--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Television tells us only the things it…" description: "\"Television tells us only the things it wants to. It still feeds us heroes, it still offers villains. And even though we know better than to always trus..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/robert-redford-1707_hero_television-tells-us-only-the-things-it-w_2395229.png" --- # Television tells us only the things it wants to. It still… ![“Television tells us only the things it wants to. It still feeds us heroes, it still offers villains. And even though we know better than to always trust it, we still watch.” quote by Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/robert-redford-1707_hero_television-tells-us-only-the-things-it-w_2395229.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/robert-redford-1707_hero_television-tells-us-only-the-things-it-w_2395229.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/robert-redford-1707_hero_television-tells-us-only-the-things-it-w_2395229.png) > “Television tells us only the things it wants to. It still feeds us heroes, it still offers villains. And even though we know better than to always trust it, we still watch.” [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Media shapes perception, offering heroes and villains, yet viewers still engage despite skepticism. **In simple terms:** Media influences but we watch anyway. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate media consumption. Themes media perception critical thinking Mood critical inquisitive Type educational reflective When to use this quote - news analysis - film criticism - media literacy classes Key Concepts propaganda narrative framing Questions to Reflect On - What biases do you notice? - How do you verify information? A Different Perspective May underestimate media’s power. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Villain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/villain/) ## Related quotes > [Villains never know they are villains in a picture so I play this like I'm the nicest guy in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-rogers/villains-never-know-they-are-villains-in-a-picture-so-i-play-this/) [Wayne Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-rogers/) > [I keep attacking the villains, the know-nothings, the people who want to take our freedoms away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-goldstein/i-keep-attacking-the-villains-the-know-nothings-the-people-who-want/) [Al Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-goldstein/) > [Actually, television tells you to take dope. It tells you to destroy the human race really, by first having more consumers and then consuming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purdy/actually-television-tells-you-to-take-dope-it-tells-you-to-destroy/) [James Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purdy/) > [If you can write a nation's stories, you needn't worry about who makes its laws. Today, television tells most of the stories to most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gerbner/if-you-can-write-a-nation-s-stories-you-needn-t-worry-about-who-makes/) [George Gerbner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gerbner/) > [When you slide into television, no one tells you exactly how manage expectations and work with your staff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-holmes/when-you-slide-into-television-no-one-tells-you-exactly-how-manage/) [Pete Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-holmes/) > [Some people are cowards... I think by and large a third of people are villains, a third are cowards, and a third are heroes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/some-people-are-cowards-i-think-by-and-large-a-third-of-people-are/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [It really doesn't matter whether it's the villain or the hero. Sometimes the villain is the most colorful. But I prefer a part where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ford/it-really-doesn-t-matter-whether-it-s-the-villain-or-the-hero/) [Glenn Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ford/) > [What makes a good villain is someone who doesn't just challenge the hero but comes organically out of that character's history and circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/what-makes-a-good-villain-is-someone-who-doesn-t-just-challenge-the/) [Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/) > [Character artist, villain, comedian, comedy villain, hero - he has been perfect in them all. That's Mohan Babu. His dialogue delivery is perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brahmanandam/character-artist-villain-comedian-comedy-villain-hero-he-has-been/) [Brahmanandam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brahmanandam/) > [I think all of us have a hero and a villain in us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anson-mount/i-think-all-of-us-have-a-hero-and-a-villain-in-us/) [Anson Mount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anson-mount/) > [Some people that are heroes to some can be looked at by another group of people as villains. As far as a middle point,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bernthal/some-people-that-are-heroes-to-some-can-be-looked-at-by-another-group/) [Jon Bernthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bernthal/) > [Operas elucidate, in a way sometimes absent in other theatrical productions, the very human fact that in every hero, there is a thread of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/operas-elucidate-in-a-way-sometimes-absent-in-other-theatrical/) [Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/) > [In any story, the villain is the catalyst. The hero's not a person who will bend the rules or show the cracks in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/in-any-story-the-villain-is-the-catalyst-the-hero-s-not-a-person-who/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [If you look at all of the villains in the course of human history, they've all believed, delusionally, in the virtue of their actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/if-you-look-at-all-of-the-villains-in-the-course-of-human-history/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [“We are all entitled to make mistakes, but what separates a hero from a villain is how we learn from those mistakes. A villain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-rowland/we-are-all-entitled-to-make-mistakes-but-what-separates-a-hero-from-a/) [Mitch Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-rowland/) ## More by Robert Redford > [When I became successful, I put up a caution. I didn't think it was fair to have the shadow of that kind of success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/when-i-became-successful-i-put-up-a-caution-i-didn-t-think-it-was/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [Never revisit the past, that's dangerous. You know, move on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/never-revisit-the-past-that-s-dangerous-you-know-move-on/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [I have no regrets, because I've done everything I could to the best of my ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/i-have-no-regrets-because-i-ve-done-everything-i-could-to-the-best-of/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [When you get older, you learn certain life lessons. You apply that wisdom, and suddenly you say, 'Hey, I've got a new lease on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/when-you-get-older-you-learn-certain-life-lessons-you-apply-that/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [The country is so wounded, bleeding, and hurt right now. The country needs to be healed-it's not going to be healed from the top,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/the-country-is-so-wounded-bleeding-and-hurt-right-now-the-country/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [When I was a kid, nobody told me I was good-looking. I wish they had. I would've had a better time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/when-i-was-a-kid-nobody-told-me-i-was-good-looking-i-wish-they-had-i/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [Criticism challenges current findings. The effort to defend one's position can lead to deeper insights or consideration of options previously not considered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/criticism-challenges-current-findings-the-effort-to-defend-one-s/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [There's a lot of money to be made by strip-mining and drilling the dirtiest oil on the planet. But why should the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/there-s-a-lot-of-money-to-be-made-by-strip-mining-and-drilling-the/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [All of the films that I've made are about the country I live in and grew up in... And I think if you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/all-of-the-films-that-i-ve-made-are-about-the-country-i-live-in-and/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [I've been very fortunate in that I've had wonderful relationships with people I've worked with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/i-ve-been-very-fortunate-in-that-i-ve-had-wonderful-relationships/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [I've always liked speed. I own a car that I shouldn't be talking about because I'm an environmentalist, but the 1955 Porsche Spyder 550…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/i-ve-always-liked-speed-i-own-a-car-that-i-shouldn-t-be-talking-about/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [The way you really find out about the performer's seriousness about the cause is how long they stay with it when the spotlight gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/the-way-you-really-find-out-about-the-performer-s-seriousness-about/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [Usually I like to improvise. Sometimes, depending on the nature of the piece, I like to improvise because I think it brings a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/usually-i-like-to-improvise-sometimes-depending-on-the-nature-of-the/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [Because, you know, you're in Utah. And because of its political conservatism, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/because-you-know-you-re-in-utah-and-because-of-its-political/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [What I would do is when I was younger I would draw in a sketch book something that happened in my life and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/what-i-would-do-is-when-i-was-younger-i-would-draw-in-a-sketch-book/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) [Explore all 214 Robert Redford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) ## More Hero quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > ['Melanin Man' was inspired by the words of an Uber driver in L.A. Before I got out of the car he said, 'They're scared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masego/melanin-man-was-inspired-by-the-words-of-an-uber-driver-in-l-a-before/) [Masego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masego/) > [Once the state has been founded, there can no longer be any heroes. They come on the scene only in uncivilized conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/once-the-state-has-been-founded-there-can-no-longer-be-any-heroes/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [You know, I often thought that the gangster and the artist are the same in the eyes of the masses. They're admired and hero-worshipped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/you-know-i-often-thought-that-the-gangster-and-the-artist-are-the/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [“A hero is not know by the number of battles he has won, but rather by the kind of battles he chooses to fight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonny-k-brown/a-hero-is-not-know-by-the-number-of-battles-he-has-won-but-rather-by/) [Tonny K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonny-k-brown/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Teachers are heroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/teachers-are-heroes/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [“Forgotten hero was never the real hero, real hero can not be forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/forgotten-hero-was-never-the-real-hero-real-hero-can-not-be-forgotten/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > ['Sex and The City' was made to correct the myth that if you were single at a certain age, you were a leper. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-patrick-king/sex-and-the-city-was-made-to-correct-the-myth-that-if-you-were-single/) [Michael Patrick King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-patrick-king/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [O it's Tommy this, and Tommy that, and Tommy 'ow's your soul/But it's thin red line of heroes when the drums begin to roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/o-it-s-tommy-this-and-tommy-that-and-tommy-ow-s-your-soul-but-it-s/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Benny Carter came up to me and said to me, "You know, in the whole history of the alto, I think Phil is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/benny-carter-came-up-to-me-and-said-to-me-you-know-in-the-whole/) [Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/) [Browse all 5,602 Hero quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Television tells us only the things it wants to. 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