--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cormac heard that glorious word for the…" description: "\"“Cormac heard that glorious word for the first time in the1850s, and it came to epitomize for him all of New York's rough skepticism. It had much great..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/pete-hamill-11832_first-time_cormac-heard-that-glorious-word-for-the_2118125.jpg" --- # Cormac heard that glorious word for the first time in… ![“Cormac heard that glorious word for the first time in the1850s, and it came to epitomize for him all of New York's rough skepticism. It had much greater weight than the word 'horseshit.' Horseshit was flaky and without substance; it dried in the sun and was blown away in a high wind. Preachers…” quote by Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/pete-hamill-11832_first-time_cormac-heard-that-glorious-word-for-the_2118125.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/pete-hamill-11832_first-time_cormac-heard-that-glorious-word-for-the_2118125.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/pete-hamill-11832_first-time_cormac-heard-that-glorious-word-for-the_2118125.jpg) > ““Cormac heard that glorious word for the first time in the1850s, and it came to epitomize for him all of New York's rough skepticism. It had much greater weight than the word 'horseshit.' Horseshit was flaky and without substance; it dried in the sun and was blown away in a high wind. Preachers were the master of horseshit. But bullshit was heavier, filled with crude truth, a kind of black cement. The voters knew the difference and they appreciated bullshit when practiced by a master. Any politician who used God in a speech was practicing horseshit. When he talked about building schools, getting water into Chatham Square, or lighting the darkest streets, Bill Tweed was practicing bullshit. If a third of the bullshit actually came into existence, their lives were made better. Tweed, as he moved up in the system, was a master of bullshit.”” [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bullshit is portrayed as a heavy, truth‑laden rhetoric that, when wielded skillfully, can achieve real change, unlike empty platitudes. **In simple terms:** Skilled falsehoods can produce tangible results. Key Takeaway Use language responsibly and critically. Themes politics truth language power skepticism Mood cynical critical analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - Political campaigning - media analysis - public discourse - activism Key Concepts Rhetoric social critique political theory Questions to Reflect On - When does persuasive language become deception? - What responsibilities do leaders have for their words? A Different Perspective Rhetoric can manipulate truth and erode trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Horseshit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horseshit/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“You can beat your brains out for her, and she’ll hand you horseshit on a platter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/you-can-beat-your-brains-out-for-her-and-she-ll-hand-you-horseshit-on/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [You can't let any team awe you. If you do, you'll wind up a horseshit player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-appling/you-can-t-let-any-team-awe-you-if-you-do-you-ll-wind-up-a-horseshit/) [Luke Appling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-appling/) > [If you were seeing a lot of horseshit, there had to be a pony in the vicinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/if-you-were-seeing-a-lot-of-horseshit-there-had-to-be-a-pony-in-the/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“I'd rather marry lump of steaming horseshit than you." Lucy jutted her chin out."Smells better too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-ayers/i-d-rather-marry-lump-of-steaming-horseshit-than-you-lucy-jutted-her/) Sidney Ayers > [I was no suffragette, but I was pretty sure the he-can’t-control-himself defense was a big, stinky load of horseshit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/i-was-no-suffragette-but-i-was-pretty-sure-the-he-can-t-control/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [“Mrs. Gruber said that happiness was not something she aspired to, that when we had seen as much of the world as she had,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/mrs-gruber-said-that-happiness-was-not-something-she-aspired-to-that/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [I wanted to say something about the universe. There's God, angels, plants... and horseshit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zero-mostel/i-wanted-to-say-something-about-the-universe-there-s-god-angels/) [Zero Mostel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zero-mostel/) > [Human lives are hard, even those of health and privilege, and don't make much sense. This is the message of the Book of Job:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/human-lives-are-hard-even-those-of-health-and-privilege-and-don-t/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [... I have developed, over the years, some sense of the difference between real horseshit that you can step in and Ideal Platonic Horseshit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-have-developed-over-the-years-some-sense-of-the-difference-between/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [Even the implication that The Lord of the Rings is a mythic story about Western, white supremacy - regardless of the political leanings of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viggo-mortensen/even-the-implication-that-the-lord-of-the-rings-is-a-mythic-story/) [Viggo Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viggo-mortensen/) > [You realize, of course, that everything I say is horseshit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-realize-of-course-that-everything-i-say-is-horseshit/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You can speak with a twang and still not say a thang.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/you-can-speak-with-a-twang-and-still-not-say-a-thang/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“VIOLET: Oh, horseshit, horeshit, let's all say horseshit. Say horseshit, Bill. BILL: Horseshit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-letts/violet-oh-horseshit-horeshit-let-s-all-say-horseshit-say-horseshit/) [Tracy Letts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-letts/) > [“can’t digest food unless it has some E. coli in it for flavor. All this nutrition nonsense is horseshit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-shaw/can-t-digest-food-unless-it-has-some-e-coli-in-it-for-flavor-all-this/) [Johnny Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-shaw/) > [“There is a rich & vibrant oral tradition about how to write fast programs, and almost all of it is horseshit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-rich-vibrant-oral-tradition-about-how-to-write-fast/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Pete Hamill > [“The great novel of twentieth-century New York might be the Daily News.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/the-great-novel-of-twentieth-century-new-york-might-be-the-daily-news/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [Don't tell me about the world. Not today. It's springtime and they're knocking baseball around fields where the grass is damp and green in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/don-t-tell-me-about-the-world-not-today-it-s-springtime-and-they-re/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [“A half-century later, Mark Twain would say that the gold rush drastically changed the American character, ending the tradition of patient apprenticeships, the gradual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/a-half-century-later-mark-twain-would-say-that-the-gold-rush/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [“He looked at her for a long moment, as if remembering unfinished conversations, and then went back to place some damp, slow-burning turf on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/he-looked-at-her-for-a-long-moment-as-if-remembering-unfinished/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [More than anything, it's a game of innocence. Politicians may come and go, but they always get booed at the ballpark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/more-than-anything-it-s-a-game-of-innocence-politicians-may-come-and/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [Human beings want to know too much abut each other, and that's why there are so many lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/human-beings-want-to-know-too-much-abut-each-other-and-that-s-why/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [“ "The wanderer in Manhattan must go forth with a certain innocence, because New York is best seen with innocent eyes. It doesn't matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/the-wanderer-in-manhattan-must-go-forth-with-a-certain-innocence/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [There is something elegantly sinister about the Rolling Stones. They sit before you at a press conference like five unfolding switchblades; their faces set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/there-is-something-elegantly-sinister-about-the-rolling-stones-they/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [The library is a place where most of the things I came to value as an adult had their beginnings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/the-library-is-a-place-where-most-of-the-things-i-came-to-value-as-an/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [Frank Sinatra was the voice of the 20th-century American city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/frank-sinatra-was-the-voice-of-the-20th-century-american-city/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [This is truly marvelous work full of mystery, nostalgia, joy, The Color of Whimsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/this-is-truly-marvelous-work-full-of-mystery-nostalgia-joy-the-color/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [“In Mexico, I first encountered the attitude that was missing from the optimistic sense of living in the United States: a tragic sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/in-mexico-i-first-encountered-the-attitude-that-was-missing-from-the/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [“The world was a grand confusion. Finally, when I was drunk, and my mind couldn’t do what I wanted it to do, I went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/the-world-was-a-grand-confusion-finally-when-i-was-drunk-and-my-mind/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [There is a growing feeling that perhaps Texas is really another country, a place where the skies, the disasters, the diamonds, the politicians, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/there-is-a-growing-feeling-that-perhaps-texas-is-really-another/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [They all laughed. I drew their pictures and they asked for copies and I handed them out as if they were my tickets to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/they-all-laughed-i-drew-their-pictures-and-they-asked-for-copies-and/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) [Explore all 57 Pete Hamill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) ## More First time quotes > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [“I’m so stressed that a weird Olympic-style commentary starts up in my head. And here we have Zelah Green, the fourteen-year-old champion of rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-curtis/i-m-so-stressed-that-a-weird-olympic-style-commentary-starts-up-in-my/) Vanessa Curtis > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [“I’m waiting for you,” he murmured, smiling a slow, familiar grin that seemed to hint at a secret between them. And for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/i-m-waiting-for-you-he-murmured-smiling-a-slow-familiar-grin-that/) [Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/) > [“Treat every natural beauty you met as if you see them for the first and last time!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/treat-every-natural-beauty-you-met-as-if-you-see-them-for-the-first/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“I won’t break your heart. For the first time in my life, I’ve found something worth fighting for, someone more important than me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelle-bliss/i-won-t-break-your-heart-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-ve-found/) [Chelle Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelle-bliss/) > [Life is like a parachute jump: you have to get it right the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-like-a-parachute-jump-you-have-to-get-it-right-the-first-time/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [When my kids were in the school play for the first time, I decided I had to make the costumes from scratch and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alexander/when-my-kids-were-in-the-school-play-for-the-first-time-i-decided-i/) [Sarah Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alexander/) > [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/) Mennah al refaey > [“Or maybe your magic isn't that destructive after all. The rain of Doritos, the bed thing,this...Maybe it's just that you create too big, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/or-maybe-your-magic-isn-t-that-destructive-after-all-the-rain-of/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [I don't know why, but everybody thinks that I'm short. When they see me for the first time, women are always surprised to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-carey/i-don-t-know-why-but-everybody-thinks-that-i-m-short-when-they-see-me/) [Mariah Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-carey/) > [“I met Suffering on a quiet road, just as the sun was setting behind me. Its presence was heavy, like an old coat I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/i-met-suffering-on-a-quiet-road-just-as-the-sun-was-setting-behind-me/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [“You never talk to the pitcher when…” He shook his head. “You just never talk to the pitcher when--” “I just wanted to congratulate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/you-never-talk-to-the-pitcher-when-he-shook-his-head-you-just-never/) [Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/) Browse all 9,309 First time quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Cormac heard that glorious word for the first time in the1850s, and it came to epitomize for him all of New York's rough skepticism. It had much greater weight than the word 'horseshit.' Horseshit was flaky and without substance; it dried in the sun and was blown away in a high wind. Preachers were the master of horseshit. But bullshit was heavier, filled with crude truth, a kind of black cement. The voters knew the difference and they appreciated bullshit when practiced by a master. Any politician who used God in a speech was practicing horseshit. When he talked about building schools, getting water into Chatham Square, or lighting the darkest streets, Bill Tweed was practicing bullshit. If a third of the bullshit actually came into existence, their lives were made better. 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