---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For, dear me, why abandon a belief Merely…"
description: "\"“For, dear me, why abandon a belief Merely because it ceases to be true? Cling to it long enough, and not a doubt It will turn true again, for so it go..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/robert-frost-371_belief_for-dear-me-why-abandon-a-belief-merely_1413899.jpg"
---

#  For, dear me, why abandon a belief Merely because it…

![“For, dear me, why abandon a belief Merely because it ceases to be true? Cling to it long enough, and not a doubt It will turn true again, for so it goes. Most of the change we think we see in life Is due to truths being in and out of favor. As I sit here, and often times, I wish I could be monarch…” quote by Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/robert-frost-371_belief_for-dear-me-why-abandon-a-belief-merely_1413899.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/robert-frost-371_belief_for-dear-me-why-abandon-a-belief-merely_1413899.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/robert-frost-371_belief_for-dear-me-why-abandon-a-belief-merely_1413899.jpg)

> ““For, dear me, why abandon a belief Merely because it ceases to be true? Cling to it long enough, and not a doubt It will turn true again, for so it goes. Most of the change we think we see in life Is due to truths being in and out of favor. As I sit here, and often times, I wish I could be monarch of a desert land I could devote and dedicate forever To the truths we keep coming back and back to. ––from "The Black Cottage””

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote reflects on how beliefs can regain truth through persistence, suggesting that societal favor shifts truth values and longing for a timeless dedication to enduring truths.

**In simple terms:** Beliefs may become true again if held long enough; truth changes with popularity.

Key Takeaway

Hold onto core truths despite changing fashions.

Themes

philosophy truth perseverance nostalgia

Mood

contemplative melancholic

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- academic study of belief
- cultural analysis
- political ideology
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

Epistemology relativism temporal truth

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you decide which truths to cling to?
- Can a belief be true without societal acceptance?

A Different Perspective

Truth may be socially constructed, not absolute; persistence doesn't guarantee truth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Abandon Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandon-belief-1567860/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Forever Truths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever-truths-4990015/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life truths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-truths/) [Permanence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permanence/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truths/) [Turn True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turn-true-667007/)

## Related quotes

> [For, dear me, why abandon a belief, Merely because it ceases to be true, Cling to it long enough, and not a doubt, It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/for-dear-me-why-abandon-a-belief-merely-because-it-ceases-to-be-true-2/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [For dear me, why abandon a belief Merely because it ceases to be true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/for-dear-me-why-abandon-a-belief-merely-because-it-ceases-to-be-true/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [“why abandon a belief Merely because it ceases to be true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/why-abandon-a-belief-merely-because-it-ceases-to-be-true/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [“In life, there were truths and lies, and then there were intimate moments that stayed between two people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel-e-ann/in-life-there-were-truths-and-lies-and-then-there-were-intimate/)

[Jewel E. Ann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel-e-ann/)

> [“To say nothing is saying something. You must denounce things you are against or one might believe that you support things you really do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/to-say-nothing-is-saying-something-you-must-denounce-things-you-are/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [“Sometimes a gift too good to be true, can turn out to be too true to be good..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-winfield/sometimes-a-gift-too-good-to-be-true-can-turn-out-to-be-too-true-to/)

[Ryan Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-winfield/)

> [Old stories often turn out to be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/old-stories-often-turn-out-to-be-true/)

[Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/)

> [Better that the whole world should turn against you... than you should consent to turn against what is true within you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/better-that-the-whole-world-should-turn-against-you-than-you-should/)

[Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/)

> [There were so many stories around, it was almost inevitable some of them would turn out to be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-evans/there-were-so-many-stories-around-it-was-almost-inevitable-some-of/)

[Nigel Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-evans/)

> [Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/most-of-the-change-we-think-we-see-in-life-is-due-to-truths-being-in/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [My reason taught me that I could not have made one of my own qualities - they were forced upon me by Nature; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-owen/my-reason-taught-me-that-i-could-not-have-made-one-of-my-own/)

[Robert Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-owen/)

> [I was forced, through seeing the error of their foundation, to abandon all belief in every religion which had been taught to man. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-owen/i-was-forced-through-seeing-the-error-of-their-foundation-to-abandon/)

[Robert Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-owen/)

> [“It is not wise to abandon a belief purely due to peer pressure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/it-is-not-wise-to-abandon-a-belief-purely-due-to-peer-pressure/)

[Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/)

> [“We must abandon our belief that human choice denigrates the Rule of Law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/we-must-abandon-our-belief-that-human-choice-denigrates-the-rule-of/)

[Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/)

> [“Everyone had their own theory about everything, and they believed that their truth was the only one that mattered. They spent days, nights, weeks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho-veronika-decides-to-die/everyone-had-their-own-theory-about-everything-and-they-believed-that/)

[Paulo Coelho Veronika Decides to Die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho-veronika-decides-to-die/)

## More by Robert Frost

> [The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working when you get up in the morning, and doesn't stop until you get to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-brain-is-a-wonderful-organ-it-starts-working-when-you-get-up-in/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [When I see birches bend to left and right... I like to think some boy's been swinging them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/when-i-see-birches-bend-to-left-and-right-i-like-to-think-some-boy-s/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [“The promising young poets, the hopefuls? I'd name Richard Wilbur, Peter Viereck, Karl Shapiro, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, John Ciardi...Leonard Bacon...but it is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-promising-young-poets-the-hopefuls-i-d-name-richard-wilbur-peter/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [Lord, I have loved Your sky, Be it said against or for me, Have loved it clear and high, Or low and stormy...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/lord-i-have-loved-your-sky-be-it-said-against-or-for-me-have-loved-it/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [Let him that is without stone among you cast the first thing he can lay his hands on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/let-him-that-is-without-stone-among-you-cast-the-first-thing-he-can/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [It is only a moment here and a moment there that the greatest writer has. Some cognizance of the fact must be taken in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/it-is-only-a-moment-here-and-a-moment-there-that-the-greatest-writer/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [And of course there must be something wrong In wanting to silence any song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/and-of-course-there-must-be-something-wrong-in-wanting-to-silence-any/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can't move, and the kind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-are-two-kinds-of-teachers-the-kind-that-fill-you-with-so-much/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [The rose is a rose, And was always a rose. But now the theory goes That the apple's a rose, And the pear is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-rose-is-a-rose-and-was-always-a-rose-but-now-the-theory-goes-that/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee, and I'll forgive Thy great big joke on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/forgive-o-lord-my-little-jokes-on-thee-and-i-ll-forgive-thy-great-big/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [What an exciting age it is we live in With all this talk about the hope of youth And nothing made of youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/what-an-exciting-age-it-is-we-live-in-with-all-this-talk-about-the/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [The footpath down to the well is healed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-footpath-down-to-the-well-is-healed/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [There is the fear that we shan't prove worthy in the eyes of someone who knows us at least as well as we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-is-the-fear-that-we-shan-t-prove-worthy-in-the-eyes-of-someone/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [It's God - I recognised him from Blake's picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/it-s-god-i-recognised-him-from-blake-s-picture/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [Create and stir other people to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/create-and-stir-other-people-to-create/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

[Explore all 624 Robert Frost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

## More Belief quotes

> [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/)

[Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/)

> [“MIND &amp; GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/)

[Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/)

[Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/)

> [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/)

[Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/)

> [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/)

[Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/)

> [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/)

[David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/)

> [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/)

[Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/)

> [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/)

[J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/)

> [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/)

[LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/)

> [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/)

[Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/)

[Browse all 10,268 Belief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“For, dear me, why abandon a belief Merely because it ceases to be true? Cling to it long enough, and not a doubt It will turn true again, for so it goes. Most of the change we think we see in life Is due to truths being in and out of favor. As I sit here, and often times, I wish I could be monarch of a desert land I could devote and dedicate forever To the truths we keep coming back and back to. ––from \"The Black Cottage”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Frost"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/for-dear-me-why-abandon-a-belief-merely-because-it-ceases-to-be-true-3/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Belief"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/for-dear-me-why-abandon-a-belief-merely-because-it-ceases-to-be-true-3/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/robert-frost-371_belief_for-dear-me-why-abandon-a-belief-merely_1413899.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/robert-frost-371_belief_for-dear-me-why-abandon-a-belief-merely_1413899.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/robert-frost-371_belief_for-dear-me-why-abandon-a-belief-merely_1413899.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For, dear me, why abandon a belief Merely because it ceases to be true? Cling to it long enough, and not a…” — Robert Frost",
                "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": "Robert Frost",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“For, dear me, why abandon a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/for-dear-me-why-abandon-a-belief-merely-because-it-ceases-to-be-true-3/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/for-dear-me-why-abandon-a-belief-merely-because-it-ceases-to-be-true-3/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
