--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A liberal knows that the only certainty…" description: "\"A liberal knows that the only certainty in this life is change but believes that the change can be directed toward a constructive end.\" — Henry A. Wallace" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/henry-a-wallace-14589_certainty_a-liberal-knows-that-the-only-certainty_1077259.jpg" --- # A liberal knows that the only certainty in this life is… ![“A liberal knows that the only certainty in this life is change but believes that the change can be directed toward a constructive end.” quote by Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/henry-a-wallace-14589_certainty_a-liberal-knows-that-the-only-certainty_1077259.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/henry-a-wallace-14589_certainty_a-liberal-knows-that-the-only-certainty_1077259.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/henry-a-wallace-14589_certainty_a-liberal-knows-that-the-only-certainty_1077259.jpg) > “A liberal knows that the only certainty in this life is change but believes that the change can be directed toward a constructive end.” [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Change is inevitable; a liberal seeks to steer it toward positive outcomes. **In simple terms:** Change happens; we can guide it. Key Takeaway Actively shape change for good. Themes politics change liberalism Mood hopeful determined Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy reform - community activism - education initiatives Key Concepts progressivism agency future planning Questions to Reflect On - What changes do you support? - How can you influence them? A Different Perspective Change may be resisted by entrenched interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believes Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believes-change-1771484/) [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Constructive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constructive/) [Knows Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows-certainty-2715902/) [Liberal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberal/) [Liberal Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberal-knows-2715901/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“Nobody knows anything… Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what's going to work. Every time out it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/nobody-knows-anything-not-one-person-in-the-entire-motion-picture/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“There is a part of you that believes you can change someone, but the reality is that you can't. You can change yourself, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anikor-daniel/there-is-a-part-of-you-that-believes-you-can-change-someone-but-the/) [ANIKOR Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anikor-daniel/) > [Anyone who believes you can't change history has never tried to write his memoirs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/anyone-who-believes-you-can-t-change-history-has-never-tried-to-write/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [Theresa, I know there's a part of you that believes you can change someone, but the reality is that you can't. You can change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/theresa-i-know-there-s-a-part-of-you-that-believes-you-can-change/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Intuitionism is not constructive, perfectionism is unacceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/intuitionism-is-not-constructive-perfectionism-is-unacceptable/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [I commend Sri Chinmoy for his faith and serenity, and I hope he will continue to exert his calming and constructive influence on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mulroney/i-commend-sri-chinmoy-for-his-faith-and-serenity-and-i-hope-he-will/) [Brian Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mulroney/) > [Coming to appreciate your worth can, in some cases, dramatically improve your circumstances by changing the choices you make and the actions you take.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/coming-to-appreciate-your-worth-can-in-some-cases-dramatically/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [“To improve your skills, you need to be receptive to constructive criticism and open to feeling uncomfortable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-s-kaplan/to-improve-your-skills-you-need-to-be-receptive-to-constructive/) [Robert S. Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-s-kaplan/) > [Increasingly constructive doubt is the sign of advancing civilization. We must put question marks along many of our inherited legal dogmas, since they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-frank/increasingly-constructive-doubt-is-the-sign-of-advancing-civilization/) [Jerome Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-frank/) > [Trusting people to be creative and constructive when given more freedom does not imply an overly optimistic belief in the perfectibility of human nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/trusting-people-to-be-creative-and-constructive-when-given-more/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [One of the great qualities of Chancellor Merkel is that she is steady. She analyzes a situation. She's honest. Sometimes we've had disagreements, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/one-of-the-great-qualities-of-chancellor-merkel-is-that-she-is-steady/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The goal in raising one's child is to enable him, first, to discover who he wants to be, and then to become a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/the-goal-in-raising-one-s-child-is-to-enable-him-first-to-discover/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [Art shows us how to see things that are constructive and good, and to be an active part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/art-shows-us-how-to-see-things-that-are-constructive-and-good-and-to/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Fear is a negative thought in your mind. Supplant it with a constructive thought. Fear has killed millions. Confidence is greater than fear. Nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/fear-is-a-negative-thought-in-your-mind-supplant-it-with-a/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) ## More by Henry A. Wallace > [The wisdom of our actions in the first three years of peace will determine the course of world history for half a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-wisdom-of-our-actions-in-the-first-three-years-of-peace-will/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [To see rich land eaten away by erosion, to stand by as continual cultivation on sloping fields wears away the best soil, is enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/to-see-rich-land-eaten-away-by-erosion-to-stand-by-as-continual/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [The symptoms of fascist thinking are colored by environment and adapted to immediate circumstances. But always and everywhere they can be identified by their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-symptoms-of-fascist-thinking-are-colored-by-environment-and/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [It may be shocking to some people in this country to realize that, without meaning to do so, they hold views in common with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/it-may-be-shocking-to-some-people-in-this-country-to-realize-that/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [If we define an American fascist as one who in case of conflict puts money and power ahead of human beings, then there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/if-we-define-an-american-fascist-as-one-who-in-case-of-conflict-puts/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-american-fascist-would-prefer-not-to-use-violence-his-method-is/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [If we define an American fascist as one who in case of conflict puts money and power ahead of human beings, then there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/if-we-define-an-american-fascist-as-one-who-in-case-of-conflict-puts-2/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [Still another danger is represented by those who, paying lip service to democracy and the common welfare, in their insatiable greed for money and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/still-another-danger-is-represented-by-those-who-paying-lip-service/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [The century which we are entering can be and must be the century of the common man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-century-which-we-are-entering-can-be-and-must-be-the-century-of/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [What we must understand is that the industries, processes, and inventions created by modern science can be used either to subjugate or liberate. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/what-we-must-understand-is-that-the-industries-processes-and/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [The worldwide, agelong struggle between fascism and democracy will not stop when the fighting ends in Germany and Japan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-worldwide-agelong-struggle-between-fascism-and-democracy-will-not/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [Our chemical and other manufacturing concerns are all too often ready to let the Germans have Latin American markets, provided the American companies can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/our-chemical-and-other-manufacturing-concerns-are-all-too-often-ready/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [The fascists in most Latin American countries tell the people that the reason their wages will not buy as much in the way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-fascists-in-most-latin-american-countries-tell-the-people-that/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [In some ways, certain books are more powerful by far than any battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/in-some-ways-certain-books-are-more-powerful-by-far-than-any-battle/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [If we put our trust in the common sense of common men and 'with malice toward none and charity for all' go forward on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/if-we-put-our-trust-in-the-common-sense-of-common-men-and-with-malice/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) [Explore all 46 Henry A. Wallace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) ## More Certainty quotes > [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/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [In the mental disturbance and effort of writing, what sustains you is the certainty that on every page there is something left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/in-the-mental-disturbance-and-effort-of-writing-what-sustains-you-is/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [Every single person who is a member of our party deserves to have certainty. They deserve to know that my attention and focus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/every-single-person-who-is-a-member-of-our-party-deserves-to-have/) [Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/) > [The significance and volume of repairs that are needed across the country demand that we give state and local governments the long-term certainty they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/the-significance-and-volume-of-repairs-that-are-needed-across-the/) [Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/) > [“Death is the one great certainty in life. That’s what my dad used to say. Nothing else is certain. Not love. Not happiness. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/death-is-the-one-great-certainty-in-life-that-s-what-my-dad-used-to/) [Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [Finding someone that trusted my vision helped me find certainty in who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/finding-someone-that-trusted-my-vision-helped-me-find-certainty-in/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) [Browse all 1,776 Certainty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A liberal knows that the only certainty in this life is change but believes that the change can be directed toward a constructive end.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry A. 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