--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think criticism, or a critical…" description: "\"I think criticism, or a critical engagement with history, has a good deal to do with a willingness to be fooled.\" — Greil Marcus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/greil-marcus-10438_criticism_i-think-criticism-or-a-critical-engageme_2123476.jpg" --- # I think criticism, or a critical engagement with history… ![“I think criticism, or a critical engagement with history, has a good deal to do with a willingness to be fooled.” quote by Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/greil-marcus-10438_criticism_i-think-criticism-or-a-critical-engageme_2123476.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/greil-marcus-10438_criticism_i-think-criticism-or-a-critical-engageme_2123476.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/greil-marcus-10438_criticism_i-think-criticism-or-a-critical-engageme_2123476.jpg) > “I think criticism, or a critical engagement with history, has a good deal to do with a willingness to be fooled.” [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critical analysis requires openness to being misled, embracing uncertainty. **In simple terms:** Be open to being fooled. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty in critique. Themes history criticism philosophy open-mindedness truth Mood analytical reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - academic discourse - public commentary - historical analysis Key Concepts critical thinking historical interpretation skepticism humility Questions to Reflect On - How do you guard against self-deception? - When is skepticism harmful? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can blind analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Criticism Critical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism-critical-3273074/) [Deal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deal/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-good-1073255/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Think Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-criticism-406588/) [Willingness Fooled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willingness-fooled-4343695/) ## Related quotes > [In the spiritual domain, criticism is love turned sour. In a wholesome spiritual life there is no room for criticism. The critical faculty is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/in-the-spiritual-domain-criticism-is-love-turned-sour-in-a-wholesome/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [I take criticism so seriously as to believe that, even in the midst of a battle in which one is unmistakably on one side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-take-criticism-so-seriously-as-to-believe-that-even-in-the-midst-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What I think I've learned is that you're never going to get it all right, and you can't obsess about having a fact wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/what-i-think-i-ve-learned-is-that-you-re-never-going-to-get-it-all/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [England has been praised for turning out intelligent, adult pictures whereas Hollywood has been severely censured for turning out junk. I don't think criticism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-garfield/england-has-been-praised-for-turning-out-intelligent-adult-pictures/) [John Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-garfield/) > [I think where the criticism of videogames come from is where videogames are just Xeroxes of films, and when you get a film adaptation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-wright/i-think-where-the-criticism-of-videogames-come-from-is-where-2/) [Edgar Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-wright/) > [I think that criticism is unjustified. It's a cute term, but noone shouldn't be criticized for who he is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/i-think-that-criticism-is-unjustified-it-s-a-cute-term-but-noone/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [I think any criticism bothers anybody. I get my back up when I hear stuff that I think the people don't know what they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-d-antoni/i-think-any-criticism-bothers-anybody-i-get-my-back-up-when-i-hear/) [Mike D'Antoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-d-antoni/) > [I don't think the criticism is fair. I think the criticism is assuming that Donald Trump giving up on something. He's not. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-mulvaney/i-don-t-think-the-criticism-is-fair-i-think-the-criticism-is-assuming/) [Mick Mulvaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-mulvaney/) > [I think one should take criticism in one's stride and prove oneself. In fact, I would like to thank my critics as their criticism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/i-think-one-should-take-criticism-in-one-s-stride-and-prove-oneself/) [Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/) > [When I was a kid, I had a tendency to criticize. But when I did, my mum would whisk me off to the bathroom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/when-i-was-a-kid-i-had-a-tendency-to-criticize-but-when-i-did-my-mum/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I think where the criticism of videogames come from is where videogames are just Xeroxes of films, and when you get a film adaptation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-wright/i-think-where-the-criticism-of-videogames-come-from-is-where/) [Edgar Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-wright/) > [I'm always trying to improve. I think I take criticism constructively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-jarrett/i-m-always-trying-to-improve-i-think-i-take-criticism-constructively/) [Valerie Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-jarrett/) > [I welcome comments. I think criticism can be very constructive and can help further. I mean, there's no perfect perfection anywhere. There's no perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-payette/i-welcome-comments-i-think-criticism-can-be-very-constructive-and-can/) [Julie Payette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-payette/) > [To think of criticism as a conversation is to think of it as a social act, something that puts you in touch with other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlene-croce/to-think-of-criticism-as-a-conversation-is-to-think-of-it-as-a-social/) [Arlene Croce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlene-croce/) > [What do you think of the criticism that you're not very good?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/what-do-you-think-of-the-criticism-that-you-re-not-very-good/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) ## More by Greil Marcus > [As I write, Johnny Rotten's first moments in "Anarchy in the U.K." - a rolling earthquake of a laugh, a buried shout, then hoary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/as-i-write-johnny-rotten-s-first-moments-in-anarchy-in-the-u-k-a/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [Elvis' early music has drama because as he sang he was escaping limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/elvis-early-music-has-drama-because-as-he-sang-he-was-escaping-limits/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [You're going to react to a painting in a way that the painting demands you react.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/you-re-going-to-react-to-a-painting-in-a-way-that-the-painting/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [No failure in America, whether of love or money, is ever simple; it is always a kind of betrayal, of a mass of shadowy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/no-failure-in-america-whether-of-love-or-money-is-ever-simple-it-is/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [ “\[Listening to a song\] one could experience a freedom from one's physical body, and from one's social body - the mask you wore to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/listening-to-a-song-one-could-experience-a-freedom-from-one-s/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [Records that were the sound of somebody - more often than not, a she - speaking with a voice that had never been heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/records-that-were-the-sound-of-somebody-more-often-than-not-a-she/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [I never could understand - it was impossible for me to get my head around - what the furor was, what the sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-never-could-understand-it-was-impossible-for-me-to-get-my-head/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [There is no pop category, let alone any infinitely gene-sliced genre name, to contain the lead in Rihanna's voice in 'Needed Me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/there-is-no-pop-category-let-alone-any-infinitely-gene-sliced-genre/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [I'm a fan of Oliver Stone. I like his movies, I like his excess, and I think he has a great capacity for empathy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-m-a-fan-of-oliver-stone-i-like-his-movies-i-like-his-excess-and-i/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [Bob Dylan continues to release odd and unsettling records, and to do odd and unsettling things on stage. So the term 'still' seems meaningless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/bob-dylan-continues-to-release-odd-and-unsettling-records-and-to-do/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [When you're writing criticism or thinking critically, to draw a very limited minor conclusion from solid evidence is really not thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/when-you-re-writing-criticism-or-thinking-critically-to-draw-a-very/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [My ideal reader is somebody who trips over a copy of my book on the sidewalk; then they pick it up and read as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/my-ideal-reader-is-somebody-who-trips-over-a-copy-of-my-book-on-the/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [I don't know that there's a division between American and British, European, South American, Asian sensibilities when it comes to rock n' roll or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-don-t-know-that-there-s-a-division-between-american-and-british/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [We fight our way through the massed and leveled collective safe taste of the Top 40, just looking for a little something we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/we-fight-our-way-through-the-massed-and-leveled-collective-safe-taste/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [“Banishing the love song, people discovered what else there was to sing about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/banishing-the-love-song-people-discovered-what-else-there-was-to-sing/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) [Explore all 65 Greil Marcus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) ## More Criticism quotes > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [I'm more comfortable modelling as a man because I don't get any criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/i-m-more-comfortable-modelling-as-a-man-because-i-don-t-get-any/) [Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/) > [I don't mind positive criticism, but when it is negative and personal, it is quite hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inzamam-ul-haq/i-don-t-mind-positive-criticism-but-when-it-is-negative-and-personal/) [Inzamam-ul-Haq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inzamam-ul-haq/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Everything is allowable in literature, but what is not allowable in criticism is objection on the grounds of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/everything-is-allowable-in-literature-but-what-is-not-allowable-in/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Lots of relationships fail because we spend more time pointing out each other's mistakes and not enough time enjoying each other's company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lots-of-relationships-fail-because-we-spend-more-time-pointing-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [People believe that criticism should be objective, whatever that means, but I really don't understand what people mean by that. I guess if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/people-believe-that-criticism-should-be-objective-whatever-that-means/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [I welcome criticism. I come from a - I wouldn't say mean, but you've got to have tough skin to be in my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saweetie/i-welcome-criticism-i-come-from-a-i-wouldn-t-say-mean-but-you-ve-got/) [Saweetie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saweetie/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) [Browse all 3,954 Criticism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think criticism, or a critical engagement with history, has a good deal to do with a willingness to be fooled.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Greil Marcus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-think-criticism-or-a-critical-engagement-with-history-has-a-good/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Criticism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-think-criticism-or-a-critical-engagement-with-history-has-a-good/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/greil-marcus-10438_criticism_i-think-criticism-or-a-critical-engageme_2123476.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/greil-marcus-10438_criticism_i-think-criticism-or-a-critical-engageme_2123476.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/greil-marcus-10438_criticism_i-think-criticism-or-a-critical-engageme_2123476.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think criticism, or a critical engagement with history, has a good deal to do with a willingness to be…” — Greil Marcus", "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": "Greil Marcus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think criticism, or a critical...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-think-criticism-or-a-critical-engagement-with-history-has-a-good/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-think-criticism-or-a-critical-engagement-with-history-has-a-good/#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 } } ] } ```