---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Folks always seemed to think that as long…"
description: "\"Folks always seemed to think that as long as they didn't know about something bad, it wasn't happening, so whoever told them actually caused it to be t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/orson-scott-card-134_being-true_folks-always-seemed-to-think-that-as-lon_1120746.png"
---

#  Folks always seemed to think that as long as they didn't…

![“Folks always seemed to think that as long as they didn't know about something bad, it wasn't happening, so whoever told them actually caused it to be true.” quote by Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/orson-scott-card-134_being-true_folks-always-seemed-to-think-that-as-lon_1120746.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/orson-scott-card-134_being-true_folks-always-seemed-to-think-that-as-lon_1120746.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/orson-scott-card-134_being-true_folks-always-seemed-to-think-that-as-lon_1120746.png)

> “Folks always seemed to think that as long as they didn't know about something bad, it wasn't happening, so whoever told them actually caused it to be true.”

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

## About This Quote

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

Ignorance of negative facts leads people to assume nothing is wrong, and misinformation can make falsehoods seem true.

**In simple terms:** Not knowing bad things makes people think they're fine, but misinformation can create false truths.

Key Takeaway

Seek full information and question sources.

Themes

ignorance misinformation truth perception cognitive bias

Mood

skeptical inquisitive

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- decision making
- news consumption
- education
- policy making

Key Concepts

epistemology psychology media literacy

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we verify information?
- What role does denial play in society?

A Different Perspective

The quote assumes all misinformation is intentional and may ignore systemic issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [The question of what actually caused the Civil War is secondary to the result of the Civil War, which is that after the war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-stewart/the-question-of-what-actually-caused-the-civil-war-is-secondary-to/)

[Corey Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-stewart/)

> [Out of all of the lies you told me, I actually believed that you loved me..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-forgotten/out-of-all-of-the-lies-you-told-me-i-actually-believed-that-you-loved/)

The Forgotten

> [Its true my mum told me to do it once and I actually went to bed haha ;P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witches-be-like/its-true-my-mum-told-me-to-do-it-once-and-i-actually-went-to-bed-haha/)

Witches\_be\_like

> [I love to dance.I've been told I'm actually really good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-till/i-love-to-dance-i-ve-been-told-i-m-actually-really-good/)

[Lucas Till](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-till/)

> [Good people can't out-think evil, cause evil thinks of things good folks can't think of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/good-people-can-t-out-think-evil-cause-evil-thinks-of-things-good/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Honestly, folks, I think my brain is broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/honestly-folks-i-think-my-brain-is-broken/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [That's one of the privileges of old age - you can give plenty of advice 'cause most folks think that's all you got left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-naylor/that-s-one-of-the-privileges-of-old-age-you-can-give-plenty-of-advice/)

[Gloria Naylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-naylor/)

> [Some folks think that Christianity means a kind of insurance policy, and that it has little to do with this life, but that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/some-folks-think-that-christianity-means-a-kind-of-insurance-policy/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [One of the things that is interesting about reading conspiracy theory is that much of what folks think is conspiracy is really many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-austin-fitts/one-of-the-things-that-is-interesting-about-reading-conspiracy-theory/)

[Catherine Austin Fitts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-austin-fitts/)

> [“That's how tyranny succeeds. When folks think it won't affect them until eventually it does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/that-s-how-tyranny-succeeds-when-folks-think-it-won-t-affect-them/)

[Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/)

> [Don't be shy about believing in your ideas - even if folks around you think you're crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-westergren/don-t-be-shy-about-believing-in-your-ideas-even-if-folks-around-you/)

[Tim Westergren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-westergren/)

> [Some folks think life and technology and mind can keep expanding forever. Others say it can't. We are still not clear on that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/some-folks-think-life-and-technology-and-mind-can-keep-expanding/)

[Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/)

> [Unquestionably consider that that you teatsd. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the internet the simplest factor to bear in mind of. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/unquestionably-consider-that-that-you-teatsd-your-favorite-reason/)

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

> [God must have a weird sense of values, and if there's a Judgment Day, as some folks think, He's going to have a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-appleman/god-must-have-a-weird-sense-of-values-and-if-there-s-a-judgment-day/)

[Philip Appleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-appleman/)

> [The great man is not so great as folks think, and the dull man is not quite so stupid as he seems. The difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-great-man-is-not-so-great-as-folks-think-and-the-dull-man-is-not/)

[Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/)

## More by Orson Scott Card

> [“You underestimate yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-underestimate-yourself/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Why did he hesitate? He finally admitted to himself that he was like an American child who was almost completely certain about Santa Claus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/why-did-he-hesitate-he-finally-admitted-to-himself-that-he-was-like/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“I don't know of a soul who doesn't maintain two separate lists of doctrines - the ones they believe they believe; and the ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-don-t-know-of-a-soul-who-doesn-t-maintain-two-separate-lists-of/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Good people do not let others suffer needlessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/good-people-do-not-let-others-suffer-needlessly/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“The devil?” Jason heaved the tick over his shoulder like a collier with his sack. “Satan. The adversary. The enemy of the plan of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/the-devil-jason-heaved-the-tick-over-his-shoulder-like-a-collier-with/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“What we've done is make the categories of science fiction and fantasy larger, freer, and more inclusive than any other genre of contemporary literature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/what-we-ve-done-is-make-the-categories-of-science-fiction-and-fantasy/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Where ideas are real and reality is shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-ideas-are-real-and-reality-is-shadow/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Ender, for the past few months you have been the battle commander of our fleets. This was the Third Invasion. There were no games,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/ender-for-the-past-few-months-you-have-been-the-battle-commander-of/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Science fiction is about what could be but isn't; fantasy is about what couldn't be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/science-fiction-is-about-what-could-be-but-isn-t-fantasy-is-about/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Knowledge is just opinion that you trust enough to act upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/knowledge-is-just-opinion-that-you-trust-enough-to-act-upon/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Of course they accused Marcão of having done it without provocation—that’s the way of torturers of every age, to put the blame on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/of-course-they-accused-marc-o-of-having-done-it-without-provocation/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Civilization is only a pretense; in the crisis, we become mere apes again, forgetting the rational biped of our pretensions and becoming instead the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/civilization-is-only-a-pretense-in-the-crisis-we-become-mere-apes/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Where did this whole thing begin? If what we think of as reality is just a pattern that somebody brought Outside, and the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-did-this-whole-thing-begin-if-what-we-think-of-as-reality-is/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

[Explore all 1,158 Orson Scott Card quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

## More Being true quotes

> [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/)

> [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/)

[Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/)

> [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/)

[Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/)

> [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Intuitionists think that there are cases in which, say, some identity statement between real numbers is neither true nor false, even though we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-f-heck/intuitionists-think-that-there-are-cases-in-which-say-some-identity/)

[Richard F. Heck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-f-heck/)

> [Don't be pretentious is my first advice to young writers. This is the big problem - just because you're getting an MFA doesn't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/don-t-be-pretentious-is-my-first-advice-to-young-writers-this-is-the/)

[Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/)

> [There is no normal. I've never met a normal person. The concept is flawed. It implies that there is only one way people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/there-is-no-normal-i-ve-never-met-a-normal-person-the-concept-is/)

[Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/)

> [I learned a tremendous amount about what was important to me as a head coach in that I was not in charge. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-carroll/i-learned-a-tremendous-amount-about-what-was-important-to-me-as-a/)

[Pete Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-carroll/)

> [Life is all about being true to yourself and what you believe in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-biersack/life-is-all-about-being-true-to-yourself-and-what-you-believe-in/)

[Andy Biersack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-biersack/)

> [I have spent most of my life unlearning things that were proved not to be true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/i-have-spent-most-of-my-life-unlearning-things-that-were-proved-not/)

[R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/)

> [It seemed too good to be true. That's grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judah-smith/it-seemed-too-good-to-be-true-that-s-grace/)

[Judah Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judah-smith/)

> [You create the happiness and the balance that you have, and your own power. This is one thing that I know to be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/you-create-the-happiness-and-the-balance-that-you-have-and-your-own/)

[Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/)

> [Being true to yourself means living in truth with each person in your life. It means refusing to say or do something that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/being-true-to-yourself-means-living-in-truth-with-each-person-in-your/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [It is not the responsibility of the enlightened teacher to bring the student to enlightenment. That may be true in the classroom, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-is-not-the-responsibility-of-the-enlightened-teacher-to-bring-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

Browse all 1,447 Being true quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Folks always seemed to think that as long as they didn't know about something bad, it wasn't happening, so whoever told them actually caused it to be true.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Orson Scott Card"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/folks-always-seemed-to-think-that-as-long-as-they-didn-t-know-about/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Being true"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/folks-always-seemed-to-think-that-as-long-as-they-didn-t-know-about/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/orson-scott-card-134_being-true_folks-always-seemed-to-think-that-as-lon_1120746.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/orson-scott-card-134_being-true_folks-always-seemed-to-think-that-as-lon_1120746.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/orson-scott-card-134_being-true_folks-always-seemed-to-think-that-as-lon_1120746.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Folks always seemed to think that as long as they didn't know about something bad, it wasn't happening, so…” — Orson Scott Card",
                "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": "Orson Scott Card",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Folks always seemed to think that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/folks-always-seemed-to-think-that-as-long-as-they-didn-t-know-about/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/folks-always-seemed-to-think-that-as-long-as-they-didn-t-know-about/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
