--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The motive force of history is truth and…" description: "\"The motive force of history is truth and not lies.\" — Leon Trotsky" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/leon-trotsky-2558_force_the-motive-force-of-history-is-truth-and_242801.jpg" --- # The motive force of history is truth and not lies. ![“The motive force of history is truth and not lies.” quote by Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/leon-trotsky-2558_force_the-motive-force-of-history-is-truth-and_242801.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/leon-trotsky-2558_force_the-motive-force-of-history-is-truth-and_242801.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/leon-trotsky-2558_force_the-motive-force-of-history-is-truth-and_242801.jpg) > “The motive force of history is truth and not lies.” [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History advances when truth is pursued; falsehoods hinder progress. **In simple terms:** Truth drives history, lies impede it. Key Takeaway Champion truth to shape the future. Themes history truth politics ideology progress Mood critical reflective Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political movements - media analysis - educational curricula Key Concepts propaganda critical thinking social change Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms protect truth in society? - How do lies shape historical narratives? A Different Perspective Truth can be suppressed by power structures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Motive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motive/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-if-all-others-accepted-the-lie-which-the-party-imposed-if-all/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Lies are just another kind of storytelling, but with the very distinct and enlivening motive of desperation. Since writers are by nature desperate creatures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/lies-are-just-another-kind-of-storytelling-but-with-the-very-distinct/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-truth-may-be-out-there-but-lies-are-inside-your-head/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You can't fight the tears that ain't coming, or the moment of truth in your lies. When everything seems like the movies, yeah, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goo-goo-dolls/you-can-t-fight-the-tears-that-ain-t-coming-or-the-moment-of-truth-in/) [Goo Goo Dolls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goo-goo-dolls/) > [The work of WikiLeaks is with principal documentary evidence; that's where the truth lies. It gets to the heart of the matter. It educates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-harrison/the-work-of-wikileaks-is-with-principal-documentary-evidence-that-s/) [Sara Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-harrison/) > [“I will never understand the whole world or even one country. All I can do is try to understand the truth and lies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/i-will-never-understand-the-whole-world-or-even-one-country-all-i-can/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [Tell the truth, lies are difficult to remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cranch-bond/tell-the-truth-lies-are-difficult-to-remember/) [William Cranch Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cranch-bond/) > [When the truth is found to be lies, and all the joy within you dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-slick/when-the-truth-is-found-to-be-lies-and-all-the-joy-within-you-dies/) [Grace Slick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-slick/) > [We like to imagine that in history, truth will prevail through sheer persuasive power. Sadly, this is not the case. Truth needs champions...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/llewellyn-rockwell/we-like-to-imagine-that-in-history-truth-will-prevail-through-sheer/) [Llewellyn Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/llewellyn-rockwell/) > [History is not truth versus falsehoods, but a mixture of both, a mélange of tendencies, reactions, dreams, errors, and power plays. 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In the bathtub of history the truth is harder to hold than the soap and much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-truth-isn-t-easily-pinned-to-a-page-in-the-bathtub-of-history-the/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There is the truth of history, and there is the truth of what a person remembers. 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