--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I could explain a head in a barrel to…" description: "\"“If I could explain a head in a barrel to the King, he thought, I can explain a man in a tanpit to a Bishop. But I'd sooner be more certain of the fact..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/pat-mcintosh-268210_confidence_if-i-could-explain-a-head-in-a-barrel-to_203232.jpg" --- # If I could explain a head in a barrel to the King, he… ![“If I could explain a head in a barrel to the King, he thought, I can explain a man in a tanpit to a Bishop. But I'd sooner be more certain of the facts.” quote by Pat McIntosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/pat-mcintosh-268210_confidence_if-i-could-explain-a-head-in-a-barrel-to_203232.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/pat-mcintosh-268210_confidence_if-i-could-explain-a-head-in-a-barrel-to_203232.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/pat-mcintosh-268210_confidence_if-i-could-explain-a-head-in-a-barrel-to_203232.jpg) > ““If I could explain a head in a barrel to the King, he thought, I can explain a man in a tanpit to a Bishop. But I'd sooner be more certain of the facts.”” [Pat McIntosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-mcintosh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker prefers solid facts over metaphorical explanations to authority figures. **In simple terms:** Facts matter more than analogies. Key Takeaway Prioritize evidence in discussions. Themes evidence communication authority clarity Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - academic debates - policy discussions - personal arguments Key Concepts critical reasoning dialogue Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle vague authority? - When are analogies useful? A Different Perspective Metaphors can aid understanding for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bishop Sooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bishop-sooner-2117207/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Explain Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explain-head-2117210/) [King Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king-thought-2117208/) [Sooner Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sooner-certain-1213565/) [Tanpit Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tanpit-bishop-2117209/) ## Related quotes > [“Sooner if a certain prince would be quiet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/sooner-if-a-certain-prince-would-be-quiet/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“He finds he cannot think of the dying men at all. Into his mind instead strays the picture of More on the scaffold, seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/he-finds-he-cannot-think-of-the-dying-men-at-all-into-his-mind/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“It was Leslie who had taken him from the cow pasture into Terabithia and turned him into a king. He had thought that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/it-was-leslie-who-had-taken-him-from-the-cow-pasture-into-terabithia/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [“It was hard for a man and a woman to be fiends with no under thought or glimpsed prospect of sex. They wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt/it-was-hard-for-a-man-and-a-woman-to-be-fiends-with-no-under-thought/) [A.S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt/) > [Richard, might I ask you something? We've talked tonight of what you must do, of what you can do, of what you ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-kay-penman/richard-might-i-ask-you-something-we-ve-talked-tonight-of-what-you/) [Sharon Kay Penman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-kay-penman/) > [“The King! I thought him enough of a philosopher to realize that there is no such thing as murder in politics. You know as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/the-king-i-thought-him-enough-of-a-philosopher-to-realize-that-there/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [“The king! I thought he was philosopher enough to allow that there was no murder in politics. In politics, my dear fellow, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/the-king-i-thought-he-was-philosopher-enough-to-allow-that-there-was/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [ I think that I'll always remember the bust of Dr. \[Martin Luther\] King. I thought having an American here who represented rhat civic spirit… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-think-that-i-ll-always-remember-the-bust-of-dr-martin-luther-king-i/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [My friend made me a leather dress for the MTV awards. It gives you confidence, wearing something you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/my-friend-made-me-a-leather-dress-for-the-mtv-awards-it-gives-you/) [Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [I am confident when I take the penalty otherwise I would pass for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/i-am-confident-when-i-take-the-penalty-otherwise-i-would-pass-for/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [I was just confident my work was good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunny-yeager/i-was-just-confident-my-work-was-good/) [Bunny Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunny-yeager/) > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) ## More Confidence quotes > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [I was just confident my work was good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunny-yeager/i-was-just-confident-my-work-was-good/) [Bunny Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunny-yeager/) > [I am confident when I take the penalty otherwise I would pass for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/i-am-confident-when-i-take-the-penalty-otherwise-i-would-pass-for/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [My friend made me a leather dress for the MTV awards. It gives you confidence, wearing something you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/my-friend-made-me-a-leather-dress-for-the-mtv-awards-it-gives-you/) [Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/i-would-rather-regret-the-things-that-i-have-done-than-the-things/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I look for someone who has confidence. Also someone whose energetic, cause I'm NOT that energetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-jonas/i-look-for-someone-who-has-confidence-also-someone-whose-energetic/) [Nick Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-jonas/) > [Why shouldn't I be confident? I'm well educated, I can deliver a line, and I have more than three expressions. That's good right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonakshi-sinha/why-shouldn-t-i-be-confident-i-m-well-educated-i-can-deliver-a-line/) [Sonakshi Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonakshi-sinha/) > [I was very confident on the stage, and I stood out in a red gown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-johnson/i-was-very-confident-on-the-stage-and-i-stood-out-in-a-red-gown/) [Nicole Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-johnson/) > [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) [Browse all 11,290 Confidence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If I could explain a head in a barrel to the King, he thought, I can explain a man in a tanpit to a Bishop. But I'd sooner be more certain of the facts.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pat McIntosh" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-mcintosh/if-i-could-explain-a-head-in-a-barrel-to-the-king-he-thought-i-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Confidence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-mcintosh/if-i-could-explain-a-head-in-a-barrel-to-the-king-he-thought-i-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/pat-mcintosh-268210_confidence_if-i-could-explain-a-head-in-a-barrel-to_203232.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/pat-mcintosh-268210_confidence_if-i-could-explain-a-head-in-a-barrel-to_203232.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/pat-mcintosh-268210_confidence_if-i-could-explain-a-head-in-a-barrel-to_203232.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I could explain a head in a barrel to the King, he thought, I can explain a man in a tanpit to a Bishop…” — Pat McIntosh", "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": "Pat McIntosh", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-mcintosh/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If I could explain a head...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-mcintosh/if-i-could-explain-a-head-in-a-barrel-to-the-king-he-thought-i-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-mcintosh/if-i-could-explain-a-head-in-a-barrel-to-the-king-he-thought-i-can/#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 } } ] } ```