--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are many justifications of silence…" description: "\"There are many justifications of silence; there can be none of insincerity.\" — George Henry Lewes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/george-henry-lewes-4544_insincerity_there-are-many-justifications-of-silence_2243975.jpg" --- # There are many justifications of silence; there can be… ![“There are many justifications of silence; there can be none of insincerity.” quote by George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/george-henry-lewes-4544_insincerity_there-are-many-justifications-of-silence_2243975.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/george-henry-lewes-4544_insincerity_there-are-many-justifications-of-silence_2243975.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/george-henry-lewes-4544_insincerity_there-are-many-justifications-of-silence_2243975.jpg) > “There are many justifications of silence; there can be none of insincerity.” [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. Silence can be justified, but insincere silence cannot; true silence must be honest. **In simple terms:** Silence is okay, but not fake. Key Takeaway Seek honest communication. Themes ethics communication integrity Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - debates - personal relationships - public speaking - conflict resolution Key Concepts moral philosophy authenticity Questions to Reflect On - When is silence justified? - How to detect insincere silence? A Different Perspective Sometimes silence is necessary for safety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Insincerity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insincerity/) [Justification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justification/) [Justifications](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justifications/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [Religion has run out of justifications. Thanks to the telescope and the microscope, it no longer offers an explanation of anything important. Where once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-has-run-out-of-justifications-thanks-to-the-telescope-and/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Insincerity is always weakness; sincerity even in error is strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/insincerity-is-always-weakness-sincerity-even-in-error-is-strength/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [“What does it matter if another player, your friend or rival, intended good things and had only your interests at heart, if the effects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/what-does-it-matter-if-another-player-your-friend-or-rival-intended/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Some of our children are our justifications and some are but our regrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/some-of-our-children-are-our-justifications-and-some-are-but-our/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [The only justifications for belief have the form "justified for me".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/the-only-justifications-for-belief-have-the-form-justified-for-me/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [With all the justifications I have had in place, telling the truth under certain circumstances was in my universe no different than telling a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rinder/with-all-the-justifications-i-have-had-in-place-telling-the-truth/) Mike Rinder > [“Make sure that your heartfelt thanksgiving is more consistent than your nagging needs and your passionate apology fervent than your unhealthy justifications. Be clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/make-sure-that-your-heartfelt-thanksgiving-is-more-consistent-than/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“A person who is seeking to feel justification for some action might move from “What you’ve done angers me” to “What you’ve done is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-de-becker/a-person-who-is-seeking-to-feel-justification-for-some-action-might/) [Gavin de Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-de-becker/) > [Ultimately, suffering is always political with all kinds of justifications - there are those who justify Israel's occupation of land as being a fulfillment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/ultimately-suffering-is-always-political-with-all-kinds-of/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“When civilians are not asked to pay any price, it's easy to be at war - not just to intervene in a foreign land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/when-civilians-are-not-asked-to-pay-any-price-it-s-easy-to-be-at-war/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [“Why' questions have little value, at best they get justifications or long explanations which do nothing to change the situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-seymour/why-questions-have-little-value-at-best-they-get-justifications-or/) [John Seymour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-seymour/) > [“Reason is an outcome of frailty and resentment. When Will fails to cope with the labour of life, or the life of labour, its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/reason-is-an-outcome-of-frailty-and-resentment-when-will-fails-to/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [“Most people are not prepared to have their minds changed," he said. "And I think they know in their hearts that other people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/most-people-are-not-prepared-to-have-their-minds-changed-he-said-and/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“The justifications for eating animals and for not eating them are often identical: we are not them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnathan-safran-foer/the-justifications-for-eating-animals-and-for-not-eating-them-are/) [Johnathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnathan-safran-foer/) > [Over-reliance on strictly economic justifications has already begun to hurt the quality and range of education at every level of American life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/over-reliance-on-strictly-economic-justifications-has-already-begun/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Insincerity quotes > [Once you can fake sincerity, you can fake anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-putney/once-you-can-fake-sincerity-you-can-fake-anything/) [Mary Jo Putney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-putney/) > [The basis of insincerity is the idealized image we hold of ourselves and wish to impose on others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-basis-of-insincerity-is-the-idealized-image-we-hold-of-ourselves/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [What people call insincerity is simply a method by which we can multiply our personalities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-people-call-insincerity-is-simply-a-method-by-which-we-can/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The real loneliness is living among all these kind people who only ask one to pretend!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/the-real-loneliness-is-living-among-all-these-kind-people-who-only/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns, as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-great-enemy-of-clear-language-is-insincerity-when-there-is-a-gap/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Never say sorry to anyone if you don't really mean it, and don't commit about anything that you know you don't really mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/never-say-sorry-to-anyone-if-you-don-t-really-mean-it-and-don-t/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [It's not unfortunate that people aren't genuine; what's unfortunate is that insincere people try to act sincere and in doing so, mislead and deceive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-not-unfortunate-that-people-aren-t-genuine-what-s-unfortunate-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...So Englishmen saw it. Lincoln's insincerity was regarded as proven by two things: his earlier denial of any lawful right or wish to free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-vanauken/so-englishmen-saw-it-lincoln-s-insincerity-was-regarded-as-proven-by/) [Sheldon Vanauken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-vanauken/) > [I love to read the dedications of old books written in monarchies for they invariably honor some (usually insignificant) knight or duke with fulsome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-love-to-read-the-dedications-of-old-books-written-in-monarchies-for/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [What matters in Politics is what men actually do - sincerity is no excuse for acting unpolitically, and insincerity may be channelled by politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/what-matters-in-politics-is-what-men-actually-do-sincerity-is-no/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [“I found this hardly comforting, and wondered if there was not some virtue in the quality of insincerity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/i-found-this-hardly-comforting-and-wondered-if-there-was-not-some/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [Nothing is more disgraceful than insincerity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-is-more-disgraceful-than-insincerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One element of maturity is the realization that we don't get away with anything. Any advantage gained or convenience taken, any private procrastination or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-prather/one-element-of-maturity-is-the-realization-that-we-don-t-get-away/) [Hugh Prather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-prather/) > [If I try to use human influence strategies and tactics of how to get other people to do what I want, to work better,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-try-to-use-human-influence-strategies-and-tactics-of-how-to-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The words that I say and things that I do are different than what I mean.~~~](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-chiar/the-words-that-i-say-and-things-that-i-do-are-different-than-what-i/) [Francine Chiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-chiar/) [Browse all 112 Insincerity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insincerity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are many justifications of silence; there can be none of insincerity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Henry Lewes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/there-are-many-justifications-of-silence-there-can-be-none-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Insincerity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/there-are-many-justifications-of-silence-there-can-be-none-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/george-henry-lewes-4544_insincerity_there-are-many-justifications-of-silence_2243975.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/george-henry-lewes-4544_insincerity_there-are-many-justifications-of-silence_2243975.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/george-henry-lewes-4544_insincerity_there-are-many-justifications-of-silence_2243975.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are many justifications of silence; there can be none of insincerity.” — 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": "There are many justifications of silence;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/there-are-many-justifications-of-silence-there-can-be-none-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/there-are-many-justifications-of-silence-there-can-be-none-of/#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 } } ] } ```