---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Truth is not so threadbare as speech…"
description: "\"Truth is not so threadbare as speech, because fewer people can make use of it.\" — Luc de Clapiers"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/luc-de-clapiers-2035_communication_truth-is-not-so-threadbare-as-speech-bec_1275959.png"
---

#  Truth is not so threadbare as speech, because fewer people…

![“Truth is not so threadbare as speech, because fewer people can make use of it.” quote by Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/luc-de-clapiers-2035_communication_truth-is-not-so-threadbare-as-speech-bec_1275959.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/luc-de-clapiers-2035_communication_truth-is-not-so-threadbare-as-speech-bec_1275959.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/luc-de-clapiers-2035_communication_truth-is-not-so-threadbare-as-speech-bec_1275959.png)

> “Truth is not so threadbare as speech, because fewer people can make use of it.”

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

## About This Quote

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

Ideas that are deep or complex may not be easily expressed in simple speech, limiting their usefulness.

**In simple terms:** Complex truths need more than words.

Key Takeaway

Simplify concepts to make them accessible.

Themes

communication knowledge accessibility

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

- teaching
- public speaking
- writing
- media production

Key Concepts

philosophy language education

Questions to Reflect On

- When does simplifying a truth become harmful?
- How can you balance depth and clarity?

A Different Perspective

Over‑simplification can distort meaning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [“So much depends on my actions, so I am seeing fewer people, simplifying my life, organizing it so that I am not always on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fitzgerald-kennedy/so-much-depends-on-my-actions-so-i-am-seeing-fewer-people-simplifying/)

[John Fitzgerald Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fitzgerald-kennedy/)

> [All our environmental problems become easier to solve with fewer people and harder - and ultimately impossible to solve - with ever more people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/all-our-environmental-problems-become-easier-to-solve-with-fewer/)

[David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/)

> [Gossip is dying out because fewer and fewer people care to talk about anything besides themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/gossip-is-dying-out-because-fewer-and-fewer-people-care-to-talk-about/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Fewer and fewer people are paying larger and larger percentage of the tax burden, as you know, almost half the people pay no income…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/fewer-and-fewer-people-are-paying-larger-and-larger-percentage-of-the/)

[Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/)

> [The German birthrate is below replacement levels, meaning the population is shrinking, meaning fewer and fewer people of age to join the labor force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-german-birthrate-is-below-replacement-levels-meaning-the/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [We need fewer people telling it like it is. And more people telling it like it can be...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-need-fewer-people-telling-it-like-it-is-and-more-people-telling-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“There may be fewer people in the American house of the nineties, but there are a lot more things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witold-rybczynski/there-may-be-fewer-people-in-the-american-house-of-the-nineties-but/)

[Witold Rybczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witold-rybczynski/)

> [Fewer people are bent from hard work than are crooked from avoiding it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/fewer-people-are-bent-from-hard-work-than-are-crooked-from-avoiding-it/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [If we get rid of greyhound racing it will mean job losses and fewer people coming to West Virginia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-justice/if-we-get-rid-of-greyhound-racing-it-will-mean-job-losses-and-fewer/)

[Jim Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-justice/)

> [Fewer people than you might think seem to have truly enjoyed their formative education and, for those who did not, one theme in particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/fewer-people-than-you-might-think-seem-to-have-truly-enjoyed-their/)

[Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/)

> [Marijuana has killed far fewer people than swimming pools; it’s the war against it that does all the violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-reed/marijuana-has-killed-far-fewer-people-than-swimming-pools-it-s-the/)

[Lawrence Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-reed/)

> [“The fewer people go to war, the fewer the casualties. It’s not a good sight. Soon enough you’ll see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-farner/the-fewer-people-go-to-war-the-fewer-the-casualties-it-s-not-a-good/)

James Farner

> [Now, in New Jersey, we have more government workers per square mile than any state in America. But since I've been governor we now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/now-in-new-jersey-we-have-more-government-workers-per-square-mile/)

[Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/)

> [A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/a-low-voter-turnout-is-an-indication-of-fewer-people-going-to-the/)

[Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/)

> [“It is so characteristic, that just when the mechanics of reproduction are so vastly improved, there are fewer and fewer people who know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/it-is-so-characteristic-that-just-when-the-mechanics-of-reproduction/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

## More by Luc de Clapiers

> [Great men undertake great things because they are great; fools, because they think them easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/great-men-undertake-great-things-because-they-are-great-fools-because/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [You must rouse into people's consciousness their own prudence and strength, if you want to raise their character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/you-must-rouse-into-people-s-consciousness-their-own-prudence-and/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [To achieve great things we must live as though we were never going to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/to-achieve-great-things-we-must-live-as-though-we-were-never-going-to/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [Excessive distrust is not less hurtfJul than its opposite. Most men become useless to him who is unwilling to risk being deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul-than-its-opposite-most-men/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [There are those who are so scrupulously afraid of doing wrong that they seldom venture to do anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/there-are-those-who-are-so-scrupulously-afraid-of-doing-wrong-that/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [The most absurd and reckless aspirations have sometimes led to extraordinary success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/the-most-absurd-and-reckless-aspirations-have-sometimes-led-to/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [We are very wrong to think that some fault or other can exclude virtue, or to consider the alliance of good and evil as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/we-are-very-wrong-to-think-that-some-fault-or-other-can-exclude/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [Men are not to be judged by what they do not know, but by what they know, and by the manner in which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/men-are-not-to-be-judged-by-what-they-do-not-know-but-by-what-they/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [Men dissimulate their dearest, most constant, and most virtuous inclination from weakness and a fear of being condemned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/men-dissimulate-their-dearest-most-constant-and-most-virtuous/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [To withdraw ourselves from the law of the strong, we have found ourselves obliged to submit to justice. Justice or might, we must choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/to-withdraw-ourselves-from-the-law-of-the-strong-we-have-found/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [None are more liable to mistakes than those who act only on second thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/none-are-more-liable-to-mistakes-than-those-who-act-only-on-second/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [The mind is the soul's eye, not its source of power. That lies in the heart, in other words, in the passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/the-mind-is-the-soul-s-eye-not-its-source-of-power-that-lies-in-the/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [It is easier to say new things than to reconcile those which have already been said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/it-is-easier-to-say-new-things-than-to-reconcile-those-which-have/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [Those who can bear all can dare all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/those-who-can-bear-all-can-dare-all/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [It is of no use to possess a lively wit if it is not of the right proportion: the perfection of a clock is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/it-is-of-no-use-to-possess-a-lively-wit-if-it-is-not-of-the-right/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

[Explore all 190 Luc de Clapiers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

## More Communication quotes

> [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 problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

Yoram Wind

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

[Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Truth is not so threadbare as speech, because fewer people can make use of it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Luc de Clapiers"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/truth-is-not-so-threadbare-as-speech-because-fewer-people-can-make/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/truth-is-not-so-threadbare-as-speech-because-fewer-people-can-make/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/luc-de-clapiers-2035_communication_truth-is-not-so-threadbare-as-speech-bec_1275959.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/luc-de-clapiers-2035_communication_truth-is-not-so-threadbare-as-speech-bec_1275959.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/luc-de-clapiers-2035_communication_truth-is-not-so-threadbare-as-speech-bec_1275959.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Truth is not so threadbare as speech, because fewer people can make use of it.” — Luc de Clapiers",
                "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": "Luc de Clapiers",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Truth is not so threadbare as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/truth-is-not-so-threadbare-as-speech-because-fewer-people-can-make/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/truth-is-not-so-threadbare-as-speech-because-fewer-people-can-make/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
