---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: LIED-ABOUT WARS Advertising campaigns…"
description: "\"“LIED-ABOUT WARS Advertising campaigns, marketing schemes. The target is public opinion. Wars are sold the same way cars are, by lying. In August 1964,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/eduardo-galeano-1015_george-w_lied-about-wars-advertising-campaigns-ma_2864895.jpg"
---

#  LIED-ABOUT WARS Advertising campaigns, marketing schemes…

![“LIED-ABOUT WARS Advertising campaigns, marketing schemes. The target is public opinion. Wars are sold the same way cars are, by lying. In August 1964, President Lyndon Johnson accused the Vietnamese of attacking two U.S. warships in the Tonkin Gulf. Then the president invaded Vietnam, sending…” quote by Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/eduardo-galeano-1015_george-w_lied-about-wars-advertising-campaigns-ma_2864895.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/eduardo-galeano-1015_george-w_lied-about-wars-advertising-campaigns-ma_2864895.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/eduardo-galeano-1015_george-w_lied-about-wars-advertising-campaigns-ma_2864895.jpg)

> ““LIED-ABOUT WARS Advertising campaigns, marketing schemes. The target is public opinion. Wars are sold the same way cars are, by lying. In August 1964, President Lyndon Johnson accused the Vietnamese of attacking two U.S. warships in the Tonkin Gulf. Then the president invaded Vietnam, sending planes and troops. He was acclaimed by journalists and by politicians, and his popularity sky-rocketed. The Democrats in power and the Republicans out of power became a single party united against Communist aggression. After the war had slaughtered Vietnamese in vast numbers, most of them women and children, Johnson’s secretary of defense, Robert McNamara, confessed that the Tonkin Gulf attack had never occurred. The dead did not revive. In March 2003, President George W. Bush accused Iraq of being on the verge of destroying the world with its weapons of mass destruction, “the most lethal weapons ever devised.” Then the president invaded Iraq, sending planes and troops. He was acclaimed by journalists and by politicians, and his popularity sky-rocketed. The Republicans in power and the Democrats out of power became a single party united against terrorist aggression. After the war had slaughtered Iraqis in vast numbers, most of them women and children, Bush confessed that the weapons of mass destruction never existed. “The most lethal weapons ever devised” were his own speeches. In the following elections, he won a second term. In my childhood, my mother used to tell me that a lie has no feet. She was misinformed.””

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Political leaders manipulate public opinion by fabricating threats to justify war, using media to gain support and personal power.

**In simple terms:** Leaders lie to sell war and boost popularity.

Key Takeaway

Question critically and demand evidence before supporting conflict.

Themes

politics war media propaganda ethics

Mood

skeptical concerned

Type

political critical historical

When to use this quote

- voting decisions
- activism
- journalism
- education
- policy debate

Key Concepts

manufacturing consent public opinion political rhetoric

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you verify claims before accepting them?
- What responsibilities do media have in reporting war?

A Different Perspective

Public may resist manipulation if they trust independent sources.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Confessed Tonkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confessed-tonkin-3886219/) [George w](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george-w/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Invaded Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invaded-vietnam-3886218/) [Lied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lied/) [Lied Wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lied-wars-2309471/) [Lyndon johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyndon-johnson/) [President george w bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-george-w-bush/) [President Invaded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-invaded-3886220/) [President lyndon johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-lyndon-johnson/) [Public opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-opinion/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Weapons of mass destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons-of-mass-destruction/)

## Related quotes

> [WikiLeaks exposed corruption, war crimes, torture and cover-ups. It showed that we were lied to about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemima-khan/wikileaks-exposed-corruption-war-crimes-torture-and-cover-ups-it/)

[Jemima Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemima-khan/)

> [“MARK TWAIN Some months after invading Iraq, President George W. Bush said he had taken the war to liberate the Philippines as his model.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/mark-twain-some-months-after-invading-iraq-president-george-w-bush/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [I call upon both Republicans and Democrats to work with us to have a national ID card that is free and accessible. President Lyndon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-young/i-call-upon-both-republicans-and-democrats-to-work-with-us-to-have-a/)

[Andrew Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-young/)

> [“President Lyndon Johnson was forced to select a commission to investigate the assassination of President Kennedy and the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-brussell/president-lyndon-johnson-was-forced-to-select-a-commission-to/)

[Mae Brussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-brussell/)

> [Yes, Obama took over two wars from Bush - just as President Richard Nixon inherited Vietnam from President Lyndon Johnson and President Dwight Eisenhower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/yes-obama-took-over-two-wars-from-bush-just-as-president-richard/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> [There's a story about when President Lyndon Johnson visited NASA and as he was walking the halls he came across a janitor who was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/there-s-a-story-about-when-president-lyndon-johnson-visited-nasa-and/)

[Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/)

> [“Cyril H. Wecht, the renowned forensic pathologist, a consultant in numerous high-profile cases, and who also holds a law degree, confirmed the theory that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba-2/cyril-h-wecht-the-renowned-forensic-pathologist-a-consultant-in/)

[Captain Hank Bracker, "The Exciting Story of Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba-2/)

> [It may not be too late, whatever happens, if our President, Lyndon Johnson, knew the truth from me. But if I am eliminated, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ruby/it-may-not-be-too-late-whatever-happens-if-our-president-lyndon/)

[Jack Ruby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ruby/)

> [Tell the Truth, and speak from your pay-grade. Don't try to answer questions that would better be directed to the battalion commander or Gen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-moore/tell-the-truth-and-speak-from-your-pay-grade-don-t-try-to-answer/)

[Hal Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-moore/)

> [President Lyndon Johnson's high spirits were marked as he circulated among the many guests whom he had invited to witness an event he confidently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/president-lyndon-johnson-s-high-spirits-were-marked-as-he-circulated/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [In the last 100 years only Presidents George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford lost their bids for reelection. President Lyndon Johnson did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/in-the-last-100-years-only-presidents-george-h-w-bush-jimmy-carter/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [“How did we get the 1960s? One is tempted to locate the ideological roots of this era in the 1930s. The expansion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/how-did-we-get-the-1960s-one-is-tempted-to-locate-the-ideological/)

[Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/)

> [“President Lyndon Johnson's 10 point formula for success: 1. Learn to remember names. Inefficiency at this point may indicate that your interest is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/president-lyndon-johnson-s-10-point-formula-for-success-1-learn-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [President Lyndon Johnson was very, very unpredictable. We never knew for sure what he is going to do next, and he preferred to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-hill/president-lyndon-johnson-was-very-very-unpredictable-we-never-knew/)

[Clint Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-hill/)

> [“The Truly Disadvantaged, the most important book written about poverty in the past three decades. It was Wilson who first observed, famously, that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/the-truly-disadvantaged-the-most-important-book-written-about-poverty/)

[Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/)

## More by Eduardo Galeano

> [In the struggle of good against evil, it's always the people who get killed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/in-the-struggle-of-good-against-evil-it-s-always-the-people-who-get/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [Poets and beggars, musicians and prophets, warriors and scoundrels, all creatures of that unbridled reality, we have had to ask but little of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/poets-and-beggars-musicians-and-prophets-warriors-and-scoundrels-all/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [And one fine day the goddess of the wind kisses the foot of man, that mistreated, scorned foot, and from that kiss the soccer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/and-one-fine-day-the-goddess-of-the-wind-kisses-the-foot-of-man-that/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [“THE HE’S ARE SHE’S In 1847, three novels excite England’s readers. Wuthering Heights by Ellis Bell tells a devastating tale of passion and shame.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/the-he-s-are-she-s-in-1847-three-novels-excite-england-s-readers/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [Charity, vertical, humiliates. Solidarity, horizontal, helps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/charity-vertical-humiliates-solidarity-horizontal-helps/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [Soccer, metaphor for war, at times turns into real war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/soccer-metaphor-for-war-at-times-turns-into-real-war/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [I don't believe in charity. I believe in solidarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/i-don-t-believe-in-charity-i-believe-in-solidarity/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [In the Age of the Almighty Computer, drones are the perfect warriors. They kill without remorse, obey without kidding around, and they never reveal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/in-the-age-of-the-almighty-computer-drones-are-the-perfect-warriors/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [I'm not asking you to describe the rain falling the night the archangel arrived; I'm demanding that you get me wet. Make up your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/i-m-not-asking-you-to-describe-the-rain-falling-the-night-the/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [From the weak nations' point of view, it is better if there are many powerful countries then if there are just a few. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/from-the-weak-nations-point-of-view-it-is-better-if-there-are-many/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [“WALLS The Berlin Wall made the news every day. From morning till night we read, saw, heard: the Wall of Shame, the Wall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/walls-the-berlin-wall-made-the-news-every-day-from-morning-till-night/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [There are those who believe destiny rests at the feet of the gods, but the truth is that it confronts the conscious of man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/there-are-those-who-believe-destiny-rests-at-the-feet-of-the-gods-but/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [The poet, distracted by politics, asks of poetry that it make itself useful like metal or flour, that it get ready to stain its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/the-poet-distracted-by-politics-asks-of-poetry-that-it-make-itself/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [Every two weeks, a language dies. The world is diminished when it loses its human sayings, just as when it loses its diversity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/every-two-weeks-a-language-dies-the-world-is-diminished-when-it-loses/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [“In the Greek Olympics, women, slaves, and foreigners never took part. Not in Greek democracy either.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/in-the-greek-olympics-women-slaves-and-foreigners-never-took-part-not/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

[Explore all 221 Eduardo Galeano quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

## More George w quotes

> [“Does it work with sandwiches? he asked. I didn't move. He handed it over. George was watching with a kind of neutral curiosity, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/does-it-work-with-sandwiches-he-asked-i-didn-t-move-he-handed-it-over/)

[Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/)

> [The GOP is broken. They need a Bill Clinton moment with someone to figure things out. Let me just say - and I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/the-gop-is-broken-they-need-a-bill-clinton-moment-with-someone-to/)

[Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/)

> [We're in more wars today under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton than under George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan. Yet they tell you that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-re-in-more-wars-today-under-barack-obama-and-hillary-clinton-than/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [George Winston piano albums have been my go-to since junior high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sacca/george-winston-piano-albums-have-been-my-go-to-since-junior-high/)

[Chris Sacca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sacca/)

> [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/)

[Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/)

> [“Doctor Parcival began to plead with George Willard. 'You must pay attention to me,' he urged. 'If something happens you will be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/doctor-parcival-began-to-plead-with-george-willard-you-must-pay/)

[Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/)

> [We're half an hour from Toronto, which offers everything you could want from a city, and a couple of hours from beautiful vacation country.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linwood-barclay/we-re-half-an-hour-from-toronto-which-offers-everything-you-could/)

[Linwood Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linwood-barclay/)

> [The president of the United States of North America, George W. Bush, the little gentleman of the North, the political cadaver that is visiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-chavez/the-president-of-the-united-states-of-north-america-george-w-bush-the/)

[Hugo Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-chavez/)

> [I remember when President Bush, George W. Bush, came into office, he focused on No Child Left Behind, and with - and before very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-alexander/i-remember-when-president-bush-george-w-bush-came-into-office-he/)

[Lamar Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-alexander/)

> [“Distinctively gentle he was, and trustworthy, and of special courtesy. His great physical strength was never used in combat, men remembered, except when needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-byrd-turner/distinctively-gentle-he-was-and-trustworthy-and-of-special-courtesy/)

[Nancy Byrd Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-byrd-turner/)

> [ “You can't really move forward until you look back. \[From Remaking America panel discussion at George Washington University\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-t-really-move-forward-until-you-look-back-from-remaking/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [I was one of the hardest-hitting conservatives on George W. Bush. Republicans didn't like me on George W. Bush. Republicans still don't like me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/i-was-one-of-the-hardest-hitting-conservatives-on-george-w-bush/)

[Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/)

> [President Obama gave a speech about healthcare tonight, and yesterday he gave a pep talk to students. He told them that in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/president-obama-gave-a-speech-about-healthcare-tonight-and-yesterday/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

> [George W. Bush did an incredible job in the presidency, defending us from freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/george-w-bush-did-an-incredible-job-in-the-presidency-defending-us/)

[Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/)

> [I'm not tempted to write a song about George W. Bush. I couldn't figure out what sort of song I would write. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-m-not-tempted-to-write-a-song-about-george-w-bush-i-couldn-t-figure/)

[Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/)

[Browse all 1,139 George w quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george-w/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“LIED-ABOUT WARS Advertising campaigns, marketing schemes. The target is public opinion. Wars are sold the same way cars are, by lying. In August 1964, President Lyndon Johnson accused the Vietnamese of attacking two U.S. warships in the Tonkin Gulf. Then the president invaded Vietnam, sending planes and troops. He was acclaimed by journalists and by politicians, and his popularity sky-rocketed. The Democrats in power and the Republicans out of power became a single party united against Communist aggression. After the war had slaughtered Vietnamese in vast numbers, most of them women and children, Johnson’s secretary of defense, Robert McNamara, confessed that the Tonkin Gulf attack had never occurred. The dead did not revive. In March 2003, President George W. Bush accused Iraq of being on the verge of destroying the world with its weapons of mass destruction, “the most lethal weapons ever devised.” Then the president invaded Iraq, sending planes and troops. He was acclaimed by journalists and by politicians, and his popularity sky-rocketed. The Republicans in power and the Democrats out of power became a single party united against terrorist aggression. After the war had slaughtered Iraqis in vast numbers, most of them women and children, Bush confessed that the weapons of mass destruction never existed. “The most lethal weapons ever devised” were his own speeches. In the following elections, he won a second term. In my childhood, my mother used to tell me that a lie has no feet. She was misinformed.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eduardo Galeano"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/lied-about-wars-advertising-campaigns-marketing-schemes-the-target-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "George w"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/lied-about-wars-advertising-campaigns-marketing-schemes-the-target-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/eduardo-galeano-1015_george-w_lied-about-wars-advertising-campaigns-ma_2864895.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/eduardo-galeano-1015_george-w_lied-about-wars-advertising-campaigns-ma_2864895.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/eduardo-galeano-1015_george-w_lied-about-wars-advertising-campaigns-ma_2864895.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“LIED-ABOUT WARS Advertising campaigns, marketing schemes. The target is public opinion. Wars are sold the…” — Eduardo Galeano",
                "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": "Eduardo Galeano",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“LIED-ABOUT WARS Advertising campaigns, marketing schemes....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/lied-about-wars-advertising-campaigns-marketing-schemes-the-target-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/lied-about-wars-advertising-campaigns-marketing-schemes-the-target-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
