--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The lie was that we believed that we…" description: "\"“The lie was that we believed that we believed all people were created equal! What made us think we were this great free society? Those at the top beli..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/richard-rohr-618_free-society_the-lie-was-that-we-believed-that-we-bel_1178285.png" --- # The lie was that we believed that we believed all people… ![“The lie was that we believed that we believed all people were created equal! What made us think we were this great free society? Those at the top believed it then, and we at the top believe it two hundred years later. That’s the power of myth.” quote by Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/richard-rohr-618_free-society_the-lie-was-that-we-believed-that-we-bel_1178285.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/richard-rohr-618_free-society_the-lie-was-that-we-believed-that-we-bel_1178285.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/richard-rohr-618_free-society_the-lie-was-that-we-believed-that-we-bel_1178285.png) > ““The lie was that we believed that we believed all people were created equal! What made us think we were this great free society? Those at the top believed it then, and we at the top believe it two hundred years later. That’s the power of myth.”” [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societies cling to myths of equality that mask ongoing hierarchies, perpetuating power structures. **In simple terms:** Myths of equality hide persistent inequality. Key Takeaway Question and challenge dominant narratives. Themes politics myth equality power history Mood reflective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education reform - policy debates - community organizing - media analysis Key Concepts social critique ideology critical theory Questions to Reflect On - What myths in your culture support or undermine justice? - How can we reshape narratives for true equality? A Different Perspective Myths can also inspire positive change; not all narratives are purely oppressive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Free society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-society/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Power of myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-of-myth/) ## Related quotes > [This society believed it was looking towards a new future, yet we consistently find ourselves being dragged backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ervine/this-society-believed-it-was-looking-towards-a-new-future-yet-we/) David Ervine > [“If I grew up in the simple-minded belief that women were as strong and intelligent as men, it was because I came from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-abbott/if-i-grew-up-in-the-simple-minded-belief-that-women-were-as-strong/) Shirley Abbott > [By 1980, we knew it was time to renew our faith, to strive with all our strength toward the ultimate in individual freedom consistent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/by-1980-we-knew-it-was-time-to-renew-our-faith-to-strive-with-all-our/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [“A myth can be picked up by a whole society, believed and taught to the next generation. Gods, fairies, witches—believing a thing doesn’t make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/a-myth-can-be-picked-up-by-a-whole-society-believed-and-taught-to-the/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [Respectable society believed in God in order to avoid having to speak about him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/respectable-society-believed-in-god-in-order-to-avoid-having-to-speak/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I'm also interested in the modern suggestion that you can have a combination of love and sex in a marriage - which no previous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/i-m-also-interested-in-the-modern-suggestion-that-you-can-have-a/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [You cannot make a demand on your life that exceeds your belief about it. Your belief is creating a personal law. It’s not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-rydall/you-cannot-make-a-demand-on-your-life-that-exceeds-your-belief-about/) [Derek Rydall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-rydall/) > [Artists use lies to tell the truth. Yes, I created a lie. But because you believed it, you found something true about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/artists-use-lies-to-tell-the-truth-yes-i-created-a-lie-but-because/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [It often happens that, if a lie be believed only for an hour, it has done its work, and there is no further occasion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/it-often-happens-that-if-a-lie-be-believed-only-for-an-hour-it-has/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [“If a lie be believed only for an hour, it hath done its work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/if-a-lie-be-believed-only-for-an-hour-it-hath-done-its-work/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [I'm not crying because you leave.. but I'm crying because you lie.. and I believed you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-crying-because-you-leave-but-i-m-crying-because-you-lie-and-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A lie believed to be truth will be lived is if it is true”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-house/a-lie-believed-to-be-truth-will-be-lived-is-if-it-is-true/) Roger House > [“A rumor is a social cancer: it is difficult to contain and it rots the brains of the masses. 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Truth telling and medicine just didn't go together except in dire emergencies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/it-was-a-lie-but-he-believed-in-telling-lies-to-people-truth-telling/) [Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/) ## More by Richard Rohr > [“We have become human doings more than human beings, and the verb “rest,” as Jesus uses it, is largely foreign to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/we-have-become-human-doings-more-than-human-beings-and-the-verb-rest/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [In my opinion, most organized religion does neither agentic service nor relational nurturance very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/in-my-opinion-most-organized-religion-does-neither-agentic-service/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/if-we-do-not-transform-our-pain-we-will-most-assuredly-transmit-it/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [In solitude, at last, we’re able to let God define us the way we are always supposed to be defined—by relationship: the I-thou relationship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/in-solitude-at-last-we-re-able-to-let-god-define-us-the-way-we-are/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [Pain and suffering that are not transformed are usually projected onto others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/pain-and-suffering-that-are-not-transformed-are-usually-projected/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [You cannot grow in the integrative dance of action and contemplation without a strong tolerance for ambiguity, an ability to allow, forgive, and contain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/you-cannot-grow-in-the-integrative-dance-of-action-and-contemplation/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [“In the end, we do not so much reclaim what we have lost as discover a significantly new self in and through the process.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/in-the-end-we-do-not-so-much-reclaim-what-we-have-lost-as-discover-a/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. If we do not transform our pain, we will transmit it to those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/all-great-spirituality-is-about-what-we-do-with-our-pain-if-we-do-not/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [“I would wonder if you could be a hero or heroine if you did not live in deep time, that is, Past, present, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/i-would-wonder-if-you-could-be-a-hero-or-heroine-if-you-did-not-live/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [Nature is the one song of praise that never stops singing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/nature-is-the-one-song-of-praise-that-never-stops-singing/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [“I believe contemplation shows us that nothing inside us is as bad as our hatred and denial of the bad. Hating and denying it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/i-believe-contemplation-shows-us-that-nothing-inside-us-is-as-bad-as/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [We don't have much wisdom about the second half when things really open up and end up looking a lot more progressive. In my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/we-don-t-have-much-wisdom-about-the-second-half-when-things-really/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [If you do not transform your wounds you will transmit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/if-you-do-not-transform-your-wounds-you-will-transmit-them/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [The real spiritual journey is work. You can make a naïve assertion that you trust in Jesus, but until it is tested a good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/the-real-spiritual-journey-is-work-you-can-make-a-na-ve-assertion/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [“The soul needs meaning as much as the body needs food.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/the-soul-needs-meaning-as-much-as-the-body-needs-food/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) [Explore all 443 Richard Rohr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) ## More Free society quotes > [A free society depends upon a high degree of mutual trust. The public will not give that trust to officials who are not seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-cox/a-free-society-depends-upon-a-high-degree-of-mutual-trust-the-public/) [Archibald Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-cox/) > [Gun control laws don't work. What is worse, they act perversely. While legitimate users of firearms encounter intense regulation, scrutiny and bureaucratic control, illicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-polsby/gun-control-laws-don-t-work-what-is-worse-they-act-perversely-while/) Daniel D. Polsby > [The benefit of living in a free society is that we all have the choice to be rich, poor, or middle class. The decision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/the-benefit-of-living-in-a-free-society-is-that-we-all-have-the/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [Satire must always accompany any free society. It is an absolute necessity. Even in the most repressive medieval kingdoms, they understood the need for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-randazzo/satire-must-always-accompany-any-free-society-it-is-an-absolute/) Joe Randazzo > [Expect the rapidly expanding homeschooling movement to play a significant role in the revolutionary reforms needed to build a free society with Constitutional protections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/expect-the-rapidly-expanding-homeschooling-movement-to-play-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“Talk about how various people have been “winners” in “the lottery of life” or have things that others don’t have just because they “happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/talk-about-how-various-people-have-been-winners-in-the-lottery-of/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Few policies are more calculated to destroy the existing basis of a free society than the debauching of its currency. And few tasks, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-f-sennholz/few-policies-are-more-calculated-to-destroy-the-existing-basis-of-a/) [Hans F. Sennholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-f-sennholz/) > [“A steady recognition that the evils which prevent the fullness of moral development are precisely the elements which are also the source of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/a-steady-recognition-that-the-evils-which-prevent-the-fullness-of/) [Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/) > [If our free society is to endure, those who govern must recognize human dignity and accept the enforcement of constitutional limitations on their power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/if-our-free-society-is-to-endure-those-who-govern-must-recognize/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [In any free society, the conflict between social conformity and individual liberty is permanent, unresolvable, and necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/in-any-free-society-the-conflict-between-social-conformity-and/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [Revolution will free society of its afflictions, while science will free the individual of his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/revolution-will-free-society-of-its-afflictions-while-science-will/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [We must make the building of a free society once more an intellectual adventure, a deed of courage… Unless we can make the philosophic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/we-must-make-the-building-of-a-free-society-once-more-an-intellectual/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Diversity of opinion within the framework of loyalty to our free society is not only basic to a university but to the entire nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bryant-conant/diversity-of-opinion-within-the-framework-of-loyalty-to-our-free/) [James Bryant Conant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bryant-conant/) > [They who clamor loudest for freedom are often the ones least likely to be happy in a free society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/they-who-clamor-loudest-for-freedom-are-often-the-ones-least-likely/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“The issue is whether we want to live in a free society or whether we want to live under what amounts to a form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-issue-is-whether-we-want-to-live-in-a-free-society-or-whether-we/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Browse all 387 Free society quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-society/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The lie was that we believed that we believed all people were created equal! 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