--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is the thing about a lie: over time…" description: "\"“This is the thing about a lie: over time, it not only obscures the truth but consumes it. Those who pursue veracity (those dogooders, those seekers) s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/t-greenwood-34107_lies_this-is-the-thing-about-a-lie-over-time_84693.jpg" --- # This is the thing about a lie: over time, it not only… ![“This is the thing about a lie: over time, it not only obscures the truth but consumes it. Those who pursue veracity (those dogooders, those seekers) see truth not as an abstract thing but something concrete. Strong, vivid, with an unassailable right to prevail. But those who fight for it, who…” quote by T. Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/t-greenwood-34107_lies_this-is-the-thing-about-a-lie-over-time_84693.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/t-greenwood-34107_lies_this-is-the-thing-about-a-lie-over-time_84693.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/t-greenwood-34107_lies_this-is-the-thing-about-a-lie-over-time_84693.jpg) > ““This is the thing about a lie: over time, it not only obscures the truth but consumes it. Those who pursue veracity (those dogooders, those seekers) see truth not as an abstract thing but something concrete. Strong, vivid, with an unassailable right to prevail. But those who fight for it, who fight in the name of it, do not understand that truth is anemic, weak. Especially in the hands of an accomplished liar. Especially over years. A lie, in collusion with time, can overpower the truth. A good lie has the power to subsume reality. A good lie can become the truth.”” [T. Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-greenwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A lie erodes truth over time, eventually overtaking it and reshaping reality, especially when perpetuated by skilled deceivers. **In simple terms:** Lies can eclipse truth as they persist. Key Takeaway Truth weakens when lies endure. Themes deception truth power dynamics time perception reality Mood cautionary reflective somber Type philosophical political cautionary When to use this quote - political rhetoric - corporate spin - personal relationships - historical narratives - media manipulation Key Concepts lie truth erosion subsumption Practical Applications - critical fact‑checking - strategic communication Questions to Reflect On - How can we safeguard truth against persistent falsehoods? - What mechanisms allow a lie to become accepted as fact? A Different Perspective A well‑crafted narrative can also reinforce truth by exposing falsehoods, so not all lies become dominant. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“I will never understand the whole world or even one country. 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Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-greenwood/) > [“We lived among people whose poverty could be seen in the length of their faces, in their tired speech and in the heaviness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-greenwood/we-lived-among-people-whose-poverty-could-be-seen-in-the-length-of/) [T. Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-greenwood/) > [“... I'm a half-empty kind of girl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-greenwood/i-m-a-half-empty-kind-of-girl/) [T. Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-greenwood/) > [“The Chinese philosopher Mencius believed that man is innately good. He argued that anyone who saw a child falling into a well would immediately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-greenwood/the-chinese-philosopher-mencius-believed-that-man-is-innately-good-he/) [T. Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-greenwood/) > [“And I think about how I used to be the one who fixed things. How I used to be the strong one. 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Greenwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-greenwood/) ## More Lies quotes > [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/) > [Heaven lies around us in our infancy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/heaven-lies-around-us-in-our-infancy/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [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/) > [There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-no-white-lies-there-is-only-the-blackest-of-destruction-and/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“What shapes us is not always our achievements but our omissions. Not lies; simply the truths we don’t tell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-tudor/what-shapes-us-is-not-always-our-achievements-but-our-omissions-not/) [C.J. Tudor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-tudor/) > [He is almost a statesman. 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I'm over you asking me when you know I'm not okay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-mcphee/i-m-over-your-lies-and-i-m-over-your-games-i-m-over-you-asking-me/) [Katharine McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-mcphee/) > [“DIGITAL TRUTH DIGITAL LIES • Searches • Social media posts • Views • Social media likes • Clicks • Dating profiles • Swipes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-stephens-davidowitz/digital-truth-digital-lies-searches-social-media-posts-views-social/) [Seth Stephens-Davidowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-stephens-davidowitz/) > [You said you loved me, You said you cared for me, you said you wouldn't let anything happen to me. Then we got into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nohaterzz/you-said-you-loved-me-you-said-you-cared-for-me-you-said-you-wouldn-t/) NoHaterzz [Browse all 4,881 Lies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This is the thing about a lie: over time, it not only obscures the truth but consumes it. Those who pursue veracity (those dogooders, those seekers) see truth not as an abstract thing but something concrete. Strong, vivid, with an unassailable right to prevail. But those who fight for it, who fight in the name of it, do not understand that truth is anemic, weak. Especially in the hands of an accomplished liar. Especially over years. A lie, in collusion with time, can overpower the truth. A good lie has the power to subsume reality. A good lie can become the truth.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "T. 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