--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps one day we will do “everything…" description: "\"Perhaps one day we will do “everything that we can to protect our people and the timeless values that we stand for.” But today, we won’t even honestly ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/sam-harris-457_delusion_perhaps-one-day-we-will-do-everything-th_2199254.jpg" --- # Perhaps one day we will do “everything that we can to… ![“Perhaps one day we will do “everything that we can to protect our people and the timeless values that we stand for.” But today, we won’t even honestly describe the motivations of our enemies. And in the act of lying to ourselves, we continue to pay lip service to the very delusions that empower…” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/sam-harris-457_delusion_perhaps-one-day-we-will-do-everything-th_2199254.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/sam-harris-457_delusion_perhaps-one-day-we-will-do-everything-th_2199254.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/sam-harris-457_delusion_perhaps-one-day-we-will-do-everything-th_2199254.jpg) > “Perhaps one day we will do “everything that we can to protect our people and the timeless values that we stand for.” But today, we won’t even honestly describe the motivations of our enemies. And in the act of lying to ourselves, we continue to pay lip service to the very delusions that empower them.” [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We claim to protect values but fail to honestly confront enemy motives, reinforcing self‑deception that sustains them. **In simple terms:** We lie to ourselves about foes, keeping harmful myths alive. Key Takeaway Recognize and name true motives. Themes integrity politics selfdeception Mood reflective critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - policy analysis - public debate - media literacy - activism Key Concepts critical thinking ethical leadership Questions to Reflect On - What motives are you ignoring? - How does honest appraisal change action? A Different Perspective Self‑deception can be hard to admit, especially under pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Delusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusion/) [Empowering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empowering/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Lip service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lip-service/) [Lips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lips/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Timeless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/timeless/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [When you get caught lying, why continue to lie?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-get-caught-lying-why-continue-to-lie/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think the act of lying can be separated from the genre of memoir. Though often times, people are unaware of their own subjectivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-roberge/i-think-the-act-of-lying-can-be-separated-from-the-genre-of-memoir/) [Rob Roberge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-roberge/) > [While liberals are leery of religious fundamentalism in general, they consistently imagine that all religions at their core teach the same thing and teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/while-liberals-are-leery-of-religious-fundamentalism-in-general-they/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“But it’s a pretense, it’s artificial,” Adelia protested. “Love, honor, respect. When are they ever extended to everyday women? I doubt if that boy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/but-it-s-a-pretense-it-s-artificial-adelia-protested-love-honor/) [Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/) > [Newt Gingrich and his fellow conservative Republicans talked a good game but, despite the lip service they offered about poverty and race and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/newt-gingrich-and-his-fellow-conservative-republicans-talked-a-good/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [The GOP needs to live the planks of its platform, not just offer lip service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/the-gop-needs-to-live-the-planks-of-its-platform-not-just-offer-lip/) [Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/) > [“In the ‘60s and early ‘70s, we paid lip service to being black and proud, but the sudden conversion was not supported by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-burrell/in-the-60s-and-early-70s-we-paid-lip-service-to-being-black-and-proud/) Tom Burrell > [Once we recognize the power of propaganda, we need to ask whether its exercise is consistent with those democratic ideals to which lip-service is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/once-we-recognize-the-power-of-propaganda-we-need-to-ask-whether-its/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [It's not just lip service when I say I'm going to fight for the people. I've done that as a citizen already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-boebert/it-s-not-just-lip-service-when-i-say-i-m-going-to-fight-for-the/) [Lauren Boebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-boebert/) > [Remove the centrality-of-Jesus-Christ message from ministry and meetings, and you can forget church life or organic meetings. He must be the center of everything...not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edwards/remove-the-centrality-of-jesus-christ-message-from-ministry-and/) [Gene Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edwards/) > [Our leaders pay lip service to the freedoms that democracy provides while actually supporting an economic structure that imprisons its citizens under more and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-leaders-pay-lip-service-to-the-freedoms-that-democracy-provides/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [“As Mofidi was an IRGC officer, he was not treated like the other families and sent a bill for the bullet that took his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-fulton/as-mofidi-was-an-irgc-officer-he-was-not-treated-like-the-other/) [Matt Fulton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-fulton/) > [“They are boiling with the pressured energy of explosive forces confined in a small space, and with the fervor of all religious movements in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/they-are-boiling-with-the-pressured-energy-of-explosive-forces/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [If we turn our backs on the remaining industries and not reinvest in these places and just say 'You're on your own,' we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/if-we-turn-our-backs-on-the-remaining-industries-and-not-reinvest-in/) [John Fetterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fetterman/) > [“The fact that they viewed their wealth as a result of their own hands, without any honor other than lip service being given to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-goff/the-fact-that-they-viewed-their-wealth-as-a-result-of-their-own-hands/) [Lee Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-goff/) ## More by Sam Harris > [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. Miller are doing lasting harm to our discourse by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-question-but-that-nominally-religious-scientists-like/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [We have Christians against Muslims against Jews, and no matter how liberal your theology, merely identifying yourself as a Christian or a Jew lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-have-christians-against-muslims-against-jews-and-no-matter-how/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Your principal concern appears to be that the Creator of the universe will take offense at something people do while naked. This prudery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/your-principal-concern-appears-to-be-that-the-creator-of-the-universe/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“As manuals for contemplative understanding, the Bible and the Koran are worse than useless. Whatever wisdom can be found in their pages is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-manuals-for-contemplative-understanding-the-bible-and-the-koran/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. If our polls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/about-120-million-of-us-place-the-big-bang-2-500-years-after-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“If your golf instructor were to insist that you shave your head, sleep no more than four hours each night, renounce sex, and subsist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/if-your-golf-instructor-were-to-insist-that-you-shave-your-head-sleep/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The fact that one can lose one's sense of self in an ocean of tranquility does not mean that one's consciousness is immaterial or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-fact-that-one-can-lose-one-s-sense-of-self-in-an-ocean-of/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The second commandment is "Thou shall not construct any graven images." Is this really the pinnacle of what we can achieve morally? The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-second-commandment-is-thou-shall-not-construct-any-graven-images/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“But the reality of consciousness appears irreducible. Only consciousness can know itself—and directly, through first-person experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/but-the-reality-of-consciousness-appears-irreducible-only/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Whether or not one likes Huntington's formulation, one thing is clear: the evil that has finally reached our shores is not merely the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/whether-or-not-one-likes-huntington-s-formulation-one-thing-is-clear/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The problem is that religion tends to give people bad reasons to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-problem-is-that-religion-tends-to-give-people-bad-reasons-to-be/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Muslim moderates, wherever they are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their co-religionists. Otherwise, we will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/muslim-moderates-wherever-they-are-must-be-given-every-tool-necessary/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The idea that any one of our religions represents the infallible word of the One True God requires an encyclopedic ignorance of history, mythology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-idea-that-any-one-of-our-religions-represents-the-infallible-word/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“What could possibly cause billions of human beings to reconsider their religious beliefs? And yet, it is obvious that an utter revolution in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/what-could-possibly-cause-billions-of-human-beings-to-reconsider/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) [Explore all 543 Sam Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## More Delusion quotes > [Getting rid of a delusion makes us wiser than getting hold of a truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-borne/getting-rid-of-a-delusion-makes-us-wiser-than-getting-hold-of-a-truth/) [Ludwig Borne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-borne/) > [If the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labour, entertainment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/if-the-idea-of-having-to-change-ourselves-makes-us-uncomfortable-we/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [The Science Delusion is the belief that science already understands the nature of reality in principle leaving only the details to be filled in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-sheldrake/the-science-delusion-is-the-belief-that-science-already-understands/) [Rupert Sheldrake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-sheldrake/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“we shouldn’t surrender our real world perception to a false reality too much or we may suffer the inevitable consequences of deluded thinking. Technology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-p-neary/we-shouldn-t-surrender-our-real-world-perception-to-a-false-reality/) M.P. Neary > [Atheism Explained is a gem. It is clear, informative, well-argued, provocative, often witty, and unfailingly interesting. David Ramsay Steele ranges over so many issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-shearmur/atheism-explained-is-a-gem-it-is-clear-informative-well-argued/) Jeremy Shearmur > [It is a great delusion to suppose that flesh-meat of any kind is essential to health. Considerably more than three parts of the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-booth/it-is-a-great-delusion-to-suppose-that-flesh-meat-of-any-kind-is/) [Catherine Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-booth/) > [The religions of mankind must be classed among the mass-delusions of this kind. No one, needless to say, who shares a delusion ever recognizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-religions-of-mankind-must-be-classed-among-the-mass-delusions-of/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [I suffer from the delusion that every product of my imagination is not only possible, but always on the cusp of becoming real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-parker/i-suffer-from-the-delusion-that-every-product-of-my-imagination-is/) [Sean Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-parker/) > [I have a theory about marriage, Monsieur Boustouler. And it's that nearly always you will know within two weeks if it's going to work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-have-a-theory-about-marriage-monsieur-boustouler-and-it-s-that/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Someone who has the delusion Glass, is made of, does not literally believe herself to be made of glass but rather feels fragile and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/someone-who-has-the-delusion-glass-is-made-of-does-not-literally/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [Paranoia is a state of heightened awareness. Most people are persecuted beyond their wildest delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-steiner/paranoia-is-a-state-of-heightened-awareness-most-people-are/) Claude Steiner > [Women are women, and so are men, and the delusion that we are spiritually separate from or are about to spiritually separate from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anohni/women-are-women-and-so-are-men-and-the-delusion-that-we-are/) [Anohni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anohni/) > [I'd actually love to think that I could trust Kerry on national security. But the only way I could do that, at this point,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-reynolds/i-d-actually-love-to-think-that-i-could-trust-kerry-on-national/) [Glenn Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-reynolds/) [Browse all 1,172 Delusion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Perhaps one day we will do “everything that we can to protect our people and the timeless values that we stand for.” But today, we won’t even honestly describe the motivations of our enemies. And in the act of lying to ourselves, we continue to pay lip service to the very delusions that empower them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sam Harris" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/perhaps-one-day-we-will-do-everything-that-we-can-to-protect-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Delusion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/perhaps-one-day-we-will-do-everything-that-we-can-to-protect-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/sam-harris-457_delusion_perhaps-one-day-we-will-do-everything-th_2199254.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/sam-harris-457_delusion_perhaps-one-day-we-will-do-everything-th_2199254.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/sam-harris-457_delusion_perhaps-one-day-we-will-do-everything-th_2199254.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Perhaps one day we will do “everything that we can to protect our people and the timeless values that we…” — Sam Harris", "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": "Sam Harris", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Perhaps one day we will do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/perhaps-one-day-we-will-do-everything-that-we-can-to-protect-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/perhaps-one-day-we-will-do-everything-that-we-can-to-protect-our/#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 } } ] } ```