--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The public can only be really moved by…" description: "\"The public can only be really moved by what is genuine.\" — George Henry Lewes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/george-henry-lewes-4544_authenticity_the-public-can-only-be-really-moved-by-w_2566972.jpg" --- # The public can only be really moved by what is genuine. ![“The public can only be really moved by what is genuine.” quote by George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/george-henry-lewes-4544_authenticity_the-public-can-only-be-really-moved-by-w_2566972.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/george-henry-lewes-4544_authenticity_the-public-can-only-be-really-moved-by-w_2566972.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/george-henry-lewes-4544_authenticity_the-public-can-only-be-really-moved-by-w_2566972.jpg) > “The public can only be really moved by what is genuine.” [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authenticity moves audiences more than contrived displays. **In simple terms:** Genuine expression influences people. Key Takeaway Be authentic to inspire. Themes authenticity influence communication Mood reflective inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - public speaking - marketing - leadership - artistic performance Key Concepts psychology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure sincerity? - What risks accompany authenticity? A Different Perspective Genuineness may be perceived as vulnerability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authenticity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) [Genuine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genuine/) [Moved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moved/) [Moved Genuine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moved-genuine-1655876/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public/) [Public Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-really-448695/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Really Moved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-moved-723313/) ## Related quotes > [What's interesting about art in public spaces is that the public really sort of takes over and uses it in ways that you didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresita-fernandez/what-s-interesting-about-art-in-public-spaces-is-that-the-public/) [Teresita Fernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresita-fernandez/) > [No TV, no acting for me. I'm kind of a more behind-the-scenes kind of woman even though what I do is very public. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/no-tv-no-acting-for-me-i-m-kind-of-a-more-behind-the-scenes-kind-of/) [Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/) > [So much of the time, in politics, we try to come up with these clever turns of phrase, slogans or messages, but what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-poilievre/so-much-of-the-time-in-politics-we-try-to-come-up-with-these-clever/) [Pierre Poilievre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-poilievre/) > [Actually we're not hearing a lot about gas prices right now from constituents. And I think that reflects a growing understanding on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yarmuth/actually-we-re-not-hearing-a-lot-about-gas-prices-right-now-from/) [John Yarmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yarmuth/) > [The public does not like you to mislead or represent yourself to be something you're not. And the other thing that the public really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-richards/the-public-does-not-like-you-to-mislead-or-represent-yourself-to-be/) [Ann Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-richards/) > [Going public for the sake of going public is not really an optimal thing. You're going public because as a company you believe it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-weiner/going-public-for-the-sake-of-going-public-is-not-really-an-optimal/) [Jeff Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-weiner/) > [When you have no real power, go public - really public. The public is where the real power is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/when-you-have-no-real-power-go-public-really-public-the-public-is-2/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I think going public is a really smart thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-wainwright/i-think-going-public-is-a-really-smart-thing-to-do/) [Julie Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-wainwright/) > [The grand tune is the only thing in music that the great public really understands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beecham/the-grand-tune-is-the-only-thing-in-music-that-the-great-public/) [Thomas Beecham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-beecham/) > [“When you have no real power, go public—really public. The public is where the real power is. Those”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/when-you-have-no-real-power-go-public-really-public-the-public-is/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I could only try to comfort the women that I came face-to-face with. I was really moved by how much they wanted to talk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-sellecca/i-could-only-try-to-comfort-the-women-that-i-came-face-to-face-with-i/) [Connie Sellecca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-sellecca/) > [Songs really are like a form of time travel because they really have moved forward in a bubble. Everyone who's connected with it, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/songs-really-are-like-a-form-of-time-travel-because-they-really-have/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I felt they had really moved the characters in a direction that was very interesting. The family had really felt the impact of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jobeth-williams/i-felt-they-had-really-moved-the-characters-in-a-direction-that-was/) [JoBeth Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jobeth-williams/) > [I don't rise to the occasion unless I'm really moved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-peyton/i-don-t-rise-to-the-occasion-unless-i-m-really-moved/) [Elizabeth Peyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-peyton/) > [Richie is the only one of my nine who's really moved away. I can't get rid of most of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-havens/richie-is-the-only-one-of-my-nine-who-s-really-moved-away-i-can-t-get/) [Richie Havens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-havens/) ## More by George Henry Lewes > [Heart and Brain are the two lords of life. In the metaphors of ordinary speech and in the stricter language of science, we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/heart-and-brain-are-the-two-lords-of-life-in-the-metaphors-of/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [It is unhappily true that much insincere Literature and Art, executed solely with a view to effect, does succeed by deceiving the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/it-is-unhappily-true-that-much-insincere-literature-and-art-executed/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [I have always considered The Merry Wives one of the worst plays, if not altogether the worst, that Shakespeare has left us. The wit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/i-have-always-considered-the-merry-wives-one-of-the-worst-plays-if/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [Literature is at once the cause and the effect of social progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/literature-is-at-once-the-cause-and-the-effect-of-social-progress/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [Science is the systematic classification of experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/science-is-the-systematic-classification-of-experience/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [In complex trains of thought signs are indispensable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/in-complex-trains-of-thought-signs-are-indispensable/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [Literature is at once the cause and the effect of social progress. It deepens our natural sensibilities, and strengthens by exercise our intellectual capacities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/literature-is-at-once-the-cause-and-the-effect-of-social-progress-it/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [If you feel yourself to be above the mass, speak so as to raise the mass to the height of your argument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/if-you-feel-yourself-to-be-above-the-mass-speak-so-as-to-raise-the/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [The artist is called a creator...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/the-artist-is-called-a-creator/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [To some men popularity is always suspicious. Enjoying none themselves, they are prone to suspect the validity of those attainments which command it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/to-some-men-popularity-is-always-suspicious-enjoying-none-themselves/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [The art of writing is not, as many seem to imagine, the art of bringing fine phrases into rhythmical order, but the art of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/the-art-of-writing-is-not-as-many-seem-to-imagine-the-art-of-bringing/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [Literature delivers tidings of the world within and the world without.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/literature-delivers-tidings-of-the-world-within-and-the-world-without/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [If the members of a class do not understand -- if those directly addressed fail to listen, or listening, fail to recognize a power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/if-the-members-of-a-class-do-not-understand-if-those-directly/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [No man was ever eloquent by trying to be eloquent, but only by being so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/no-man-was-ever-eloquent-by-trying-to-be-eloquent-but-only-by-being-so/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [To love is for the Soul to choose a companion, and travel with it along the perilous defiles and winding ways of life; mutually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/to-love-is-for-the-soul-to-choose-a-companion-and-travel-with-it/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) [Explore all 109 George Henry Lewes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) ## More Authenticity quotes > [“the property that grounded the self in Romanticism was sincerity, and in modernism was authenticity, then in postmod ernism it is visibility.10”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/the-property-that-grounded-the-self-in-romanticism-was-sincerity-and/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Real artists offer authenticity, not just money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhymefest/real-artists-offer-authenticity-not-just-money/) [Rhymefest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhymefest/) > [“I figure the more people think I'm just mildly weird, the less likely they are to know how weird I really am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-hooyenga/i-figure-the-more-people-think-i-m-just-mildly-weird-the-less-likely/) [Melanie Hooyenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-hooyenga/) > [I think people can read authenticity and they know when you're involved and when you're just slapping your name on something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-la-anthony/i-think-people-can-read-authenticity-and-they-know-when-you-re/) [La La Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-la-anthony/) > [“I strive for authenticity even though it brings with it vulnerability and the inevitable judgment of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-r-w-lee/i-strive-for-authenticity-even-though-it-brings-with-it-vulnerability/) [L.R.W. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-r-w-lee/) > [Children go where they find sincerity and authenticity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/children-go-where-they-find-sincerity-and-authenticity/) [Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/) > [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, focus your energy on what you can create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/instead-of-worrying-about-what-you-cannot-control-focus-your-energy/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Anything that I ever do is from the heart and authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-carlisle/anything-that-i-ever-do-is-from-the-heart-and-authentic/) [Belinda Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-carlisle/) > [What I love about Nivea is they're all about authenticity. The brand isn't pretending to be anything it isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-virtue/what-i-love-about-nivea-is-they-re-all-about-authenticity-the-brand/) [Tessa Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-virtue/) > [There is nothing which so certifies the genuineness of a man's faith as his patience and his patient endurance, his keeping on steadily in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-which-so-certifies-the-genuineness-of-a-man-s-faith/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you're really famous, there's very little authenticity in people, so you prefer the company of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-ryan/when-you-re-really-famous-there-s-very-little-authenticity-in-people/) [Katherine Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-ryan/) > [“We could not be fulfilled if we weren't inauthentic some of the time—inauthentic, that is, in relation to such things as our passing desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-could-not-be-fulfilled-if-we-weren-t-inauthentic-some-of-the-time/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [No man knows the genuineness of his convictions until he has sacrificed something for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/no-man-knows-the-genuineness-of-his-convictions-until-he-has/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) [Browse all 1,437 Authenticity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The public can only be really moved by what is genuine.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Henry Lewes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/the-public-can-only-be-really-moved-by-what-is-genuine/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authenticity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/the-public-can-only-be-really-moved-by-what-is-genuine/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/george-henry-lewes-4544_authenticity_the-public-can-only-be-really-moved-by-w_2566972.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/george-henry-lewes-4544_authenticity_the-public-can-only-be-really-moved-by-w_2566972.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/george-henry-lewes-4544_authenticity_the-public-can-only-be-really-moved-by-w_2566972.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The public can only be really moved by what is genuine.” — George Henry Lewes", "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": "George Henry Lewes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The public can only be really...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/the-public-can-only-be-really-moved-by-what-is-genuine/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/the-public-can-only-be-really-moved-by-what-is-genuine/#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 } } ] } ```