Authority Quote by Orson Scott Card
“A regime that wraps itself in the flag of truth fears truth most of all, for if its story is falsified to the slightest degree, its authority is gone.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Ender's Game, 1985
A regime that claims to uphold truth is most afraid of being exposed as false, because its power depends on that claim being unquestioned.
In simple terms: Truth‑based regimes fear being disproven.
Key Takeaway
Question authority when its truth is questionable.
Themes
politics
power
truth
authority
propaganda
Mood
cautious
critical
skeptical
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- political analysis
- journalism
- activism
- public policy
- education
Key Concepts
philosophy
critical thinking
media literacy
Questions to Reflect On
- How does a society protect itself from truth‑manipulating regimes?
- What mechanisms can expose false narratives?
A Different Perspective
Even truth‑based regimes can manipulate facts and still retain power.
![“It wasn't [Barack] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being wheeled by her son waving a big American flag, and then seeing a guy with his baby in his arms saying, "I didn't want her to miss tonight! I wanted to be able to tell her!" And…” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/806/bill-ayers-1848_able_it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the_20409.jpg)
![“The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the formulas of nations at war, where any heinousness is justified on the grounds that the enemy is either an inferior [part of the] species or…” quote by Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/895/kate-millett-7301_accompany_the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imp_8896.jpg)
