--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: fiction is the great lie that tells the…" description: "\"fiction is the great lie that tells the truth\" — Dorothy Allison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90b/dorothy-allison-2041_fiction_fiction-is-the-great-lie-that-tells-the_1757969.png" --- # fiction is the great lie that tells the truth ![“fiction is the great lie that tells the truth” quote by Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90b/dorothy-allison-2041_fiction_fiction-is-the-great-lie-that-tells-the_1757969.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90b/dorothy-allison-2041_fiction_fiction-is-the-great-lie-that-tells-the_1757969.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90b/dorothy-allison-2041_fiction_fiction-is-the-great-lie-that-tells-the_1757969.png) > “fiction is the great lie that tells the truth” [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction disguises reality, using false narratives to reveal deeper truths. **In simple terms:** Stories conceal truth to reveal it. Key Takeaway Use narrative to explore reality. Themes fiction truth narrative Mood introspective inquisitive Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - teaching - therapy Key Concepts literary theory philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What truths do you find in your favorite stories? - How does fiction shape your perception of reality? A Different Perspective Readers may misinterpret allegory as fact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Telling the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-the-truth/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Fiction is the great liar that tells the truth about how the world really lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/fiction-is-the-great-liar-that-tells-the-truth-about-how-the-world/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Art is the lie that tells the truth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cris-beam/art-is-the-lie-that-tells-the-truth/) [Cris Beam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cris-beam/) > [Fiction is the lie that tells the truth, after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/fiction-is-the-lie-that-tells-the-truth-after-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Art is a lie that tells the truth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-ellena/art-is-a-lie-that-tells-the-truth/) [Jean-Claude Ellena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-ellena/) > [Picasso said, 'Art is a lie that tells the truth.' What if you just want to tell the truth and not lie about it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/picasso-said-art-is-a-lie-that-tells-the-truth-what-if-you-just-want/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [“Art, after all, is - at its best - a lie that tells us the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/art-after-all-is-at-its-best-a-lie-that-tells-us-the-truth/) [Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) > [I am one who tells the truth and exposes evil and seeks with Beauty for Beauty to set the world right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/i-am-one-who-tells-the-truth-and-exposes-evil-and-seeks-with-beauty/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [In the end, Mothers are always right. No one else tells the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-susan-meyers/in-the-end-mothers-are-always-right-no-one-else-tells-the-truth/) [Randy Susan Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-susan-meyers/) > [We don't believe a liar even when he tells the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/we-don-t-believe-a-liar-even-when-he-tells-the-truth/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [He who tells the truth says almost nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-porchia/he-who-tells-the-truth-says-almost-nothing/) [Antonio Porchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-porchia/) > [The mouth may lie, alright, but the face it makes nonetheless tells the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-mouth-may-lie-alright-but-the-face-it-makes-nonetheless-tells-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [One can lie with the mouth, but with the accompanying grimace one nevertheless tells the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/one-can-lie-with-the-mouth-but-with-the-accompanying-grimace-one/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [No one tells the truth to people they don't actually know, and if they do it is a horrible trait. Everyone wants something smaller,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/no-one-tells-the-truth-to-people-they-don-t-actually-know-and-if-they/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/fiction-is-a-lie-that-tells-us-true-things-over-and-over/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I call a lie: wanting not to see something one does see, wanting not to see something as one sees it... The most common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-call-a-lie-wanting-not-to-see-something-one-does-see-wanting-not-to/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More by Dorothy Allison > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Simple answers, reductionist politics, are the most prone to compromise, to saying we’re addressing the essential issue and all that other stuff can slide.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/simple-answers-reductionist-politics-are-the-most-prone-to-compromise/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [People don't do right because of the fear of God or love of him. You do right because the world doesn't make sense if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/people-don-t-do-right-because-of-the-fear-of-god-or-love-of-him-you/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“I had to say to her that it isn’t just men, and it isn’t just men “like that.” I had to talk to her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-had-to-say-to-her-that-it-isn-t-just-men-and-it-isn-t-just-men-like/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Entitlement, I have told them, is a matter of feeling like we rather than they.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/entitlement-i-have-told-them-is-a-matter-of-feeling-like-we-rather/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Love was something I would not have to worry about - the whole mystery of love, heartbreak songs, and family legends. Women who pined,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/love-was-something-i-would-not-have-to-worry-about-the-whole-mystery/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Behind the story I tell is the one I don't. Behind the story you hear is the one I wish I could make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/behind-the-story-i-tell-is-the-one-i-don-t-behind-the-story-you-hear/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Hunger makes you restless. you dream about food - not just any food, but perfect food, the best food, magical meals, famous and awe-inspiring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/hunger-makes-you-restless-you-dream-about-food-not-just-any-food-but/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I think I would have died if there hadn't been the women's movement. It gave me a vision that I could do something different,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-think-i-would-have-died-if-there-hadn-t-been-the-women-s-movement/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [People begin to write in order to create what they have not found and, a little bit, to give something back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/people-begin-to-write-in-order-to-create-what-they-have-not-found-and/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [The hardest thing to teach young writers is that it's wonderful to tell your truth. And that's what you should do. But it damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/the-hardest-thing-to-teach-young-writers-is-that-it-s-wonderful-to/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“The horror of class stratification, racism, and prejudice is that some people begin to believe that the security of their families and communities depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/the-horror-of-class-stratification-racism-and-prejudice-is-that-some/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I did not begin with craft, I began with strong feelings and worked toward craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with-strong-feelings-and-worked/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I think I would have died if there hadn't been the women's movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-think-i-would-have-died-if-there-hadn-t-been-the-women-s-movement-2/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [When I was growing up, I always read horror books, while my sister read romance novels. My sister became unmarried and pregnant during high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/when-i-was-growing-up-i-always-read-horror-books-while-my-sister-read/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) [Explore all 189 Dorothy Allison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) ## More Fiction quotes > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) Edward Einhorn > [Fiction is a way of exploring possibilities present but undreamt of in the living of a single life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/fiction-is-a-way-of-exploring-possibilities-present-but-undreamt-of/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [“The fiction will seek the real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coheed-and-cambria/the-fiction-will-seek-the-real/) Coheed and Cambria > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“His hands on my waist he gently pulled me n embrace. I could feel his breath on my face our lips were about to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eglinger/his-hands-on-my-waist-he-gently-pulled-me-n-embrace-i-could-feel-his/) [Nicole Eglinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eglinger/) > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Metafiction says something. It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) [Browse all 7,410 Fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "fiction is the great lie that tells the truth", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dorothy Allison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/fiction-is-the-great-lie-that-tells-the-truth/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/fiction-is-the-great-lie-that-tells-the-truth/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90b/dorothy-allison-2041_fiction_fiction-is-the-great-lie-that-tells-the_1757969.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90b/dorothy-allison-2041_fiction_fiction-is-the-great-lie-that-tells-the_1757969.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90b/dorothy-allison-2041_fiction_fiction-is-the-great-lie-that-tells-the_1757969.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“fiction is the great lie that tells the truth” — Dorothy Allison", "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": "Dorothy Allison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "fiction is the great lie that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/fiction-is-the-great-lie-that-tells-the-truth/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/fiction-is-the-great-lie-that-tells-the-truth/#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 } } ] } ```