--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every photograph is a certificate of…" description: "\"Every photograph is a certificate of presence.\" — Roland Barthes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/roland-barthes-1062_certificate_every-photograph-is-a-certificate-of-pre_1204631.png" --- # Every photograph is a certificate of presence. ![“Every photograph is a certificate of presence.” quote by Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/roland-barthes-1062_certificate_every-photograph-is-a-certificate-of-pre_1204631.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/roland-barthes-1062_certificate_every-photograph-is-a-certificate-of-pre_1204631.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/roland-barthes-1062_certificate_every-photograph-is-a-certificate-of-pre_1204631.png) > “Every photograph is a certificate of presence.” [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Photographs serve as proof that someone was once present, capturing moments that words cannot. **In simple terms:** Photos prove a presence existed. Key Takeaway Value photos as evidence of lived moments. Themes memory photography presence history Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type philosophical documentary When to use this quote - family albums - historical archives - personal diaries - exhibitions Key Concepts ontology representation temporal evidence Questions to Reflect On - What does a photo mean to you? - How do you verify a memory’s truth? A Different Perspective Photos can be misleading or staged, questioning authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certificate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certificate/) [Certificate Presence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certificate-presence-3626908/) [Certificates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certificates/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Photograph Certificate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph-certificate-3626907/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Presence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presence/) ## Related quotes > [“It's not surprising that we are all craving for the diplomas, degrees and masters. I strongly believe that journey began with your birth certificate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/it-s-not-surprising-that-we-are-all-craving-for-the-diplomas-degrees/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [The online credential, the online certificate is very different from an on campus certificate. And we really believe that online learning and the EdX…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-online-credential-the-online-certificate-is-very-different-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Peace is a certificate you get in the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-tosh/peace-is-a-certificate-you-get-in-the-grave/) [Peter Tosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-tosh/) > [No one has ever asked to see my degree certificate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/no-one-has-ever-asked-to-see-my-degree-certificate/) [David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/) > [A certificate of live birth is not the same thing by any stretch of the imagination as a birth certificate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/a-certificate-of-live-birth-is-not-the-same-thing-by-any-stretch-of/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I mean, if someone asked for my birth certificate, I'd get my baby book and hand it out and say 'Here it is.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicky-hartzler/i-mean-if-someone-asked-for-my-birth-certificate-i-d-get-my-baby-book/) [Vicky Hartzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicky-hartzler/) > [In the early days of the Indian Territory, there were no such things as birth certificates. You being there was certificate enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/in-the-early-days-of-the-indian-territory-there-were-no-such-things/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [You don't need to see my birth certificate, or my college records, or my legal writings, or... anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/you-don-t-need-to-see-my-birth-certificate-or-my-college-records-or/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Vickie Lynn Hogan is my birth certificate's name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-nicole-smith/vickie-lynn-hogan-is-my-birth-certificate-s-name/) [Anna Nicole Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-nicole-smith/) > [I have a very vibrant imposter syndrome that goes on throughout most of my life, but nothing more than when someone has to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-ince/i-have-a-very-vibrant-imposter-syndrome-that-goes-on-throughout-most/) [Robin Ince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-ince/) > [The only name on my birth certificate was Henley, no first name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickey-henderson/the-only-name-on-my-birth-certificate-was-henley-no-first-name/) [Rickey Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickey-henderson/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [“There are no such words like "over-dreaming" or dreaming without "biometric verification". You can dream over and over again! You don't need a certificate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/there-are-no-such-words-like-over-dreaming-or-dreaming-without/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [What do you mean, my birth certificate expired???](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pryme/what-do-you-mean-my-birth-certificate-expired/) [Pryme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pryme/) > [The marriage certificate is a licence that is obtained before the driving test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/the-marriage-certificate-is-a-licence-that-is-obtained-before-the/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) ## More by Roland Barthes > [“Werther identifies himself with the madman, with the footman. As a reader, I can identify myself with Werther. Historically, thousands of subjects have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/werther-identifies-himself-with-the-madman-with-the-footman-as-a/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [The Text is not a definitive object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-text-is-not-a-definitive-object/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [“Valéry used to speak of those people who die in an accident because they are unwilling to let go of their umbrellas; how many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/val-ry-used-to-speak-of-those-people-who-die-in-an-accident-because/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [Today there is no symbolic compensation for old age, no recognition of a specific value: wisdom, perceptiveness, experience, vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/today-there-is-no-symbolic-compensation-for-old-age-no-recognition-of/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [The unary Photograph has every reason to be banal, 'unity' of composition being the first rule of vulgar (and notably, of academic) rhetoric: 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-unary-photograph-has-every-reason-to-be-banal-unity-of/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [“A creative writer is one for whom writing is a problem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/a-creative-writer-is-one-for-whom-writing-is-a-problem/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [“Man does not exist prior to language, either as a species or as an individual. We never encounter a state where man is separated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/man-does-not-exist-prior-to-language-either-as-a-species-or-as-an/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [“It is said that Time soothes mourning – No, Time makes nothing happen; it merely makes the emotivity of mourning pass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/it-is-said-that-time-soothes-mourning-no-time-makes-nothing-happen-it/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [“So long as I perceive the world as hostile, I remain linked to it: \*I am not crazy\*. But sometimes, once my bad temper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/so-long-as-i-perceive-the-world-as-hostile-i-remain-linked-to-it-i-am/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [I think that cars today are almost the exact equivalent of the great Gothic cathedrals: I mean the supreme creation of an era, conceived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/i-think-that-cars-today-are-almost-the-exact-equivalent-of-the-great/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [“(Sartre) (The world is full without me, as in Nausea; the world plays at living behind a glass partition; the world is in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/sartre-the-world-is-full-without-me-as-in-nausea-the-world-plays-at/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [“Like love, mourning affects the world—and the worldly—with unreality, with importunity. I resist the world, I suffer from what it demands of me, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/like-love-mourning-affects-the-world-and-the-worldly-with-unreality/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [Painting can feign reality without having seen it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/painting-can-feign-reality-without-having-seen-it/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [“There is an age at which we teach what we know. Then comes another age at which we teach what we do not know;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/there-is-an-age-at-which-we-teach-what-we-know-then-comes-another-age/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [As a jealous man, I suffer four times over: because I am jealous, because I blame myself for being so, because I fear that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/as-a-jealous-man-i-suffer-four-times-over-because-i-am-jealous/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) [Explore all 282 Roland Barthes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) ## More Certificate quotes > [The marriage certificate is a licence that is obtained before the driving test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/the-marriage-certificate-is-a-licence-that-is-obtained-before-the/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [What do you mean, my birth certificate expired???](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pryme/what-do-you-mean-my-birth-certificate-expired/) [Pryme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pryme/) > [“There are no such words like "over-dreaming" or dreaming without "biometric verification". You can dream over and over again! You don't need a certificate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/there-are-no-such-words-like-over-dreaming-or-dreaming-without/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [The only name on my birth certificate was Henley, no first name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickey-henderson/the-only-name-on-my-birth-certificate-was-henley-no-first-name/) [Rickey Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickey-henderson/) > [My friends asked me to be a reverend at their wedding in France a few years ago. I went on the Internet, and within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-punch/my-friends-asked-me-to-be-a-reverend-at-their-wedding-in-france-a-few/) [Lucy Punch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-punch/) > [I don't need a certificate of my patriotism from those in the establishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asma-jahangir/i-don-t-need-a-certificate-of-my-patriotism-from-those-in-the/) [Asma Jahangir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asma-jahangir/) > [COngrats you have officially pissed me off. sorry I dont a certificate for you. there's not a certificate that says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridgett/congrats-you-have-officially-pissed-me-off-sorry-i-dont-a-certificate/) [Bridgett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridgett/) > [I want a certificate that allows me to make as big a box office as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/i-want-a-certificate-that-allows-me-to-make-as-big-a-box-office-as/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [I got a gerontology certificate a million years ago along with my law degree, so I've been interested in older people for many years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-got-a-gerontology-certificate-a-million-years-ago-along-with-my-law/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [Behavior is the real certificate. No one could have written certificate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tolstoy/behavior-is-the-real-certificate-no-one-could-have-written-certificate/) [Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tolstoy/) > [I do not think the Nobel institution gives you a certificate that everything you say is always right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piyush-goyal/i-do-not-think-the-nobel-institution-gives-you-a-certificate-that/) [Piyush Goyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piyush-goyal/) > [Honesty is certificate of trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashok-singh-chauhan/honesty-is-certificate-of-trust/) [Ashok Singh Chauhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashok-singh-chauhan/) > [I have a very vibrant imposter syndrome that goes on throughout most of my life, but nothing more than when someone has to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-ince/i-have-a-very-vibrant-imposter-syndrome-that-goes-on-throughout-most/) [Robin Ince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-ince/) > [“It is not all about the certificate,it is your dream Your dream is what you stand for Your dream is your future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-lekwuwa/it-is-not-all-about-the-certificate-it-is-your-dream-your-dream-is/) [f.c. lekwuwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-lekwuwa/) > [There was some indecision as to when I was born. My sister said it was 1916. I'd lost my birth certificate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gough/there-was-some-indecision-as-to-when-i-was-born-my-sister-said-it-was/) [Michael Gough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gough/) [Browse all 47 Certificate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certificate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every photograph is a certificate of presence.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roland Barthes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/every-photograph-is-a-certificate-of-presence/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certificate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/every-photograph-is-a-certificate-of-presence/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/roland-barthes-1062_certificate_every-photograph-is-a-certificate-of-pre_1204631.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/roland-barthes-1062_certificate_every-photograph-is-a-certificate-of-pre_1204631.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/roland-barthes-1062_certificate_every-photograph-is-a-certificate-of-pre_1204631.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every photograph is a certificate of presence.” — Roland Barthes", "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": "Roland Barthes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Every photograph is a certificate of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/every-photograph-is-a-certificate-of-presence/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/every-photograph-is-a-certificate-of-presence/#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 } } ] } ```