--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I write about what hoaxers do, but I also…" description: "\"I write about what hoaxers do, but I also want us to think about what believers do. Why do we want to believe a story like James Frey's 'A Million Litt..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/785/kevin-young-8117_believe_i-write-about-what-hoaxers-do-but-i-also_2830100.jpg" --- # I write about what hoaxers do, but I also want us to think… ![“I write about what hoaxers do, but I also want us to think about what believers do. Why do we want to believe a story like James Frey's 'A Million Little Pieces?' Why did we want to believe that Lance Armstrong really did all these things that, looking back, seemed impossible?” quote by Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/785/kevin-young-8117_believe_i-write-about-what-hoaxers-do-but-i-also_2830100.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/785/kevin-young-8117_believe_i-write-about-what-hoaxers-do-but-i-also_2830100.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/785/kevin-young-8117_believe_i-write-about-what-hoaxers-do-but-i-also_2830100.jpg) > “I write about what hoaxers do, but I also want us to think about what believers do. Why do we want to believe a story like James Frey's 'A Million Little Pieces?' Why did we want to believe that Lance Armstrong really did all these things that, looking back, seemed impossible?” [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts the actions of hoaxers with the motivations of believers, questioning why people accept false narratives about figures like James Frey and Lance Armstrong. **In simple terms:** It asks why people want to believe false stories about famous people. Key Takeaway Examine why you accept narratives without evidence. Themes belief truth media psychology Mood skeptical inquisitive Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - journalism - education - public discourse - media literacy Key Concepts cognitive bias social proof narrative persuasion Questions to Reflect On - What emotional needs drive belief in false narratives? - How can critical thinking reduce such belief? A Different Perspective Belief can be driven by emotional need rather than factual basis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-story/) [Hoaxers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hoaxers-3651427/) [Hoaxers Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hoaxers-want-3651426/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Lance armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lance-armstrong/) [Looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-back/) [Million little pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-little-pieces/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Think Believers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-believers-3051600/) [Want Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-believe/) ## Related quotes > [While claiming advocacy, what hoaxers really exhibit is self-interest. Often, this is because there is only the self to support their false claims; any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/while-claiming-advocacy-what-hoaxers-really-exhibit-is-self-interest/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [I think we as believers can be secure in our relationship with Christ. I'm not saying that sin isn't sin. I'm not saying that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-chambers/i-think-we-as-believers-can-be-secure-in-our-relationship-with-christ/) [Alan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-chambers/) > [“Getting closer to home, is it a fully satisfying repentance if we only deal with the past, which cannot be changed? “Alas, what did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-e-marty/getting-closer-to-home-is-it-a-fully-satisfying-repentance-if-we-only/) [Martin E. Marty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-e-marty/) > [I hope nobody took the Razzle Dazzle Rose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/i-hope-nobody-took-the-razzle-dazzle-rose/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [The Young Man came to the Old Man seeking counsel. I broke something, Old Man. How badly is it broken? It's in a million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/the-young-man-came-to-the-old-man-seeking-counsel-i-broke-something/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [Broken...Into a million little pieces. Blood splatters the wall. Mixed with tears and regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/broken-into-a-million-little-pieces-blood-splatters-the-wall-mixed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I started writing 'A Million Little Pieces,' I felt like it was the right story with the style I had been looking for,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/when-i-started-writing-a-million-little-pieces-i-felt-like-it-was-the/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [ I just started trying to figure out how to write \[something\] which was unlike anything anybody had ever seen, and once I felt like… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/i-just-started-trying-to-figure-out-how-to-write-something-which-was/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [“Now you've done it." His tone was quietly playful. I couldn't help it.I looked up at him questioningly. "You've added a third word to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brodi-ashton/now-you-ve-done-it-his-tone-was-quietly-playful-i-couldn-t-help-it-i/) [Brodi Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brodi-ashton/) > [“When it all comes crashing down Try to understand your meanings No one said it would be easy This living, it ain't easy, oh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cloud-cult/when-it-all-comes-crashing-down-try-to-understand-your-meanings-no/) [Cloud Cult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cloud-cult/) > [“That the world I was in could be soft, lovely, and nourishing was more than I could bear, and so I stood there and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/that-the-world-i-was-in-could-be-soft-lovely-and-nourishing-was-more/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [Coming after all the bullshit related to A Million Little Pieces, nobody was expecting anything from me. No publisher, no agent, no one. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/coming-after-all-the-bullshit-related-to-a-million-little-pieces/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [Wake up to a Sunny Day Not a cloud up in the sky And then it starts to rain My defenses hit the ground…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-haun/wake-up-to-a-sunny-day-not-a-cloud-up-in-the-sky-and-then-it-starts/) [Lindsey Haun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-haun/) > [If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never be truly fulfilled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/if-you-look-to-others-for-fulfillment-you-will-never-be-truly/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [I am disappointed by this controversy surrounding A Million Little Pieces because I rely on the publishers to define the category that a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-am-disappointed-by-this-controversy-surrounding-a-million-little/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) ## More by Kevin Young > [There's always been really interesting, diverse black voices talking and arguing and counterpointing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/there-s-always-been-really-interesting-diverse-black-voices-talking/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [“At night I count not the stars but the dark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/at-night-i-count-not-the-stars-but-the-dark/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [I think Barnum is at the center of American culture. He's helping to invent what we now think of as pop culture. He invented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/i-think-barnum-is-at-the-center-of-american-culture-he-s-helping-to/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [I do think there's a certain savviness to be able to recognize the way people want a good story, and I think that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/i-do-think-there-s-a-certain-savviness-to-be-able-to-recognize-the/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [Here are the facts: my folks grew up so poor that, in the words of Redd Foxx, there were twenty o's between the p…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/here-are-the-facts-my-folks-grew-up-so-poor-that-in-the-words-of-redd/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [Even Toni Morrison claiming Bill Clinton as 'black' could not prepare us for the election of America's first undeniably black president, Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/even-toni-morrison-claiming-bill-clinton-as-black-could-not-prepare/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [A DJ draws a connection between two seemingly disparate things and says, 'Look, they are alike. You can dance to them.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/a-dj-draws-a-connection-between-two-seemingly-disparate-things-and/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [Forget reparations - we need to rescue aspects of black culture abandoned even by black folks, whether it is the blues or home cookin'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/forget-reparations-we-need-to-rescue-aspects-of-black-culture/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [I remember in the '80s, people would literally have arguments over the best guitarist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/i-remember-in-the-80s-people-would-literally-have-arguments-over-the/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [In African-American culture, there's often a family historian, someone who does the genealogy or keeps the family Bible. I became aware that might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/in-african-american-culture-there-s-often-a-family-historian-someone/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [“Deep Song Belief is what buries us—that & the belief in belief— No longer do I trust liltlessness —leeward is the world's way—Go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/deep-song-belief-is-what-buries-us-that-the-belief-in-belief-no/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [Is there a bad song on 'Sign O' The Times?' There isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/is-there-a-bad-song-on-sign-o-the-times-there-isn-t/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [That sense of mystery, but also of revelation, is what I turn to poems for. They're able to embody experience. We need more and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/that-sense-of-mystery-but-also-of-revelation-is-what-i-turn-to-poems/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [In a long poem or a sequence of poems, you're trying to formalize your obsessions and give them a shape and a name. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/in-a-long-poem-or-a-sequence-of-poems-you-re-trying-to-formalize-your/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [We quickly erase hoaxes once exposed, excising the monstrous palimpsest, because as with any witch hunt or obvious fake, afterward we can't quite explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/we-quickly-erase-hoaxes-once-exposed-excising-the-monstrous/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) [Explore all 84 Kevin Young quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. 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Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I write about what hoaxers do, but I also want us to think about what believers do. Why do we want to believe a story like James Frey's 'A Million Little Pieces?' 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