--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Literature exists at the same time in the…" description: "\"Literature exists at the same time in the modes of error and truth; it both betrays and obeys its own mode of being.\" — Paul de Man" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/paul-de-man-32598_betray_literature-exists-at-the-same-time-in-th_599196.png" --- # Literature exists at the same time in the modes of error… ![“Literature exists at the same time in the modes of error and truth; it both betrays and obeys its own mode of being.” quote by Paul de Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/paul-de-man-32598_betray_literature-exists-at-the-same-time-in-th_599196.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/paul-de-man-32598_betray_literature-exists-at-the-same-time-in-th_599196.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/paul-de-man-32598_betray_literature-exists-at-the-same-time-in-th_599196.png) > “Literature exists at the same time in the modes of error and truth; it both betrays and obeys its own mode of being.” [Paul de Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Literature simultaneously contains errors and truths, reflecting its own contradictory nature. **In simple terms:** Books hold both falsehoods and truths. Key Takeaway Read critically, aware of dualities. Themes literary theory truth error contradiction Mood analytical thoughtful Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - academic study - creative writing - book clubs - media analysis Key Concepts post‑structuralism interpretation Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing error affect appreciation? - Can truth be isolated in a text? A Different Perspective The dual nature can confuse readers seeking absolute meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Hygiene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hygiene/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Man has his being in truth--if he sacrifices truth he sacrifices himself. Whoever betrays truth betrays himself. It is not a question of lying--but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/man-has-his-being-in-truth-if-he-sacrifices-truth-he-sacrifices/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Literature exists inside the language. It's made of words. It's not made of ideas and it's not made of concepts, of psychological analysis. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/literature-exists-inside-the-language-it-s-made-of-words-it-s-not/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Literature exists so that where one man has lived finely ten thousand may afterward live finely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/literature-exists-so-that-where-one-man-has-lived-finely-ten-thousand/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [When I was growing up, there actually wasn't a lot of YA literature as it exists today. Most of the YA that I read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/when-i-was-growing-up-there-actually-wasn-t-a-lot-of-ya-literature-as/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [Literature exists because the world isn't enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/literature-exists-because-the-world-isn-t-enough/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Listen closely. There’s a remote possibility that you might learn something: First, I don’t give a damn if my work is commercial or not…I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fante/listen-closely-there-s-a-remote-possibility-that-you-might-learn/) [John Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fante/) > [Literature exists inside the language. It's made of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/literature-exists-inside-the-language-it-s-made-of-words/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [“It’s like that moment when, often early in the morning, perhaps in a strange house, you pass before a mirror you hadn’t known would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-anderson/it-s-like-that-moment-when-often-early-in-the-morning-perhaps-in-a/) Linda Anderson > [When literature exists, perhaps we do not notice how important it is, but when it does not exist, our lives become coarsened and brutal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-yan/when-literature-exists-perhaps-we-do-not-notice-how-important-it-is/) [Mo Yan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-yan/) > [The Pulitzer Prize is an idea; it's a vote of confidence. 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Theres a remote possibility that you might learn something: First, I dont give a damn if my work is commercial or notIm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fante/listen-closely-theres-a-remote-possibility-that-you-might-learn/) [John Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fante/) > [The greatest kindness one can render to any man consists in leading him from error to truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/the-greatest-kindness-one-can-render-to-any-man-consists-in-leading/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [Quite often, as life goes on, when we feel completely secure as we go on our way, we suddenly notice that we are trapped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/quite-often-as-life-goes-on-when-we-feel-completely-secure-as-we-go/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [It is not to everyone's taste that truth should be pronounced pleasant. But at least let no one believe that error becomes truth when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-not-to-everyone-s-taste-that-truth-should-be-pronounced/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-easier-to-perceive-error-than-to-find-truth-for-the-former-lies/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) ## More by Paul de Man > [If one reads too quickly or too slowly, one understands nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/if-one-reads-too-quickly-or-too-slowly-one-understands-nothing/) [Paul de Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) > [Modernity exists in the form of a desire to wipe out whatever came earlier, in the hope of reaching at least a point that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/modernity-exists-in-the-form-of-a-desire-to-wipe-out-whatever-came/) [Paul de Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) > [Metaphors are much more tenacious than facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/metaphors-are-much-more-tenacious-than-facts/) [Paul de Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) > [“...asked by his wife whether he wants to have his bowling shoes laced over or laced under, Archie Bunker answers the question: "What's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/asked-by-his-wife-whether-he-wants-to-have-his-bowling-shoes-laced/) [Paul De Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) > [What we call ideology is precisely the confusion of linguistic with natural reality, of reference with phenomenalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/what-we-call-ideology-is-precisely-the-confusion-of-linguistic-with/) [Paul de Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) > [“Prior to any generalization about literature, literary texts have to be read, and the possibility of reading can never be taken for granted. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/prior-to-any-generalization-about-literature-literary-texts-have-to/) [Paul De Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) > [The critical method which denies literary modernity would appear -- and even, in certain respects, would be -- the most modern of critical movements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/the-critical-method-which-denies-literary-modernity-would-appear-and/) [Paul de Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) > [Curiously enough, it seems to be only in describing a mode of language which does not mean what it says that one can actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/curiously-enough-it-seems-to-be-only-in-describing-a-mode-of-language/) [Paul de Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) > [Fashion is like the ashes left behind by the uniquely shaped flames of the fire, the trace alone revealing that a fire actually took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/fashion-is-like-the-ashes-left-behind-by-the-uniquely-shaped-flames/) [Paul de Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) > [Death is a displaced name for a linguistic predicament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/death-is-a-displaced-name-for-a-linguistic-predicament/) [Paul de Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) > [The writer's language is to some degree the product of his own action; he is both the historian and the agent of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/the-writer-s-language-is-to-some-degree-the-product-of-his-own-action/) [Paul de Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) > [“No one in his right mind will try to grow grapes by the luminosity of the word "day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/no-one-in-his-right-mind-will-try-to-grow-grapes-by-the-luminosity-of/) [Paul De Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) > [The ambivalence of writing is such that it can be considered both an act and an interpretive process that follows after an act with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/the-ambivalence-of-writing-is-such-that-it-can-be-considered-both-an/) [Paul de Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) > [Literature... is condemned (or privileged) to be forever the most rigorous and, consequently, the most reliable of terms in which man names and transforms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/literature-is-condemned-or-privileged-to-be-forever-the-most-rigorous/) [Paul de Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) [Explore all 15 Paul de Man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/) ## More Betray quotes > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [“Ash,” Mab crooned as he drew near. “My poor boy. 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I still don't understand what it's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/one-day-you-and-i-will-have-to-have-a-little-talk-about-this-business/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [“Sarai, you never know who might betray you until it’s too late.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-redmerski/sarai-you-never-know-who-might-betray-you-until-it-s-too-late/) [J.A. Redmerski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-redmerski/) > [Waking up every day and loving someone who may or may not love us back, whose safety we can't ensure, who may stay in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/waking-up-every-day-and-loving-someone-who-may-or-may-not-love-us/) [Brene Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Indifference must be a crime in us, to be ranked but one degree below treachery; for deserting the commonwealth is next to betraying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/indifference-must-be-a-crime-in-us-to-be-ranked-but-one-degree-below/) [Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/) > [The zombie is in a lot of ways the perfect horror movie bad guy. It plays on so many fears all at once. 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To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-ea/it-is-up-to-us-to-take-care-of-this-planet-it-is-our-only-home-to/) [Prince Ea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-ea/) > [In his bleak mercy, Death forever strips The soul of light and memory, rendering blind Our vision, lest surmounted deeps appal, As when on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-ashton-smith/in-his-bleak-mercy-death-forever-strips-the-soul-of-light-and-memory/) [Clark Ashton Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-ashton-smith/) Browse all 966 Betray quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Literature exists at the same time in the modes of error and truth; it both betrays and obeys its own mode of being.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul de Man" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/literature-exists-at-the-same-time-in-the-modes-of-error-and-truth-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Betray" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/literature-exists-at-the-same-time-in-the-modes-of-error-and-truth-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/paul-de-man-32598_betray_literature-exists-at-the-same-time-in-th_599196.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/paul-de-man-32598_betray_literature-exists-at-the-same-time-in-th_599196.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/paul-de-man-32598_betray_literature-exists-at-the-same-time-in-th_599196.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Literature exists at the same time in the modes of error and truth; it both betrays and obeys its own mode…” — Paul de Man", "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": "Paul de Man", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-de-man/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Literature exists at the same time...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/literature-exists-at-the-same-time-in-the-modes-of-error-and-truth-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-de-man/literature-exists-at-the-same-time-in-the-modes-of-error-and-truth-it/#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 } } ] } ```