--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a principle of human affairs…" description: "\"There is a principle of human affairs that goes back millennia, which is that you don't look in the mirror. You can trace this principle back to the Bi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/131/noam-chomsky-42_affair_there-is-a-principle-of-human-affairs-th_410113.jpg" --- # There is a principle of human affairs that goes back… ![“There is a principle of human affairs that goes back millennia, which is that you don't look in the mirror. You can trace this principle back to the Bible. The designated intellectuals of that time are called prophets, which is a mistranslation of a Hebrew word, but they were basically…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/131/noam-chomsky-42_affair_there-is-a-principle-of-human-affairs-th_410113.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/131/noam-chomsky-42_affair_there-is-a-principle-of-human-affairs-th_410113.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/131/noam-chomsky-42_affair_there-is-a-principle-of-human-affairs-th_410113.jpg) > “There is a principle of human affairs that goes back millennia, which is that you don't look in the mirror. You can trace this principle back to the Bible. The designated intellectuals of that time are called prophets, which is a mistranslation of a Hebrew word, but they were basically intellectuals, giving geopolitical analysis, criticizing the moral practice of leadership, etc. Now, these people were not treated very nicely. There were other intellectuals who were treated nicely, namely those who centuries later came to be called false prophets. These were the flatterers of the court.” [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societies often ignore self‑reflection, favoring flattering voices over critical truth‑tellers. **In simple terms:** People avoid self‑scrutiny, preferring flattering advisors. Key Takeaway Seek honest critique, not just praise. Themes politics truth self‑reflection Mood critical reflective Type philosophical political When to use this quote - government advisory - corporate leadership - public discourse Key Concepts prophecy intellectual honesty media bias Questions to Reflect On - Are you listening to critics or compliments? - How does self‑reflection improve leadership? A Different Perspective Flattering voices can dominate even when misinformed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Analysis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analysis/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [False prophets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-prophets/) [Flatterer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flatterer/) [Geopolitical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geopolitical/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Hebrew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hebrew/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Prophet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet/) ## Related quotes > [Most of intellectuals are false prophets, flatterers of the court. The real prophets are the exception and treated badly. How badly they're treated depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/most-of-intellectuals-are-false-prophets-flatterers-of-the-court-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Prophet just means intellectual. They were people giving geopolitical analysis, moral lessons, that sort of thing. We call them intellectuals today. There were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/prophet-just-means-intellectual-they-were-people-giving-geopolitical/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Go back to the Bible, the Old Testament. I mean there were people who we would call intelectuals, there, they were called prophets, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/go-back-to-the-bible-the-old-testament-i-mean-there-were-people-who/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The words contained in it were inspired by the Holy Spirit into the minds of faithful men, called Prophets and Seers in the Old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-clarke/the-words-contained-in-it-were-inspired-by-the-holy-spirit-into-the/) [Adam Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-clarke/) > [The people who were honored in the Bible were the false prophets. It was the ones we call the prophets who were jailed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-people-who-were-honored-in-the-bible-were-the-false-prophets-it/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“They stoned the false prophets, it is said; but they could have stoned true prophets with a greater and juster enjoyment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/they-stoned-the-false-prophets-it-is-said-but-they-could-have-stoned/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [The more I studied the Bible, however, I had to admit that the prosperity message did not line up with the tenor of Scripture.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bakker/the-more-i-studied-the-bible-however-i-had-to-admit-that-the/) [Jim Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bakker/) > [After the prophets, the false prophets; after the apostles, the false apostles; after Christ, anti-Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-chrysostom/after-the-prophets-the-false-prophets-after-the-apostles-the-false/) [John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-chrysostom/) > [“Almost every book in the NT has something to say about false beliefs and those who advocate them. We are warned, e.g., about false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/almost-every-book-in-the-nt-has-something-to-say-about-false-beliefs/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To return to higher standards of living we must abandon the false prophets and seek new leaders of our own choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/to-return-to-higher-standards-of-living-we-must-abandon-the-false/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [The Bible is full of warnings about false prophets and false messiahs. These satanically inspired people have appeared in almost every generation of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-bible-is-full-of-warnings-about-false-prophets-and-false-messiahs/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [You got a lot of fradulent rebels and revolutionaries who are really false prophets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prodigy/you-got-a-lot-of-fradulent-rebels-and-revolutionaries-who-are-really/) [Prodigy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prodigy/) > [“Historically, all ethics undoubtedly begin with religion; but I do not now deal with historical questions. I do not ask who was the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-r-popper/historically-all-ethics-undoubtedly-begin-with-religion-but-i-do-not/) [Karl R. Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-r-popper/) > [A biblical false prophet was a servant of the devil attempting to lead people away from the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-martin/a-biblical-false-prophet-was-a-servant-of-the-devil-attempting-to/) [Walter Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-martin/) > [The problem that we have is the President himself- a President who prides himself on his own weakness and incompetence and whose love of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-fani-kayode/the-problem-that-we-have-is-the-president-himself-a-president-who/) Femi Fani-Kayode ## More by Noam Chomsky > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. Who should corporations be responsive to, the management of a corporation? Theoretically they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-questions-as-to-whether-it-should-even-exist-who-should/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Governments regard their own citizens as their main enemy, and they have to be - protect themselves. That's why you have state secret laws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/governments-regard-their-own-citizens-as-their-main-enemy-and-they/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The first thing you ought to do is verify what I present. Just because I say it doesn't make it true. So check it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-is-verify-what-i-present-just-because/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-plenty-to-criticize-about-the-mass-media-but-they-are-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The 50,000 Korean mercenaries we had in Vietnam were professional killers and just massacred people outright. And the American army did plenty of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-50-000-korean-mercenaries-we-had-in-vietnam-were-professional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Explore all 2,129 Noam Chomsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More Affair quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [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/) > [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/) [Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/) > [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/) [Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/) > [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Love is mainly an affair of short spasms. If these spasms disappoint us, love dies. It is very seldom that it weathers the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/love-is-mainly-an-affair-of-short-spasms-if-these-spasms-disappoint/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [My hope does not rest in the affairs of this world. It rests in Christ who is coming again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/my-hope-does-not-rest-in-the-affairs-of-this-world-it-rests-in-christ/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/) Michael Atherton > [“I ripped the sketch from the wall. "Liar." Edward looked more ravaged than usual. "That is a terrible word, coming from you." "Yup." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-ripped-the-sketch-from-the-wall-liar-edward-looked-more-ravaged/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-what-is-literature-rabo-he-said-but-an-insider-s-newsletter-about/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Browse all 2,218 Affair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is a principle of human affairs that goes back millennia, which is that you don't look in the mirror. You can trace this principle back to the Bible. 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