--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is clear enough by now to most people…" description: "\"It is clear enough by now to most people that the camera never lies is a foolish saying. Yet it is doubtful whether most people realize how extraordina..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/669/james-agee-9167_cameras_it-is-clear-enough-by-now-to-most-people_818291.jpg" --- # It is clear enough by now to most people that the camera… ![“It is clear enough by now to most people that the camera never lies is a foolish saying. Yet it is doubtful whether most people realize how extraordinarily slippery a liar the camera is.” quote by James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/669/james-agee-9167_cameras_it-is-clear-enough-by-now-to-most-people_818291.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/669/james-agee-9167_cameras_it-is-clear-enough-by-now-to-most-people_818291.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/669/james-agee-9167_cameras_it-is-clear-enough-by-now-to-most-people_818291.jpg) > “It is clear enough by now to most people that the camera never lies is a foolish saying. Yet it is doubtful whether most people realize how extraordinarily slippery a liar the camera is.” [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The belief that cameras always show truth is naive; images can be manipulated or misleading. **In simple terms:** Cameras can deceive. Key Takeaway Question visual evidence critically. Themes media literacy critical thinking perception Mood skeptical analytical Type cautionary educational When to use this quote - journalism - social media - legal evidence - personal photography Key Concepts photography truth manipulation Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify a photo’s authenticity? - What biases affect how you interpret images? A Different Perspective Even a camera can be used to mislead intentionally or unintentionally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Camera Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera-lies-349740/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Doubtful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubtful/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish/) [Liar Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liar-camera-349741/) [Liars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liars/) [Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) [Lies Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies-foolish-304985/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Never lie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-lie/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Slippery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slippery/) [Slippery Liar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slippery-liar-349742/) ## Related quotes > [They say the camera never lies. It lies every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/they-say-the-camera-never-lies-it-lies-every-day/) [Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/) > [As a result of all his education, from everything he hears and sees around him, the child absorbs such a lot of lies and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-rolland/as-a-result-of-all-his-education-from-everything-he-hears-and-sees/) [Romain Rolland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-rolland/) > [Once a photographer is convinced that the camera can lie and that, strictly speaking, the vast majority of photographs are camera lies, inasmuch as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/once-a-photographer-is-convinced-that-the-camera-can-lie-and-that/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [The camera lies all the time -- lies 24 times/second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-de-palma/the-camera-lies-all-the-time-lies-24-times-second/) [Brian De Palma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-de-palma/) > [Camera lies all the time. It’s all it does is lie, because when you choose this moment instead of this moment, when you… the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/camera-lies-all-the-time-it-s-all-it-does-is-lie-because-when-you/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [The camera never lies, man. I've learned that. If you allow it, it will see right through you, which is kind of cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-rodriguez/the-camera-never-lies-man-i-ve-learned-that-if-you-allow-it-it-will/) [Ramon Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-rodriguez/) > [In media terms, the camera always lies, providing an edited version of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-fletcher/in-media-terms-the-camera-always-lies-providing-an-edited-version-of/) [Mal Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-fletcher/) > [Life is never easy so that is why I never lie about my age. I want credit for every damned year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/life-is-never-easy-so-that-is-why-i-never-lie-about-my-age-i-want/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [I have a sensible set of values that tell me to never lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/i-have-a-sensible-set-of-values-that-tell-me-to-never-lie/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [My wife never lies about her age. She just tells everyone she's as old as I am. Then she lies about my age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/my-wife-never-lies-about-her-age-she-just-tells-everyone-she-s-as-old/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [The time never lies heavy upon him; it is impossible for him to be alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-time-never-lies-heavy-upon-him-it-is-impossible-for-him-to-be/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Urge him with truth to frame his fair replies And sure he will for Wisdom never lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/urge-him-with-truth-to-frame-his-fair-replies-and-sure-he-will-for/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [I was brought up to never lie. Sure, I have. But in the final mix, the lies I've told are far outweighed by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsey-grammer/i-was-brought-up-to-never-lie-sure-i-have-but-in-the-final-mix-the/) [Kelsey Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsey-grammer/) > [I never lie," I said offhand. "At least not to those I don't love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-never-lie-i-said-offhand-at-least-not-to-those-i-don-t-love/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Before I had kids, I thought you should never lie to a kid. But now I've had them, I realize you almost lie to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/before-i-had-kids-i-thought-you-should-never-lie-to-a-kid-but-now-i/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) ## More by James Agee > [By some chance, here they are, all on this earth; and who shall ever tell the sorrow of being on this earth, lying, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/by-some-chance-here-they-are-all-on-this-earth-and-who-shall-ever/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [The camera seems to me, next to unassisted and weaponless consciousness, the central instrument of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/the-camera-seems-to-me-next-to-unassisted-and-weaponless/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [“Yes, for every child, rich or poor, there's a time of running through a dark place; and there's no word for a child's fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/yes-for-every-child-rich-or-poor-there-s-a-time-of-running-through-a/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [“Kate, the mother of thirteen, is forty-nine; delicately made; her skin creamlike where the weather has not got at it. She is smaller than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/kate-the-mother-of-thirteen-is-forty-nine-delicately-made-her-skin/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [ “The passion for vengeance is a terrifyingly strong one, very easily and probably inevitably wrought up by such evidence \[of atrocities\], even at our… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/the-passion-for-vengeance-is-a-terrifyingly-strong-one-very-easily/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [It's kind of a test, Mary, and it's the only kind that amounts to anything. When something rotten like this happens, then you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/it-s-kind-of-a-test-mary-and-it-s-the-only-kind-that-amounts-to/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [The mere attempt to examine my own confusion would consume volumes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/the-mere-attempt-to-examine-my-own-confusion-would-consume-volumes/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [It is a peculiar part of the good photographer's adventure to know where luck is most likely to lie in the stream, to hook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/it-is-a-peculiar-part-of-the-good-photographer-s-adventure-to-know/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [“God is not here, Hannah said to herself; and made a small cross upon her breastbone, against her blasphemy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/god-is-not-here-hannah-said-to-herself-and-made-a-small-cross-upon/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [Well, now, some people learn a little quicker than others. It's nice to learn fast but it's nice to take your time too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/well-now-some-people-learn-a-little-quicker-than-others-it-s-nice-to/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [The artist's task is not to alter the world as the eye sees it into a world of aesthetic reality, but to perceive the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/the-artist-s-task-is-not-to-alter-the-world-as-the-eye-sees-it-into-a/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [Understanding, and action proceeding from understanding and guided by it, is one weapon against the world's bombardment, the one medicine, the one instrument by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/understanding-and-action-proceeding-from-understanding-and-guided-by/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [This continent, an open palm spread frank before the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/this-continent-an-open-palm-spread-frank-before-the-sky/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [You've got to bear it in mind that nobody that ever lived is specially privileged; the axe can fall at any moment, on any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/you-ve-got-to-bear-it-in-mind-that-nobody-that-ever-lived-is/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [He used this great, sad, motionless face to suggest various related things: a one-track mind near the track's end of pure insanity; mulish imperturbability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/he-used-this-great-sad-motionless-face-to-suggest-various-related/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) [Explore all 75 James Agee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) ## More Cameras quotes > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I have a way to photograph. You work with space, you have a camera, you have a frame, and then a fraction of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-have-a-way-to-photograph-you-work-with-space-you-have-a-camera-you/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [I'm a film guy. I love it. When I read the screenplay, I knew that there would be no HD camera that could achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-taylor/i-m-a-film-guy-i-love-it-when-i-read-the-screenplay-i-knew-that-there/) [Deon Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-taylor/) > [To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-shift-the-structure-of-a-sentence-alters-the-meaning-of-that/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I can look around a room and tell you if there are hidden cameras or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ash/i-can-look-around-a-room-and-tell-you-if-there-are-hidden-cameras-or/) [Lauren Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ash/) > [There's nothing like the energy in a small comedy club room or a small theater when it's going really well. I can see everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-carey/there-s-nothing-like-the-energy-in-a-small-comedy-club-room-or-a/) [Drew Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-carey/) > [When they took me to do the camera test for the vampire make up, after they put the prosthetic on, I went though the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/when-they-took-me-to-do-the-camera-test-for-the-vampire-make-up-after/) [Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/) > [I like acting too much and it's too, I'm just too busy doing that and I'm too hungry for it, to get behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-like-acting-too-much-and-it-s-too-i-m-just-too-busy-doing-that-and/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Many times I've sat with a camera and another actor and seen all their fears and insecurities and struggles. You want to support them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-eccleston/many-times-i-ve-sat-with-a-camera-and-another-actor-and-seen-all/) [Christopher Eccleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-eccleston/) > [Don't ever for a minute make the mistake of looking down your nose at westerns. They're art - the good ones, I mean. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/don-t-ever-for-a-minute-make-the-mistake-of-looking-down-your-nose-at/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [My personal interest in ordinary people is unlimited, but I am fascinated by the challenge of portraying true greatness adequately with my camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yousuf-karsh/my-personal-interest-in-ordinary-people-is-unlimited-but-i-am/) [Yousuf Karsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yousuf-karsh/) > [Since a camera is something too heavy for women and initially made for men, you need a good cameraman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitra-farahani/since-a-camera-is-something-too-heavy-for-women-and-initially-made/) [Mitra Farahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitra-farahani/) > [I'm closer to being happy. I'm doing things that make me happy. In football I loved to practice and I loved to play, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-williams/i-m-closer-to-being-happy-i-m-doing-things-that-make-me-happy-in/) [Ricky Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-williams/) > [I'm not so much in the future as always in the present. The future always takes care of itself. What I do now with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/i-m-not-so-much-in-the-future-as-always-in-the-present-the-future/) [Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/) [Browse all 2,666 Cameras quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is clear enough by now to most people that the camera never lies is a foolish saying. 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