---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In order to maintain an untenable…"
description: "\"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant. One motto on the show is, 'Keep your facts, I'm going with the truth.'\" —..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/stephen-colbert-503_facts_in-order-to-maintain-an-untenable-positi_789844.png"
---

#  In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be…

![“In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant. One motto on the show is, 'Keep your facts, I'm going with the truth.'” quote by Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/stephen-colbert-503_facts_in-order-to-maintain-an-untenable-positi_789844.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/stephen-colbert-503_facts_in-order-to-maintain-an-untenable-positi_789844.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/stephen-colbert-503_facts_in-order-to-maintain-an-untenable-positi_789844.png)

> “In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant. One motto on the show is, 'Keep your facts, I'm going with the truth.'”

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

## About This Quote

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

Maintaining a false stance requires willful ignorance; the speaker claims to keep facts while embracing a contradictory truth.

**In simple terms:** Holding a position by ignoring reality.

Key Takeaway

Question the truth behind your stance.

Themes

politics ignorance truth

Mood

skeptical critical

Type

political satirical

When to use this quote

- debate
- media consumption
- personal belief

Key Concepts

cognitive dissonance self‑deception

Questions to Reflect On

- Are you ignoring facts to protect a belief?
- What costs arise from willful ignorance?

A Different Perspective

Denial can erode credibility and hinder growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actively Ignorant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actively-ignorant-6068186/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Going Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-truth-336654/) [Ignorant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorant/) [Ignorant Motto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorant-motto-6068185/) [Keep going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keep-going/) [Maintain Untenable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maintain-untenable-6068187/) [Motto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motto/) [Never quit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-quit/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Position](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [Keep your facts, I'm going with the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/keep-your-facts-i-m-going-with-the-truth/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [If you follow your heart, if you listen to your gut, and if you extend your hand to help another, not for any agenda,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-brockovich/if-you-follow-your-heart-if-you-listen-to-your-gut-and-if-you-extend/)

[Erin Brockovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-brockovich/)

> [“Smears don't have much staying power on their own because they deviate from the foundations of reality (what actually happened). They require constant energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/smears-don-t-have-much-staying-power-on-their-own-because-they/)

[Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/)

> [Unless we provide consequences for activities and actions that are wrong, we are not going to get any truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-rohrabacher/unless-we-provide-consequences-for-activities-and-actions-that-are/)

[Dana Rohrabacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-rohrabacher/)

> [“Maybe I got a few words wrong, but that's so near how the conversation went, I'm going to call it truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/maybe-i-got-a-few-words-wrong-but-that-s-so-near-how-the-conversation/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [Are you going out after the truth, or are you going out after something you believe?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/are-you-going-out-after-the-truth-or-are-you-going-out-after/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Without the way, there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; without the life, there is no living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/without-the-way-there-is-no-going-without-the-truth-there-is-no/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My motto is, 'Never quit.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/my-motto-is-never-quit/)

[Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/)

> [America used to live by the motto "Father Knows Best." Now we're lucky if "Father Knows He Has Children." We've become a nation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/america-used-to-live-by-the-motto-father-knows-best-now-we-re-lucky/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [Never give up on something when in fact you know that it's the only thing that could make you happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariejoie-uro/never-give-up-on-something-when-in-fact-you-know-that-it-s-the-only/)

[Mariejoie Uro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariejoie-uro/)

> [Whenever you are faced with darkness, hardship and adversity; be brave, courageous, smile and keep pushing forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-housham/whenever-you-are-faced-with-darkness-hardship-and-adversity-be-brave/)

[Ricardo Housham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-housham/)

> [For those of us who try to keep remembering, Try to do our better than our best. Think of all the children in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zooey-deschanel/for-those-of-us-who-try-to-keep-remembering-try-to-do-our-better-than/)

[Zooey Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zooey-deschanel/)

> [You lost everything? Haha what are you talking about? Oh me crazy huh? Well tell me, what did you have the day you pulled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-ping/you-lost-everything-haha-what-are-you-talking-about-oh-me-crazy-huh/)

[Mr Ping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-ping/)

> [Never quit! It gives those who stand with you too much pain and those who stand against you too much satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/never-quit-it-gives-those-who-stand-with-you-too-much-pain-and-those/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [Character never quits; and with patience and persistence; Dreams do come true!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-maravich/character-never-quits-and-with-patience-and-persistence-dreams-do/)

[Pete Maravich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-maravich/)

## More by Stephen Colbert

> [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/cynicism-masquerades-as-wisdom-but-it-is-the-farthest-thing-from-it/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [We all deserve credit for this new surveillance state that we live in because we the people voted for the Patriot Act. Democrats and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/we-all-deserve-credit-for-this-new-surveillance-state-that-we-live-in/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [I've long been against illegal aliens, partly because they distract us from an even bigger threat: real aliens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-ve-long-been-against-illegal-aliens-partly-because-they-distract-us/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [Believe in me, cause I don't believe in anything, and I wanna be someone to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/believe-in-me-cause-i-don-t-believe-in-anything-and-i-wanna-be/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [It's August, which means Congress is on recess and Mitch McConnell has shimmied back into the ocean to seek a mate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/it-s-august-which-means-congress-is-on-recess-and-mitch-mcconnell-has/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [Try to love others and serve others and hopefully find those who love and serve you in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/try-to-love-others-and-serve-others-and-hopefully-find-those-who-love/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [Thirty seconds is the exact amount of time Americans can tolerate something they don't understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/thirty-seconds-is-the-exact-amount-of-time-americans-can-tolerate/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [I used to make up stuff in my bio all the time, that I used to be a professional ice-skater and stuff like that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-used-to-make-up-stuff-in-my-bio-all-the-time-that-i-used-to-be-a/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [I live by syllogisms: God is love. Love is blind. Stevie Wonder is blind. Therefore, Stevie Wonder is God. I don't know what I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-live-by-syllogisms-god-is-love-love-is-blind-stevie-wonder-is-blind/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [“Unlike Paul Newman, who seems to think that salad dressing is the cure-all for America's ills, I'm a man of action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/unlike-paul-newman-who-seems-to-think-that-salad-dressing-is-the-cure/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [Now, for my younger viewers out there, a book is something we used to have before the internet. It’s sort of a blog for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/now-for-my-younger-viewers-out-there-a-book-is-something-we-used-to/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [Jesus forgives sinners, not criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/jesus-forgives-sinners-not-criminals/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [Used books are the sluts of the literary world. Passed around from person to person, spreading their pages for anyone, getting cheaper and cheaper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/used-books-are-the-sluts-of-the-literary-world-passed-around-from/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [“Divorce is a marital welfare. It's just couples asking society to bail them out because they didn't do enough research before they got married.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/divorce-is-a-marital-welfare-it-s-just-couples-asking-society-to-bail/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

[Explore all 514 Stephen Colbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

## More Facts quotes

> [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/)

[Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/)

> [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [He bombarded me with words, of all things, apparently clueless to the fact that the predawn hours rendered me incapable of coherent thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/he-bombarded-me-with-words-of-all-things-apparently-clueless-to-the/)

[Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/)

[Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/)

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/)

[Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/)

> [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/)

[Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/)

> [Because the truth is that gossip is as good as gospel in this town. You can save face but you won't ever save your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/because-the-truth-is-that-gossip-is-as-good-as-gospel-in-this-town/)

[Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/)

> [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/)

[C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/)

> [We did an episode where she goes out to get a job and she gets fired because she's not good. They hire a babysitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/we-did-an-episode-where-she-goes-out-to-get-a-job-and-she-gets-fired/)

[Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/)

> [Le biologiste passe, la grenouille reste. The biologist passes, the frog remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/le-biologiste-passe-la-grenouille-reste-the-biologist-passes-the-frog/)

[Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/)

> [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [The fact -- not theory -- that evolution has occurred and the Darwinian theory as to how it occurred have become so confused in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gaylord-simpson/the-fact-not-theory-that-evolution-has-occurred-and-the-darwinian/)

[George Gaylord Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gaylord-simpson/)

[Browse all 19,906 Facts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant. One motto on the show is, 'Keep your facts, I'm going with the truth.'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen Colbert"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/in-order-to-maintain-an-untenable-position-you-have-to-be-actively/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Facts"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/in-order-to-maintain-an-untenable-position-you-have-to-be-actively/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/stephen-colbert-503_facts_in-order-to-maintain-an-untenable-positi_789844.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/stephen-colbert-503_facts_in-order-to-maintain-an-untenable-positi_789844.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/stephen-colbert-503_facts_in-order-to-maintain-an-untenable-positi_789844.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant. One motto on the show is…” — Stephen Colbert",
                "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": "Stephen Colbert",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In order to maintain an untenable...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/in-order-to-maintain-an-untenable-position-you-have-to-be-actively/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/in-order-to-maintain-an-untenable-position-you-have-to-be-actively/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
