---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...people quote proverbs without…"
description: "\"“...people quote proverbs without realizing they're really in awe of the authority of their truth and the power of their expression...”\" — John Geddes"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/john-geddes-1052_authority_people-quote-proverbs-without-realizing_1866441.jpg"
---

#  ...people quote proverbs without realizing they're really…

![“...people quote proverbs without realizing they're really in awe of the authority of their truth and the power of their expression...” quote by John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/john-geddes-1052_authority_people-quote-proverbs-without-realizing_1866441.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/john-geddes-1052_authority_people-quote-proverbs-without-realizing_1866441.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/john-geddes-1052_authority_people-quote-proverbs-without-realizing_1866441.jpg)

> ““...people quote proverbs without realizing they're really in awe of the authority of their truth and the power of their expression...””

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People repeat proverbs because they admire the perceived authority and expressive force of the sayings, often without questioning their relevance.

**In simple terms:** People repeat proverbs because they admire authority and expression.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and evaluate the wisdom behind sayings.

Themes

authority language culture critical thinking

Mood

reflective inquisitive

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- public speaking
- education
- media analysis
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

social influence cognitive bias tradition

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you accept sayings without scrutiny?
- How can you test a proverb’s relevance?

A Different Perspective

Proverbs can be outdated or misapplied, limiting their usefulness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Authority Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority-truth-1895534/) [People Quote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-quote-261322/) [Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proverb/) [Proverbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proverbs/) [Proverbs Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proverbs-realizing-2546814/) [Quote Proverbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quote-proverbs-2546813/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writing advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-advice/)

## Related quotes

> [In the world of knowledge, the essential Form of Good is the limit of our inquiries, and can barely be perceived; but, when perceived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/in-the-world-of-knowledge-the-essential-form-of-good-is-the-limit-of/)

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

> [They must find it difficult ... those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-massey/they-must-find-it-difficult-those-who-have-taken-authority-as-the/)

[Gerald Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-massey/)

> [Truth for authority, not authority for truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretia-mott/truth-for-authority-not-authority-for-truth/)

[Lucretia Mott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretia-mott/)

> [Real spiritual authority has to do with the truth of the actual words being spoken, and the spirit of the person behind the words.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/real-spiritual-authority-has-to-do-with-the-truth-of-the-actual-words/)

[John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/)

> [“They must find it difficult, those who have taken authority as truth, rather than truth as authority.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-massey/they-must-find-it-difficult-those-who-have-taken-authority-as-truth/)

[Gerald Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-massey/)

> [They must find it hard to take Truth for authority who have so long mistaken Authority for Truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-massey/they-must-find-it-hard-to-take-truth-for-authority-who-have-so-long/)

[Gerald Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-massey/)

> [... my convictions led me to adhere to the sufficiency of the light within us, resting on truth as authority, rather than 'taking authority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretia-mott/my-convictions-led-me-to-adhere-to-the-sufficiency-of-the-light/)

[Lucretia Mott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretia-mott/)

> [“Without an ultimate authority for truth, all human striving has no ultimate value, and life itself becomes futile. Modern trends in preaching that deny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-chapell/without-an-ultimate-authority-for-truth-all-human-striving-has-no/)

[Bryan Chapell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-chapell/)

> [“It's interesting to speculate on the reasons that make men so anxious to debase themselves. As in that idea of feeling small before nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/it-s-interesting-to-speculate-on-the-reasons-that-make-men-so-anxious/)

[ayn rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [People quote lines to me all the time. I'm always surprised - everybody has a favorite movie, and they're always different. I'm always shocked.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sadler/people-quote-lines-to-me-all-the-time-i-m-always-surprised-everybody/)

[William Sadler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sadler/)

> [When people quote sketches to me, half the time I don't know what they're talking about so I have to sort of go, aha,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/when-people-quote-sketches-to-me-half-the-time-i-don-t-know-what-they/)

[John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/)

> [“Why do people always quote hamlet when they want to seem clever?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/why-do-people-always-quote-hamlet-when-they-want-to-seem-clever/)

[Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/)

> [As long as our people quote English standards they dwarf their own proportions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/as-long-as-our-people-quote-english-standards-they-dwarf-their-own/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Sometimes it seem that the people who quote scriptures the most, follow them the least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/sometimes-it-seem-that-the-people-who-quote-scriptures-the-most/)

[Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/)

> [“Think of something clever, witty or profound, keep it short and people may quote you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-darnell/think-of-something-clever-witty-or-profound-keep-it-short-and-people/)

[Bobby Darnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-darnell/)

## More by John Geddes

> [“...those others - they're looking for trends - subjects to catch a spark - but I have you - a coal from God's altar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/those-others-they-re-looking-for-trends-subjects-to-catch-a-spark-but/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...careful the morning lest it wake from slumber the city half-encumbered by the morning mist ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/careful-the-morning-lest-it-wake-from-slumber-the-city-half/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...I've decided ... love is an eternity of slow motion replays ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/i-ve-decided-love-is-an-eternity-of-slow-motion-replays/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“... my early writing was a silent fury - at what or whom, I had no idea - but I shut it in until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/my-early-writing-was-a-silent-fury-at-what-or-whom-i-had-no-idea-but/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...little children adore me - I'm a Troll Tamer and they know it!...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/little-children-adore-me-i-m-a-troll-tamer-and-they-know-it/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...all this time I've been worshiping you - when other men wanted to kiss you, I've been offering the praise of my lips...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/all-this-time-i-ve-been-worshiping-you-when-other-men-wanted-to-kiss/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“... the scarlet thread,the red clay from which we were made, runs in tiny streams through all our veins, reminding us of where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-scarlet-thread-the-red-clay-from-which-we-were-made-runs-in-tiny/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...you are not what you seem - you're a Sylph - you leave and the air retains your image - you haunt me...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-are-not-what-you-seem-you-re-a-sylph-you-leave-and-the-air/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...God daubs stars into galaxies with fiery paint - the same lacquer he uses upon your lips...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/god-daubs-stars-into-galaxies-with-fiery-paint-the-same-lacquer-he/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...language always occurs in a context - you can speak Elizabethan words, but to speak the language you have to put on the mindset...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/language-always-occurs-in-a-context-you-can-speak-elizabethan-words/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...the feelings that pass between us are deeper than fleshly touches...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-feelings-that-pass-between-us-are-deeper-than-fleshly-touches/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...open the access to your heart and write down what your voice is whispering...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/open-the-access-to-your-heart-and-write-down-what-your-voice-is/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [...true love is an irrevocable act - you can only give your heart away once - after that, you give as much as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/true-love-is-an-irrevocable-act-you-can-only-give-your-heart-away/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...the strands that connect us are frail, so don't hang great weights on slender wires...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-strands-that-connect-us-are-frail-so-don-t-hang-great-weights-on/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [...not even the wind can bring a tear to my eye the way you do...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/not-even-the-wind-can-bring-a-tear-to-my-eye-the-way-you-do/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

[Explore all 301 John Geddes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

## More Authority quotes

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/)

[Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/)

> [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/)

[Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/)

> [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/)

[Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/)

> [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/)

[Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/)

> [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/)

[Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/)

> [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

> [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/)

[Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/)

> [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/)

[Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/)

[Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“...people quote proverbs without realizing they're really in awe of the authority of their truth and the power of their expression...”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Geddes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/people-quote-proverbs-without-realizing-they-re-really-in-awe-of-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Authority"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/people-quote-proverbs-without-realizing-they-re-really-in-awe-of-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/john-geddes-1052_authority_people-quote-proverbs-without-realizing_1866441.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/john-geddes-1052_authority_people-quote-proverbs-without-realizing_1866441.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/john-geddes-1052_authority_people-quote-proverbs-without-realizing_1866441.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...people quote proverbs without realizing they're really in awe of the authority of their truth and the…” — John Geddes",
                "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": "John Geddes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“...people quote proverbs without realizing they're...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/people-quote-proverbs-without-realizing-they-re-really-in-awe-of-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/people-quote-proverbs-without-realizing-they-re-really-in-awe-of-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
