--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many other means there be, that promise…" description: "\"Many other means there be, that promise the foreknowledge of things to come: besides the raising up and conjuring of ghosts departed, the conference al..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/pliny-the-elder-2838_conferences_many-other-means-there-be-that-promise-t_2418258.png" --- # Many other means there be, that promise the foreknowledge… ![“Many other means there be, that promise the foreknowledge of things to come: besides the raising up and conjuring of ghosts departed, the conference also with familiars and spirits infernal. And all these were found out in our days, to be no better than vanities and false illusions.” quote by Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/pliny-the-elder-2838_conferences_many-other-means-there-be-that-promise-t_2418258.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/pliny-the-elder-2838_conferences_many-other-means-there-be-that-promise-t_2418258.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/pliny-the-elder-2838_conferences_many-other-means-there-be-that-promise-t_2418258.png) > “Many other means there be, that promise the foreknowledge of things to come: besides the raising up and conjuring of ghosts departed, the conference also with familiars and spirits infernal. And all these were found out in our days, to be no better than vanities and false illusions.” [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage warns that attempts to summon spirits or predict the future are mere vanity, exposing the futility of occult practices. **In simple terms:** Seeking ghosts and predictions is vanity. Key Takeaway Focus on observable reality over superstition. Themes skepticism superstition knowledge vanity Mood skeptical inquisitive analytical Type historical educational When to use this quote - academic research - critical thinking workshops - historical analysis Key Concepts epistemology history of science mythology Questions to Reflect On - Why do people turn to divination? - What value can rituals provide despite lacking empirical proof? A Different Perspective It dismisses cultural contexts where such practices held social meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conferences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conferences/) [Conjuring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conjuring/) [Departed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/departed/) [Foreknowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreknowledge/) [Foreknowledge Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreknowledge-things-6110741/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Illusions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusions/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Means Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means-promise-945322/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Spirits Infernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirits-infernal-6110742/) [Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity/) ## Related quotes > [“No condom.” Will pushes back. “This is a serious choice. Diseases can be—” “Patrick, I know what it means.” Will looks at him over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leta-blake/no-condom-will-pushes-back-this-is-a-serious-choice-diseases-can-be/) [Leta Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leta-blake/) > [My family means EVERYTHING to me, I will do anything for them & that's a PROMISE.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-family-means-everything-to-me-i-will-do-anything-for-them-that-s-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What’s that?” he asked. “A picture of my mom,” I said, opening his ice-cold hand and putting the frame in it gently. “But Apron,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gooch-hummer/what-s-that-he-asked-a-picture-of-my-mom-i-said-opening-his-ice-cold/) [Jennifer Gooch Hummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gooch-hummer/) > [“And further, God should not be regarded as older than His creations by any period of time, but rather by the peculiar property of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boethius/and-further-god-should-not-be-regarded-as-older-than-his-creations-by/) [Boethius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boethius/) > [“Providence is not the same thing as God’s foreknowledge or prescience. Foreknowledge is His ability to look down the corridors of time and know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/providence-is-not-the-same-thing-as-god-s-foreknowledge-or-prescience/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/what-enables-the-wise-sovereign-and-the-good-general-to-strike-and/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [“You know me. I'll hurt you. Welcome home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-cross/you-know-me-i-ll-hurt-you-welcome-home/) [Sarah Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-cross/) > [“You see him and you think me and I knew if you saw him first you would be afraid because it is frightening! I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/you-see-him-and-you-think-me-and-i-knew-if-you-saw-him-first-you/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits; it cannot be obtained inductively from experience, nor by any deductive calculation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/now-this-foreknowledge-cannot-be-elicited-from-spirits-it-cannot-be/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [We certainly have to have a view about knowledge in order to decide whether some version of foreknowledge is necessary for inquiry or whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-fine/we-certainly-have-to-have-a-view-about-knowledge-in-order-to-decide/) [Gail Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-fine/) > [There is a certain destiny of everything, regulated by the foreknowledge and providence of God in His works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/there-is-a-certain-destiny-of-everything-regulated-by-the/) [Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/) > [An inch of foreknowledge is worth ten miles of after-thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/an-inch-of-foreknowledge-is-worth-ten-miles-of-after-thought/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [Foreknowledge is power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-comte/foreknowledge-is-power/) [Auguste Comte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-comte/) > [“What enables the enlightened rulers and good generals to conquer the enemy at every move and achieve extraordinary success is foreknowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-enables-the-enlightened-rulers-and-good-generals-to-conquer-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There is no going back. There is no revival of our humans. There is no erasure of our horrors. No healing except of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hunter/there-is-no-going-back-there-is-no-revival-of-our-humans-there-is-no/) [Faith Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hunter/) ## More by Pliny the Elder > [Simple diet is best: for many dishes bring many diseases, and rich sauces are worse than even heaping several meats upon each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/simple-diet-is-best-for-many-dishes-bring-many-diseases-and-rich/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [Amid the sufferings of life on earth, suicide is God's best gift to man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/amid-the-sufferings-of-life-on-earth-suicide-is-god-s-best-gift-to-man/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [The happier the moment the shorter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/the-happier-the-moment-the-shorter/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [Indeed, what is there that does not appear marvelous when it comes to our knowledge for the first time? How many things, too, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/indeed-what-is-there-that-does-not-appear-marvelous-when-it-comes-to/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [Accustom yourself to master and overcome things of difficulty; for if you observe, the left hand for want of practice is insignificant, and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/accustom-yourself-to-master-and-overcome-things-of-difficulty-for-if/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [As land is improved by sowing it with various seeds, so is the mind by exercising it with different studies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/as-land-is-improved-by-sowing-it-with-various-seeds-so-is-the-mind-by/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [True happiness consists in being considered deserving of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/true-happiness-consists-in-being-considered-deserving-of-it/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [The largest land animal is the elephant, and it is the nearest to man in intelligence: it understands the language of its country and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/the-largest-land-animal-is-the-elephant-and-it-is-the-nearest-to-man/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [Many dishes bring many diseases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/many-dishes-bring-many-diseases/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [In the literary as well as military world, most powerful abilities will often be found concealed under a rustic garb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/in-the-literary-as-well-as-military-world-most-powerful-abilities/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [Man naturally yearns for novelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/man-naturally-yearns-for-novelty/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [With man, most of his misfortunes are occasioned by man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/with-man-most-of-his-misfortunes-are-occasioned-by-man/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [Better do nothing than do ill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/better-do-nothing-than-do-ill/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [It is this earth that, like a kind mother, receives us at our birth, and sustains us when born; it is this alone, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/it-is-this-earth-that-like-a-kind-mother-receives-us-at-our-birth-and/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [His only fault is that he has no fault.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/his-only-fault-is-that-he-has-no-fault/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) [Explore all 147 Pliny the Elder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) ## More Conferences quotes > [This is the culmination of a lot of people's vision. 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We actually have no pictures of my dad where he is not holding a beer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/my-father-a-hard-drinking-man-from-the-70-s-we-actually-have-no/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [I owed Lewis one thing, at least. Once you had suffered the experience of presenting a case at one of his Monday morning conferences,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/i-owed-lewis-one-thing-at-least-once-you-had-suffered-the-experience/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [The president had a press conference about this this week and he said that the U.S. has no plans to attack North Korea. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/the-president-had-a-press-conference-about-this-this-week-and-he-said/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Spiritual leaders are not made by man, nor any combination of men. Neither conferences, nor synods, nor councils can make them, but only God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-logan-brengle/spiritual-leaders-are-not-made-by-man-nor-any-combination-of-men/) [Samuel Logan Brengle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-logan-brengle/) > [I feel blessed that I had an opportunity to be in the Big Ten for four years as a player and be in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-alford/i-feel-blessed-that-i-had-an-opportunity-to-be-in-the-big-ten-for/) [Steve Alford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-alford/) > [I don't have a whole bunch of literary connections. I don't write reviews or attend writer's conferences. I'm kind of shy and don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/i-don-t-have-a-whole-bunch-of-literary-connections-i-don-t-write/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [In 1992, one of my dearest friends, Anita Borg, came to me with an idea: a conference featuring women Computer Scientists. The conference would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/telle-whitney/in-1992-one-of-my-dearest-friends-anita-borg-came-to-me-with-an-idea/) [Telle Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/telle-whitney/) > [I have done conferences explaining that cloud is a bad idea. It's putting all your eggs in one basket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-demon-calce/i-have-done-conferences-explaining-that-cloud-is-a-bad-idea-it-s/) [Michael Demon Calce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-demon-calce/) > [I have no idea, actually, where I fit in, in terms of poetry camps. 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There is nothing to prevent their succeeding now but human nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/well-the-disarmament-conference-is-off-to-a-flying-start-there-is/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) [Browse all 497 Conferences quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conferences/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Many other means there be, that promise the foreknowledge of things to come: besides the raising up and conjuring of ghosts departed, the conference also with familiars and spirits infernal. 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