--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The strength of ideas rests on their…" description: "\"The strength of ideas rests on their relationship to reality. MacKinnon’s unrealistic fulminations against a phantom patriarchy exist in the arid arena..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/ilana-mercer-6995_ideas_the-strength-of-ideas-rests-on-their-rel_1596413.jpg" --- # The strength of ideas rests on their relationship to… ![“The strength of ideas rests on their relationship to reality. MacKinnon’s unrealistic fulminations against a phantom patriarchy exist in the arid arena of pure thought.” quote by Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/ilana-mercer-6995_ideas_the-strength-of-ideas-rests-on-their-rel_1596413.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/ilana-mercer-6995_ideas_the-strength-of-ideas-rests-on-their-rel_1596413.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/ilana-mercer-6995_ideas_the-strength-of-ideas-rests-on-their-rel_1596413.jpg) > “The strength of ideas rests on their relationship to reality. MacKinnon’s unrealistic fulminations against a phantom patriarchy exist in the arid arena of pure thought.” [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ideas must be grounded in real-world evidence to be credible and impactful. **In simple terms:** Ideas need real-world basis. Key Takeaway Test ideas against reality. Themes critical thinking philosophy truth reality argumentation Mood analytical skeptical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - academic writing - policy debates - public discourse - media commentary Key Concepts epistemology conceptual analysis Questions to Reflect On - How can you verify the reality of an idea? - What evidence would change your view? A Different Perspective Ideas without evidence can be persuasive but remain speculative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddha/all-that-we-are-is-the-result-of-what-we-have-thought-if-a-man-speaks/) [Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddha/) > [But the creative principle resides in mathematics. In a certain sense, therefore, I hold true that pure thought can grasp reality, as the ancients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/but-the-creative-principle-resides-in-mathematics-in-a-certain-sense/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Oh! she was good as she was fair. None-none on earth above her! As pure in thought as angels are, To know her was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-rogers/oh-she-was-good-as-she-was-fair-none-none-on-earth-above-her-as-pure/) [Samuel Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-rogers/) > [“His eyes were alive with intellectual torture, as if pure thought was pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/his-eyes-were-alive-with-intellectual-torture-as-if-pure-thought-was/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“A pure thought in a pure heart is better than a Mantra Sai Baba”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-handa-nee-kochhar/a-pure-thought-in-a-pure-heart-is-better-than-a-mantra-sai-baba/) Pam Handa Nee Kochhar > [For a deed to be totally pure, it must be done without any thought of reward, whether worldly or divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/for-a-deed-to-be-totally-pure-it-must-be-done-without-any-thought-of/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/if-a-man-speaks-or-acts-with-a-pure-thought-happiness-follows-him/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [I take it to be true that pure thought can grasp the real, as the ancients had dreamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-take-it-to-be-true-that-pure-thought-can-grasp-the-real-as-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Time is but the measure of the difficulty of a conception. Pure thought has scarcely any need of time, since it perceives the two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/time-is-but-the-measure-of-the-difficulty-of-a-conception-pure/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [The universe can best be pictured as consisting of pure thought, the thought of what for want of a better word we must describe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jeans/the-universe-can-best-be-pictured-as-consisting-of-pure-thought-the/) [James Jeans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-jeans/) > [It is my conviction that pure mathematical construction enables us to discover the concepts and the laws connecting them, which gives us the key…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/it-is-my-conviction-that-pure-mathematical-construction-enables-us-to-2/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“Whoever pray, shall have a pure thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/whoever-pray-shall-have-a-pure-thought/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [By "essence" I understand a universal, of any degree of complexity and definition, which may be given immediately, whether to sense or to thought……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/by-essence-i-understand-a-universal-of-any-degree-of-complexity-and/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [“I experienced a form of grief so intense and pure I thought it would kill me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/i-experienced-a-form-of-grief-so-intense-and-pure-i-thought-it-would/) [William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/) > [“You know they say confession is good for the soul, right? "I think that applies unless you're a priest. And you dont look like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-andrews/you-know-they-say-confession-is-good-for-the-soul-right-i-think-that/) [Amy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-andrews/) ## More by Ilana Mercer > [Socialism is humanity's second nature. All politicians do is turn human vice into votes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/socialism-is-humanity-s-second-nature-all-politicians-do-is-turn/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [If women with the same skills as men were getting only 78 cents for every dollar a man earns, men would have long-since priced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/if-women-with-the-same-skills-as-men-were-getting-only-78-cents-for/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [Liberals can always be trusted to see God in Mumia Abu-Jamal and the devil in the Pope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/liberals-can-always-be-trusted-to-see-god-in-mumia-abu-jamal-and-the/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [In the bureaucracy, incentives will forever be inverted. Failure results in success: in more funds, more training, more time off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/in-the-bureaucracy-incentives-will-forever-be-inverted-failure/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [Christianity in our country is a lot like what the Ducksters profess. No longer doctrinaire or demanding, the mishmash of pop-religion practiced in churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/christianity-in-our-country-is-a-lot-like-what-the-ducksters-profess/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [Like or dislike her, the British Queen is harmless. Her role is purely ceremonial. Conversely, life and death are in the hands of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/like-or-dislike-her-the-british-queen-is-harmless-her-role-is-purely/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [Breaking into a country signals quite reliably a willingness to break yet more of the invaded country's laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/breaking-into-a-country-signals-quite-reliably-a-willingness-to-break/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [Zimbabwe, once the breadbasket of Africa, is now its dust bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/zimbabwe-once-the-breadbasket-of-africa-is-now-its-dust-bowl/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [The end result of positively reinforcing bad behavior is that you get more of it. The culmination of a failure to punish predators is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/the-end-result-of-positively-reinforcing-bad-behavior-is-that-you-get/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [Demonstrators for a government takeover of medicine have a right to discuss their demands, but no right to enact these demands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/demonstrators-for-a-government-takeover-of-medicine-have-a-right-to/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [The Big-Media collective, however, is slow, stupid and shackled by ideology. Reality must bite them before they’ll recognize it, much less report it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/the-big-media-collective-however-is-slow-stupid-and-shackled-by/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [The only time Republicans will shake fists and point fingers is over a war delayed, one that isn't led by the US, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/the-only-time-republicans-will-shake-fists-and-point-fingers-is-over/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [There are just too many Americans grubbing for free stuff and a preponderance of Republicans eager to parcel it out in exchange for power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/there-are-just-too-many-americans-grubbing-for-free-stuff-and-a/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [free market is a market in which groups and individuals are differently represented. Parity in prosperity and performance between differently able individuals and groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/free-market-is-a-market-in-which-groups-and-individuals-are/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [Big media are all about the angle, the spin. Look to the overarching theme that runs through each and every news story. Be hip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/big-media-are-all-about-the-angle-the-spin-look-to-the-overarching/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) [Explore all 96 Ilana Mercer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) ## More Ideas quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Browse all 24,908 Ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The strength of ideas rests on their relationship to reality. 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