--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sophistry, like poison, is at once…" description: "\"Sophistry, like poison, is at once detected and nauseated, when presented to us in a concentrated form; but a fallacy which, when stated barely in a fe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/richard-whately-3892_children_sophistry-like-poison-is-at-once-detecte_2581170.jpg" --- # Sophistry, like poison, is at once detected and nauseated… ![“Sophistry, like poison, is at once detected and nauseated, when presented to us in a concentrated form; but a fallacy which, when stated barely in a few sentences, would not deceive a child, may deceive half the world, if diluted in a quarto volume.” quote by Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/richard-whately-3892_children_sophistry-like-poison-is-at-once-detecte_2581170.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/richard-whately-3892_children_sophistry-like-poison-is-at-once-detecte_2581170.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/richard-whately-3892_children_sophistry-like-poison-is-at-once-detecte_2581170.jpg) > “Sophistry, like poison, is at once detected and nauseated, when presented to us in a concentrated form; but a fallacy which, when stated barely in a few sentences, would not deceive a child, may deceive half the world, if diluted in a quarto volume.” [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sophistry is obvious when intense, but diluted arguments can mislead many people. **In simple terms:** Intense falsehoods are obvious; weak ones can fool crowds. Key Takeaway Beware of subtle, diluted arguments. Themes critical thinking logic deception communication Mood skeptical analytical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - political debate - media consumption - advertising - education - legal arguments Key Concepts fallacy dilution persuasion Questions to Reflect On - How do you spot weak arguments in everyday discourse? - What safeguards can prevent mass deception? A Different Perspective Even diluted, some sophistries may still be detectable with careful analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Fallacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fallacy/) [Poison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison/) [Sophistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sophistry/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The general nature of the speech act fallacy can be stated as follows, using "good" as our example. 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Why should I not come back as often as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/why-should-not-every-individual-man-have-existed-more-than-once-upon/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [The juggle of sophistry consists, for the most part, in using a word in one sense in all the premises, and in another sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-juggle-of-sophistry-consists-for-the-most-part-in-using-a-word-in/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Some people don't mind a little constitutional sophistry in a good cause; and for liberals, centralizing all power in the federal government is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/some-people-don-t-mind-a-little-constitutional-sophistry-in-a-good/) [Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/) > [Fire is to represent truth because it destroys all sophistry and lies; 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