---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Truth is not only violated by falsehood…"
description: "\"“Truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be outraged by silence.”\" — Henri-Frederic Amiel"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel-27187_quote_truth-is-not-only-violated-by-falsehood_2155948.jpg"
---

#  Truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be…

![“Truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be outraged by silence.” quote by Henri-Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel-27187_quote_truth-is-not-only-violated-by-falsehood_2155948.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel-27187_quote_truth-is-not-only-violated-by-falsehood_2155948.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel-27187_quote_truth-is-not-only-violated-by-falsehood_2155948.jpg)

> ““Truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be outraged by silence.””

[Henri-Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

## 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 perpetuate falsehoods as much as speaking lies; inaction can be a form of aggression against truth.

**In simple terms:** Silence can harm truth.

Key Takeaway

Speak up against falsehoods.

Themes

truth silence ethics

Mood

thoughtful ethical

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- public debates
- media reporting
- personal relationships
- activism

Key Concepts

moral responsibility communication courage

Questions to Reflect On

- When is silence justified?
- How can you confront falsehood safely?

A Different Perspective

Silence may be protective in dangerous contexts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Falsehood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehood/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [Truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be equally outraged by silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/truth-is-not-only-violated-by-falsehood-it-may-be-equally-outraged-by/)

[Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/)

> [Truth can be outraged by silence quite as cruelly as by speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-barr/truth-can-be-outraged-by-silence-quite-as-cruelly-as-by-speech/)

[Amelia Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-barr/)

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught in falsehood's school, and the one man that dares to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/strange-times-are-these-in-which-we-live-when-old-and-young-are/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [“Falsehood of a good man is better than truth of a bad one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/falsehood-of-a-good-man-is-better-than-truth-of-a-bad-one/)

[Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/)

> [So true is it that all transactions of preeminent importance are wrapt in doubt and obscurity; while some hold for certain facts the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/so-true-is-it-that-all-transactions-of-preeminent-importance-are/)

[Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/)

> [falsehood is not more unjustifiable than unsafe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-burney/falsehood-is-not-more-unjustifiable-than-unsafe/)

[Fanny Burney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-burney/)

> [People who do not know the Bible well have been gulled into thinking it is a good guide to morality. This mistaken view may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/people-who-do-not-know-the-bible-well-have-been-gulled-into-thinking/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“God is not as a man.” He thus shows that all men are indeed guilty of falsehood, inasmuch as they change from one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-church-fathers/god-is-not-as-a-man-he-thus-shows-that-all-men-are-indeed-guilty-of/)

The Church Fathers

> [Falsehood, like the dry-rot, flourishes the more in proportion as air and light are excluded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/falsehood-like-the-dry-rot-flourishes-the-more-in-proportion-as-air/)

[Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/)

> [Whether statistics be an art or a science... or a scientific art, we concern ourselves little. It is the basis of social and political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolphe-quetelet/whether-statistics-be-an-art-or-a-science-or-a-scientific-art-we/)

[Adolphe Quetelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolphe-quetelet/)

> [Tangible language, which often tells more falsehoods than truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/tangible-language-which-often-tells-more-falsehoods-than-truths/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [THE ART OF PEACE is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-art-of-peace-is-not-easy-it-is-a-fight-to-the-finish-the-slaying/)

[Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/)

> [ A mind conscious of right laughs at the falsehoods of rumour. \[Lat., Conscia mens recti famae mendacia risit.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/a-mind-conscious-of-right-laughs-at-the-falsehoods-of-rumour-lat/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/)

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

## More by Henri-Frederic Amiel

> [“Dare to be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not and to believe in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/dare-to-be-what-you-are-and-learn-to-resign-with-a-good-grace-all/)

[Henri-Frédéric Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

> [“Hindoo wisdom long ago regarded the world as the dream of Brahma. Must we hold with Fichte that it is the individual dream of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/hindoo-wisdom-long-ago-regarded-the-world-as-the-dream-of-brahma-must/)

[Henri-Frédéric Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

> [“Uniformity...creates a void, and Nature abhors a vacuum.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/uniformity-creates-a-void-and-nature-abhors-a-vacuum/)

[Henri-Frédéric Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

> [“Life is short and we never have enough time for the hearts of those who travel the way with us. O, be swift to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/life-is-short-and-we-never-have-enough-time-for-the-hearts-of-those/)

[Henri-Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

> [These pages reproduce me very imperfectly, and there are many things in me of which I find no trace in them.I suppose it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/these-pages-reproduce-me-very-imperfectly-and-there-are-many-things/)

[Henri-Frédéric Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

> [“Life is short. We don't have much time to gladden the hearts of those who walk this way with us. So, be swift to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/life-is-short-we-don-t-have-much-time-to-gladden-the-hearts-of-those/)

[Henri-Frédéric Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

> [“In these moments of tête-à-tête with the infinite, how different life looks! How all that usually occupies and excites us becomes suddenly puerile, frivolous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/in-these-moments-of-t-te-t-te-with-the-infinite-how-different-life/)

[Henri-Frédéric Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

> [“Feebleness of will brings about weakness of head, and the abyss, in spite of its horror, comes to fascinate us, as though it were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/feebleness-of-will-brings-about-weakness-of-head-and-the-abyss-in/)

[Henri-Frédéric Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

> [“It is not what he has, nor even what he does, which directly expresses the worth of a man, but what he is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/it-is-not-what-he-has-nor-even-what-he-does-which-directly-expresses/)

[Henri-Frédéric Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

> [“I sogni sono la domenica dei pensieri.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/i-sogni-sono-la-domenica-dei-pensieri/)

[Henri-Frédéric Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

> [“At the bottom of the modern man there is always a great thirst for self-forgetfulness, self-distraction; he has a secret horror of all which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/at-the-bottom-of-the-modern-man-there-is-always-a-great-thirst-for/)

[Henri-Frédéric Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

> [“Reality, the present, the irreparable, the necessary, repel and even terrify me. I have too much imagination, conscience, and penetration and not enough character.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/reality-the-present-the-irreparable-the-necessary-repel-and-even/)

[Henri-Frédéric Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

> [“The philosopher is like a man fasting in the midst of universal intoxication. He alone perceives the illusion of which all creatures are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/the-philosopher-is-like-a-man-fasting-in-the-midst-of-universal-2/)

[Henri-Frédéric Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

> [“I begin to realize that my memory is a great catacomb, and that below my actual standing-ground there is layer after layer of historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/i-begin-to-realize-that-my-memory-is-a-great-catacomb-and-that-below/)

[Henri-Frédéric Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

> [“What is it which has always come between real life and me? What glass screen has, as it were, interposed itself between me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/what-is-it-which-has-always-come-between-real-life-and-me-what-glass/)

[Henri-Frédéric Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

[Explore all 21 Henri-Frederic Amiel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/)

## More Falsehood quotes

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [falsehood is not more unjustifiable than unsafe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-burney/falsehood-is-not-more-unjustifiable-than-unsafe/)

[Fanny Burney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-burney/)

> [THE ART OF PEACE is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-art-of-peace-is-not-easy-it-is-a-fight-to-the-finish-the-slaying/)

[Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/)

> [ A mind conscious of right laughs at the falsehoods of rumour. \[Lat., Conscia mens recti famae mendacia risit.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/a-mind-conscious-of-right-laughs-at-the-falsehoods-of-rumour-lat/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [“Falsehood of a good man is better than truth of a bad one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/falsehood-of-a-good-man-is-better-than-truth-of-a-bad-one/)

[Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/)

> [So true is it that all transactions of preeminent importance are wrapt in doubt and obscurity; while some hold for certain facts the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/so-true-is-it-that-all-transactions-of-preeminent-importance-are/)

[Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/)

> [Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught in falsehood's school, and the one man that dares to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/strange-times-are-these-in-which-we-live-when-old-and-young-are/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/)

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

> [Tangible language, which often tells more falsehoods than truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/tangible-language-which-often-tells-more-falsehoods-than-truths/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Whether statistics be an art or a science... or a scientific art, we concern ourselves little. It is the basis of social and political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolphe-quetelet/whether-statistics-be-an-art-or-a-science-or-a-scientific-art-we/)

[Adolphe Quetelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolphe-quetelet/)

> [Falsehood, like the dry-rot, flourishes the more in proportion as air and light are excluded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/falsehood-like-the-dry-rot-flourishes-the-more-in-proportion-as-air/)

[Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/)

> [“God is not as a man.” He thus shows that all men are indeed guilty of falsehood, inasmuch as they change from one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-church-fathers/god-is-not-as-a-man-he-thus-shows-that-all-men-are-indeed-guilty-of/)

The Church Fathers

> [People who do not know the Bible well have been gulled into thinking it is a good guide to morality. This mistaken view may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/people-who-do-not-know-the-bible-well-have-been-gulled-into-thinking/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [One of the reasons, surely, why women have been credited with less perfect veracity than men is that the burden of conventional falsehood falls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-reasons-surely-why-women-have-been-credited-with-less/)

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

> [He had the unlucky capacity many men have of seeing and believing in the possibility of goodness and truth, but of seeing the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-had-the-unlucky-capacity-many-men-have-of-seeing-and-believing-in/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

[Browse all 724 Falsehood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehood/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be outraged by silence.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henri-Frederic Amiel"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/truth-is-not-only-violated-by-falsehood-it-may-be-outraged-by-silence/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Falsehood"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/truth-is-not-only-violated-by-falsehood-it-may-be-outraged-by-silence/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel-27187_quote_truth-is-not-only-violated-by-falsehood_2155948.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel-27187_quote_truth-is-not-only-violated-by-falsehood_2155948.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel-27187_quote_truth-is-not-only-violated-by-falsehood_2155948.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be outraged by silence.” — Henri-Frederic Amiel",
                "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": "Henri-Frederic Amiel",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Truth is not only violated by...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/truth-is-not-only-violated-by-falsehood-it-may-be-outraged-by-silence/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-fr-d-ric-amiel/truth-is-not-only-violated-by-falsehood-it-may-be-outraged-by-silence/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
