as-lightly-as-possible-those-commodities-which/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [Christians would show sense if they dispatched these argumentative Scotists and pigheaded Ockhamists and undefeated Albertists along with the whole regiment of Sophists to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/christians-would-show-sense-if-they-dispatched-these-argumentative/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/when-i-get-a-little-money-i-buy-books-and-if-any-is-left-i-buy-food/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [From hence, no question, has sprung an observation ... confirmed now into a settled opinion, that some long experienced souls in the world, before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/from-hence-no-question-has-sprung-an-observation-confirmed-now-into-a/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [Nothing is so foolish, they say, as for a man to stand for office and woo the crowd to win its vote, buy its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/nothing-is-so-foolish-they-say-as-for-a-man-to-stand-for-office-and/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [Retain the wind by compressing the belly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/retain-the-wind-by-compressing-the-belly/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [So our student will flit like a busy bee through the entire garden of literature, light on every blossom, collect a little nectar from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/so-our-student-will-flit-like-a-busy-bee-through-the-entire-garden-of/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [By identifying the new learning with heresy, you make orthodoxy synonymous with ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/by-identifying-the-new-learning-with-heresy-you-make-orthodoxy/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [Now what else is the whole life of mortals, but a sort of comedy in which the various actors, disguised by various costumes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/now-what-else-is-the-whole-life-of-mortals-but-a-sort-of-comedy-in/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) [Explore all 124 Desiderius Erasmus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) ## More Falsehood quotes > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [falsehood is not more unjustifiable than unsafe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-burney/falsehood-is-not-more-unjustifiable-than-unsafe/) [Fanny Burney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-burney/) > [THE ART OF PEACE is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-art-of-peace-is-not-easy-it-is-a-fight-to-the-finish-the-slaying/) [Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/) > [ A mind conscious of right laughs at the falsehoods of rumour. \[Lat., Conscia mens recti famae mendacia risit.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/a-mind-conscious-of-right-laughs-at-the-falsehoods-of-rumour-lat/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“Falsehood of a good man is better than truth of a bad one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/falsehood-of-a-good-man-is-better-than-truth-of-a-bad-one/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [So true is it that all transactions of preeminent importance are wrapt in doubt and obscurity; while some hold for certain facts the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/so-true-is-it-that-all-transactions-of-preeminent-importance-are/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught in falsehood's school, and the one man that dares to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/strange-times-are-these-in-which-we-live-when-old-and-young-are/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Tangible language, which often tells more falsehoods than truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/tangible-language-which-often-tells-more-falsehoods-than-truths/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Whether statistics be an art or a science... or a scientific art, we concern ourselves little. It is the basis of social and political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolphe-quetelet/whether-statistics-be-an-art-or-a-science-or-a-scientific-art-we/) [Adolphe Quetelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolphe-quetelet/) > [Falsehood, like the dry-rot, flourishes the more in proportion as air and light are excluded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/falsehood-like-the-dry-rot-flourishes-the-more-in-proportion-as-air/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [“God is not as a man.” He thus shows that all men are indeed guilty of falsehood, inasmuch as they change from one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-church-fathers/god-is-not-as-a-man-he-thus-shows-that-all-men-are-indeed-guilty-of/) [The Church Fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-church-fathers/) > [People who do not know the Bible well have been gulled into thinking it is a good guide to morality. This mistaken view may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/people-who-do-not-know-the-bible-well-have-been-gulled-into-thinking/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [One of the reasons, surely, why women have been credited with less perfect veracity than men is that the burden of conventional falsehood falls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-reasons-surely-why-women-have-been-credited-with-less/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He had the unlucky capacity many men have of seeing and believing in the possibility of goodness and truth, but of seeing the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-had-the-unlucky-capacity-many-men-have-of-seeing-and-believing-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) [Browse all 724 Falsehood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Man's mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Desiderius Erasmus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/man-s-mind-is-so-formed-that-it-is-far-more-susceptible-to-falsehood/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Falsehood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/man-s-mind-is-so-formed-that-it-is-far-more-susceptible-to-falsehood/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/desiderius-erasmus-3351_falsehood_man-s-mind-is-so-formed-that-it-is-far-m_1771714.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/desiderius-erasmus-3351_falsehood_man-s-mind-is-so-formed-that-it-is-far-m_1771714.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/desiderius-erasmus-3351_falsehood_man-s-mind-is-so-formed-that-it-is-far-m_1771714.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Man's mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth.” — Desiderius Erasmus", "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": "Desiderius Erasmus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Man's mind is so formed that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/man-s-mind-is-so-formed-that-it-is-far-more-susceptible-to-falsehood/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/man-s-mind-is-so-formed-that-it-is-far-more-susceptible-to-falsehood/#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 } } ] } ```