--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bad faith makes the most of every…" description: "\"Bad faith makes the most of every ambiguity.\" — Mason Cooley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/mason-cooley-92_ambiguity_bad-faith-makes-the-most-of-every-ambigu_685315.png" --- # Bad faith makes the most of every ambiguity. ![“Bad faith makes the most of every ambiguity.” quote by Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/mason-cooley-92_ambiguity_bad-faith-makes-the-most-of-every-ambigu_685315.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/mason-cooley-92_ambiguity_bad-faith-makes-the-most-of-every-ambigu_685315.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/mason-cooley-92_ambiguity_bad-faith-makes-the-most-of-every-ambigu_685315.png) > “Bad faith makes the most of every ambiguity.” [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ambiguity is often exploited by those lacking integrity. **In simple terms:** Bad faith thrives on unclear situations. Key Takeaway Seek clarity and honesty. Themes ethics communication clarity Mood cautious thoughtful Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - legal negotiations - media reporting - personal relationships - business contracts - public policy Key Concepts ambiguity integrity manipulation Questions to Reflect On - When have you faced ambiguous information? - How can you maintain integrity amid uncertainty? A Different Perspective Sometimes ambiguity is unavoidable; navigate wisely. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambiguity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity/) [Bad Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-faith-547032/) [Betrayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Faith Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-makes-429704/) [Makes Ambiguity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes-ambiguity-5414997/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [If it can be verified, we don't need faith... Faith is for that which lies on the other side of reason. Faith is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-it-can-be-verified-we-don-t-need-faith-faith-is-for-that-which/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Bad faith likes discourse on friendship and loyalty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/bad-faith-likes-discourse-on-friendship-and-loyalty/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Unlike the ambiguity of life, the ambiguity of language does reach a limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/unlike-the-ambiguity-of-life-the-ambiguity-of-language-does-reach-a/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“An extreme case of the distortion of the memory of a committed guilty act is found in its suppression. Here, too, the borderline between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/an-extreme-case-of-the-distortion-of-the-memory-of-a-committed-guilty/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [It is the shared bad faith by which individuals help each other sustain the illusion that they can shirk their spiritual destiny by joining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merold-westphal/it-is-the-shared-bad-faith-by-which-individuals-help-each-other/) [Merold Westphal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merold-westphal/) > [No doubt I do act in 'bad faith' when I deliberately avoid facing an honest decision and follow the conventional pattern of behavior in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macquarrie/no-doubt-i-do-act-in-bad-faith-when-i-deliberately-avoid-facing-an/) [John Macquarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macquarrie/) > [You can't ever approach a book as a complete virgin, certainly not if you're a critic. There is a lot of bad faith out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/you-can-t-ever-approach-a-book-as-a-complete-virgin-certainly-not-if/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Some people are great, and they approach each work with honesty, and that's wonderful. But when people have built up a sort of resentment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/some-people-are-great-and-they-approach-each-work-with-honesty-and/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [One of the author's most ancient roles is to call the community to account for its hypocrisies and bad faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/one-of-the-author-s-most-ancient-roles-is-to-call-the-community-to/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [We live in a permanent state of bad faith, a mutual representation of ourselves to one another for the sake of remaining sane and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/we-live-in-a-permanent-state-of-bad-faith-a-mutual-representation-of/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [The opinions of the misanthropical rest upon this very partial basis, that they adopt the bad faith of a few as evidence of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/the-opinions-of-the-misanthropical-rest-upon-this-very-partial-basis/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [Nothing can be more hurtful to an honourable man than that he should be accused of bad faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/nothing-can-be-more-hurtful-to-an-honourable-man-than-that-he-should/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [If I was a poet, I had become one because poetry, more intensely than any other practice, could not evade its anachronism and marginality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/if-i-was-a-poet-i-had-become-one-because-poetry-more-intensely-than/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Ignorance is not bad faith. But persistence in ignorance is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/ignorance-is-not-bad-faith-but-persistence-in-ignorance-is/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [You negotiate in bad faith if you do not forgive your adversary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/you-negotiate-in-bad-faith-if-you-do-not-forgive-your-adversary/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## More by Mason Cooley > [Nostalgia keeps dissolving the ironic narratives in which I have contained my past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/nostalgia-keeps-dissolving-the-ironic-narratives-in-which-i-have/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The modernist writers found despair inspirational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-modernist-writers-found-despair-inspirational/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Even the most abject have a sense of superiority based on powerful though undefined merits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-abject-have-a-sense-of-superiority-based-on-powerful/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Money comes to life as it is spent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/money-comes-to-life-as-it-is-spent/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Even the most fickle are faithful to a few bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-fickle-are-faithful-to-a-few-bad-habits/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Rage is exciting, but leaves me confused and exhausted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/rage-is-exciting-but-leaves-me-confused-and-exhausted/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Literary tradition is full of lies about poverty-the jolly beggar, the poor but happy milkmaid, the wholesome diet of porridge, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/literary-tradition-is-full-of-lies-about-poverty-the-jolly-beggar-the/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Experience teaches us, but we scarcely know what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/experience-teaches-us-but-we-scarcely-know-what/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The body has a mind of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-body-has-a-mind-of-its-own/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [In retirement, I look for days off from my days off. Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/in-retirement-i-look-for-days-off-from-my-days-off-mason-cooley/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [My intentions go one way, my desires another. Thus I feel both self-indulgent and deprived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/my-intentions-go-one-way-my-desires-another-thus-i-feel-both-self/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The Puritan sours his pleasures by disguising them as duties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-puritan-sours-his-pleasures-by-disguising-them-as-duties/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Unlike the actual, the fictional explains itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/unlike-the-actual-the-fictional-explains-itself/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Vacations prove that a life of pleasure is overrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/vacations-prove-that-a-life-of-pleasure-is-overrated/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Outside literature, high-flown sentiments are merely exasperating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/outside-literature-high-flown-sentiments-are-merely-exasperating/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) [Explore all 1,401 Mason Cooley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## More Ambiguity quotes > [The position is clear - there is no ambiguity in Sinn Fein's position. We, along with all the other parties, have signed up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mcguinness/the-position-is-clear-there-is-no-ambiguity-in-sinn-fein-s-position/) [Martin McGuinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mcguinness/) > [Ambiguity is necessary in some of my stories, not in all. In those, it certainly contributes to the richness of the story. I doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/ambiguity-is-necessary-in-some-of-my-stories-not-in-all-in-those-it/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [During the Cold War, we lived in coded times when it wasn't easy and there were shades of grey and ambiguity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/during-the-cold-war-we-lived-in-coded-times-when-it-wasn-t-easy-and/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [You cannot grow in the integrative dance of action and contemplation without a strong tolerance for ambiguity, an ability to allow, forgive, and contain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/you-cannot-grow-in-the-integrative-dance-of-action-and-contemplation/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [I blame my grandfather 100 percent for his oldest son's death. I don't think there's any ambiguity there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-l-trump/i-blame-my-grandfather-100-percent-for-his-oldest-son-s-death-i-don-t/) [Mary L. Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-l-trump/) > [I think the relationship between social-dominance orientation in people and the extent to which they're made uncomfortable by ambiguity and novelty is really important.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/i-think-the-relationship-between-social-dominance-orientation-in/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [Yet again, an ancient answer echoes across the centuries: Listen! Listen to stories! For what stories do, above all else, is hold up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-kurtz/yet-again-an-ancient-answer-echoes-across-the-centuries-listen-listen/) [Ernest Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-kurtz/) > [My path to wisdom began when I stopped pretending to know things I didn't know. When I explicitly admitted to the limits of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/my-path-to-wisdom-began-when-i-stopped-pretending-to-know-things-i/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [If there is a single tragic flaw that mars our biggest enterprises, it is conservatism - the failure to fail, and fail big, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-there-is-a-single-tragic-flaw-that-mars-our-biggest-enterprises-it/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [In order to be as free as I possibly can, in my own imagination, I can't take positions that are closed. Everything I've ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/in-order-to-be-as-free-as-i-possibly-can-in-my-own-imagination-i-can/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [I've always been drawn to ambiguity in pop music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-ambiguity-in-pop-music/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I believe that we can still have a genre of scientific books suitable for and accessible alike to professionals and interested laypeople. The concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-believe-that-we-can-still-have-a-genre-of-scientific-books-suitable/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I am in the utmost perplexity, yand have wished a hundred times, that if there is a A God, nature would manifest him without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/i-am-in-the-utmost-perplexity-yand-have-wished-a-hundred-times-that/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [There's a lot of ambiguity in life, and so often, our art is very neatly wrapped up at the end, when our lives never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/there-s-a-lot-of-ambiguity-in-life-and-so-often-our-art-is-very/) [Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/) > [“Man must not attempt to dispel the ambiguity of his being but, on the contrary, accept the task of realizing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/man-must-not-attempt-to-dispel-the-ambiguity-of-his-being-but-on-the/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) [Browse all 431 Ambiguity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Bad faith makes the most of every ambiguity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mason Cooley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/bad-faith-makes-the-most-of-every-ambiguity/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambiguity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/bad-faith-makes-the-most-of-every-ambiguity/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/mason-cooley-92_ambiguity_bad-faith-makes-the-most-of-every-ambigu_685315.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/mason-cooley-92_ambiguity_bad-faith-makes-the-most-of-every-ambigu_685315.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/mason-cooley-92_ambiguity_bad-faith-makes-the-most-of-every-ambigu_685315.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Bad faith makes the most of every ambiguity.” — Mason Cooley", "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": "Mason Cooley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Bad faith makes the most of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/bad-faith-makes-the-most-of-every-ambiguity/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/bad-faith-makes-the-most-of-every-ambiguity/#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 } } ] } ```