--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Truth is a totality, the sum of many…" description: "\"Truth is a totality, the sum of many overlapping partial images. History, on the other hand, sacrifices totality in the interest of continuity.\" — Edmu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/edmund-leach-61356_continuity_truth-is-a-totality-the-sum-of-many-over_720922.png" --- # Truth is a totality, the sum of many overlapping partial… ![“Truth is a totality, the sum of many overlapping partial images. History, on the other hand, sacrifices totality in the interest of continuity.” quote by Edmund Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/edmund-leach-61356_continuity_truth-is-a-totality-the-sum-of-many-over_720922.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/edmund-leach-61356_continuity_truth-is-a-totality-the-sum-of-many-over_720922.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/edmund-leach-61356_continuity_truth-is-a-totality-the-sum-of-many-over_720922.png) > “Truth is a totality, the sum of many overlapping partial images. History, on the other hand, sacrifices totality in the interest of continuity.” [Edmund Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-leach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explains that truth comprises many overlapping perspectives, while history simplifies for narrative continuity, losing some complexity. **In simple terms:** Truth is many views; history simplifies. Key Takeaway Recognize multiple angles, beware oversimplification. Themes history truth perspective complexity Mood analytical reflective Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - academic research - media analysis - policy making - education Key Concepts pluralism narrative construction epistemology Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance narrative clarity with truth’s complexity? - What methods preserve nuance in historical accounts? A Different Perspective Simplified histories can mislead or omit crucial details. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Continuity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continuity/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Sacrifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrifice/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“Man is a continuum, a totality and a continuity - so it cannot be that nothing remains!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karol-wojtyla/man-is-a-continuum-a-totality-and-a-continuity-so-it-cannot-be-that/) Karol Wojtyla > [In the final analysis the hierarchic pattern is nothing like the straightforward witness for organic evolution that is commonly assumed. There are facets of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-denton/in-the-final-analysis-the-hierarchic-pattern-is-nothing-like-the/) [Michael Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-denton/) > [I had a curious feeling that I was living on several planes simultaneously; the overlapping of these planes was confusing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/i-had-a-curious-feeling-that-i-was-living-on-several-planes/) [Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/) > [Fourier's theorem has all the simplicity and yet more power than other familiar explanations in science. Stated simply, any complex pattern, whether in time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-hood/fourier-s-theorem-has-all-the-simplicity-and-yet-more-power-than/) [Bruce Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-hood/) > [“We are made up of an entire parliament of pieces and parts and subsystems. Beyond a collection of local expert systems, we are collections…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/we-are-made-up-of-an-entire-parliament-of-pieces-and-parts-and/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [The photograph keeps open the instants which the onrush of time closes up forthwith; it destroys the overtaking, the overlapping, the metamorphosis of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/the-photograph-keeps-open-the-instants-which-the-onrush-of-time/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [Overlapping shapes are a safer indication of depth than is linear perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-brandt/overlapping-shapes-are-a-safer-indication-of-depth-than-is-linear/) [Rex Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-brandt/) > [The practice of soulful travel is to discover the overlapping point between history and everyday life, the way to find the essence of every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/the-practice-of-soulful-travel-is-to-discover-the-overlapping-point/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [There is a theory behind the culture of victimhood: It's called "intersectionality." This theory posits that racism, sexism, classism, ableism, etc. are interconnected, overlapping,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-hoff-sommers/there-is-a-theory-behind-the-culture-of-victimhood-it-s-called/) [Christina Hoff Sommers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-hoff-sommers/) > [Universe is the aggregate of all humanity's consciously apprehended and communicated nonsimultaneous and only partially overlapping experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/universe-is-the-aggregate-of-all-humanity-s-consciously-apprehended/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [It's clear that science and science fiction have overlapping populations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederik-pohl/it-s-clear-that-science-and-science-fiction-have-overlapping/) [Frederik Pohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederik-pohl/) > [The absolute things, the last things, the overlapping things, are the truly philosophic concerns; all superior minds feel seriously about them, and the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-absolute-things-the-last-things-the-overlapping-things-are-the/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [The basic ingredients of psychotherapy are religion, rhetoric, and repression, which are themselves mutually overlapping categories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/the-basic-ingredients-of-psychotherapy-are-religion-rhetoric-and/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [Though Lexington is not a small town, it sometimes feels like one, with circles of acquaintance overlapping once, then again; the person you meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-edwards/though-lexington-is-not-a-small-town-it-sometimes-feels-like-one-with/) [Kim Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-edwards/) > [The human being holds a universe within, filled with overlapping frequencies, and the result is a symphony of cosmic proportions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaru-emoto/the-human-being-holds-a-universe-within-filled-with-overlapping/) [Masaru Emoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaru-emoto/) ## More by Edmund Leach > [Far from being the basis of the good society, the family, with its narrow privacy and tawdry secrets, is the source of all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-leach/far-from-being-the-basis-of-the-good-society-the-family-with-its/) [Edmund Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-leach/) > [Men do not have to cook their food; they do so for symbolic reasons to show they are men and not beasts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-leach/men-do-not-have-to-cook-their-food-they-do-so-for-symbolic-reasons-to/) [Edmund Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-leach/) > [How can a modern anthropologist embark upon a generalization with any hope of arriving at a satisfactory conclusion? By thinking of the organizational ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-leach/how-can-a-modern-anthropologist-embark-upon-a-generalization-with-any/) [Edmund Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-leach/) > [The violence in the world comes about because we human beings are forever creating barriers between men who are like us and men who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-leach/the-violence-in-the-world-comes-about-because-we-human-beings-are/) [Edmund Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-leach/) [Explore all 5 Edmund Leach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-leach/) ## More Continuity quotes > [The Copa del Rey is a different competition. It is football in its purest form and is different from the continuity of the league.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-laudrup/the-copa-del-rey-is-a-different-competition-it-is-football-in-its/) [Michael Laudrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-laudrup/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [There's always, I guess, a philosophy that if you come in, you want to change all the parts, you want to change everything over.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-gillick/there-s-always-i-guess-a-philosophy-that-if-you-come-in-you-want-to/) [Pat Gillick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-gillick/) > [Perseverance is neither praiseworthy nor blameworthy; for it seems to be only the enduring of certain inclinations and opinions which men neither give themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/perseverance-is-neither-praiseworthy-nor-blameworthy-for-it-seems-to/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [There are two famous labyrinths where our reason very often goes astray. One concerns the great question of the free and the necessary, above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/there-are-two-famous-labyrinths-where-our-reason-very-often-goes/) [Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/) > [Absolutely, you rise and fall based on your creative team. I have continuity across different films that I've done. I was even fortunate enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-meledandri/absolutely-you-rise-and-fall-based-on-your-creative-team-i-have/) [Christopher Meledandri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-meledandri/) > [In the history of the United States, there is no continuity at all. You can cut through it anywhere and nothing on this side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/in-the-history-of-the-united-states-there-is-no-continuity-at-all-you/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [“(Bonhoeffer's) change was not an ungainly, embarrassing leap from which he would have to retreat slightly when he gained more maturity and perspective. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/bonhoeffer-s-change-was-not-an-ungainly-embarrassing-leap-from-which/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [A realistic expectation also demands our acceptance that one's allotted time on earth must be limited to an allowance consistent with the continuity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/a-realistic-expectation-also-demands-our-acceptance-that-one-s/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [It's a given that we exist in a world where we have to live in continuity every day; no one is immune to that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/it-s-a-given-that-we-exist-in-a-world-where-we-have-to-live-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [How fleeting are all human passions compared with the massive continuity of ducks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/how-fleeting-are-all-human-passions-compared-with-the-massive/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [So companies have to be very schizophrenic. On one hand, they have to maintain continuity of strategy. But they also have to be good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-porter/so-companies-have-to-be-very-schizophrenic-on-one-hand-they-have-to/) [Michael Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-porter/) > [I like the continuity of singing my lines together instead of going line by line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinmayi/i-like-the-continuity-of-singing-my-lines-together-instead-of-going/) [Chinmayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinmayi/) > [“It is unlikely that many of us will be famous, or even remembered. But not less important than the brilliant few that lead a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-l-lucas/it-is-unlikely-that-many-of-us-will-be-famous-or-even-remembered-but/) [F. L. Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-l-lucas/) [Browse all 472 Continuity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continuity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Truth is a totality, the sum of many overlapping partial images. History, on the other hand, sacrifices totality in the interest of continuity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edmund Leach" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-leach/truth-is-a-totality-the-sum-of-many-overlapping-partial-images/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Continuity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-leach/truth-is-a-totality-the-sum-of-many-overlapping-partial-images/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/edmund-leach-61356_continuity_truth-is-a-totality-the-sum-of-many-over_720922.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/edmund-leach-61356_continuity_truth-is-a-totality-the-sum-of-many-over_720922.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/edmund-leach-61356_continuity_truth-is-a-totality-the-sum-of-many-over_720922.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Truth is a totality, the sum of many overlapping partial images. History, on the other hand, sacrifices…” — Edmund Leach", "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": "Edmund Leach", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-leach/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Truth is a totality, the sum...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-leach/truth-is-a-totality-the-sum-of-many-overlapping-partial-images/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-leach/truth-is-a-totality-the-sum-of-many-overlapping-partial-images/#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 } } ] } ```