--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Greater things are believed of those who…" description: "\"Greater things are believed of those who are absent.\" — Tacitus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cee/tacitus-1552_absent_greater-things-are-believed-of-those-who_1990001.jpg" --- # Greater things are believed of those who are absent. ![“Greater things are believed of those who are absent.” quote by Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cee/tacitus-1552_absent_greater-things-are-believed-of-those-who_1990001.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cee/tacitus-1552_absent_greater-things-are-believed-of-those-who_1990001.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cee/tacitus-1552_absent_greater-things-are-believed-of-those-who_1990001.jpg) > “Greater things are believed of those who are absent.” [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Absence enhances reputation; people often imagine greater qualities in those not present. **In simple terms:** Being away makes others think highly of you. Key Takeaway Maintain presence to manage perception. Themes reputation absence perception politics Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - political leadership - public figures - remote work - media coverage Key Concepts social psychology status leadership Questions to Reflect On - Do you rely on others' perceptions when absent? - How can you stay effective while away? A Different Perspective Absence can also lead to neglect or loss of influence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absent/) [Believed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed/) [Believed Absent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-absent-3444868/) [Greater things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater-things/) [Things Believed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-believed-263605/) ## Related quotes > [“I believed in Oxford, and cobblestoned squares, and old bricks thick with ivy, a nd rainy days curled up reading books. I believed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-st-james/i-believed-in-oxford-and-cobblestoned-squares-and-old-bricks-thick/) [Simone St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-st-james/) > [“Some things have to be believed in to be seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-hodgson/some-things-have-to-be-believed-in-to-be-seen/) [Ralph Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-hodgson/) > [Some things have to be believed to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-hodgson/some-things-have-to-be-believed-to-be-seen/) [Ralph Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-hodgson/) > [“Women ought to be religious; faith was the natural fragrance of their minds. The more incredible the things they believed, the more lovely was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/women-ought-to-be-religious-faith-was-the-natural-fragrance-of-their/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [There are two things that will be believed of any man whatsoever, and one of them is that he has taken to drink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booth-tarkington/there-are-two-things-that-will-be-believed-of-any-man-whatsoever-and/) [Booth Tarkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booth-tarkington/) > [The higher truths are, the more cautious one must be with them; otherwise, they are converted into common things, and common things are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/the-higher-truths-are-the-more-cautious-one-must-be-with-them/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [I know three things will never be believed - the true, the probable, and the logical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-know-three-things-will-never-be-believed-the-true-the-probable-and/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [It's hard for me to hear about the things that I believed during my madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/it-s-hard-for-me-to-hear-about-the-things-that-i-believed-during-my/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [Some things have to be believed in order for them to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-things-have-to-be-believed-in-order-for-them-to-be-seen/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the end you regret less the things you believed that weren't true than the things that never came true because you didn't believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/in-the-end-you-regret-less-the-things-you-believed-that-weren-t-true/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The things I believed in dont exist any more. It's foolish to pretend that they do. Western Civilization finally went up in smoke in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-things-i-believed-in-dont-exist-any-more-it-s-foolish-to-pretend/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [The charm of Ronald Reagan is not just that he kept telling us screwy things, it was that he believed them all. No wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/the-charm-of-ronald-reagan-is-not-just-that-he-kept-telling-us-screwy/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [“My first and last philosophy ... I learnt in the nursery... The things I believed then, the things I believe most now, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/my-first-and-last-philosophy-i-learnt-in-the-nursery-the-things-i/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [Yet simple souls, their faith it knows no stint: Things least to be believed are most preferred. All counterfeits, as from truth's sacred mint,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-clare/yet-simple-souls-their-faith-it-knows-no-stint-things-least-to-be/) [John Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-clare/) > [“Jesus Hollywood believed in a lot of things. He believed that the stars in the sky were only ghostly images of dead things. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-noelle-long/jesus-hollywood-believed-in-a-lot-of-things-he-believed-that-the/) [Shannon Noelle Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-noelle-long/) ## More by Tacitus > [Benefits received are a delight to us as long as we think we can requite them; when that possibility is far exceeded, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/benefits-received-are-a-delight-to-us-as-long-as-we-think-we-can/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Rumor does not always err; it sometimes even elects a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/rumor-does-not-always-err-it-sometimes-even-elects-a-man/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [ None mourn more ostentatiously than those who most rejoice at it \[a death\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/none-mourn-more-ostentatiously-than-those-who-most-rejoice-at-it-a/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [So true is it that all transactions of preeminent importance are wrapt in doubt and obscurity; while some hold for certain facts the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/so-true-is-it-that-all-transactions-of-preeminent-importance-are/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Be assured those will be thy worst enemies, not to whom thou hast done evil, but who have done evil to thee. And those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/be-assured-those-will-be-thy-worst-enemies-not-to-whom-thou-hast-done/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Christianity is a pestilent superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/christianity-is-a-pestilent-superstition/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Indeed, the crowning proof of their valour and their strength is that they keep up their superiority without harm to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/indeed-the-crowning-proof-of-their-valour-and-their-strength-is-that/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Formerly we suffered from crimes; now we suffer from laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/formerly-we-suffered-from-crimes-now-we-suffer-from-laws/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [ None mourn more ostentatiously over the death of Germanicus than those who most rejoice at it \[a death\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/none-mourn-more-ostentatiously-over-the-death-of-germanicus-than/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Once killing starts, it is difficult to draw the line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/once-killing-starts-it-is-difficult-to-draw-the-line/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [The lust of dominion burns with a flame so fierce as to overpower all other affections of the human breast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-lust-of-dominion-burns-with-a-flame-so-fierce-as-to-overpower-all/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [“It is a principle of nature to hate those whom you have injured.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/it-is-a-principle-of-nature-to-hate-those-whom-you-have-injured/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Kindness, so far as we can return it, is agreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/kindness-so-far-as-we-can-return-it-is-agreeable/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Posterity gives every man his true value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/posterity-gives-every-man-his-true-value/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [The most detestable race of enemies are flatterers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-most-detestable-race-of-enemies-are-flatterers/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) [Explore all 227 Tacitus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) ## More Absent quotes > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Emma was a shocking driver, simultaneously sloppy and petrified, and for the first fifty miles had been absent-mindedly driving with her spectacles on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/emma-was-a-shocking-driver-simultaneously-sloppy-and-petrified-and/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [The interesting thing about an absent father is, for a child, you don't know he's absent. You just think he's... tardy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-majors/the-interesting-thing-about-an-absent-father-is-for-a-child-you-don-t/) [Jonathan Majors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-majors/) > [For my own part, I would rather be in company with a dead man than with an absent one; for if the dead man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-my-own-part-i-would-rather-be-in-company-with-a-dead-man-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If measure and symmetry are absent from any composition in any degree, ruin awaits both the ingredients and the composition... Measure and symmetry are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-measure-and-symmetry-are-absent-from-any-composition-in-any-degree/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [“You may not appreciate the presence of good health, but you will definitely regret the absence of good health, because health is happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/you-may-not-appreciate-the-presence-of-good-health-but-you-will/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [... if we are ashamed to imitate our Lord's sufferings, which He endured for us, and to suffer as He suffered, it is obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/symeon-the-new-theologian/if-we-are-ashamed-to-imitate-our-lord-s-sufferings-which-he-endured/) [Symeon the New Theologian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/symeon-the-new-theologian/) > [It's Simon, he's missing." Ahh." said Magnus delicately "Missing what exactly?" Missing!" Jace repeated "As in gone, absent, notable for his lack of presence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/it-s-simon-he-s-missing-ahh-said-magnus-delicately-missing-what/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Anger clearly has its proper place at work, which is neither wholly absent nor ever present. The manager who is an emotional blank is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/anger-clearly-has-its-proper-place-at-work-which-is-neither-wholly/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [They were not mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, they were absent in the Constitution and they were invisible in the new political democracy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/they-were-not-mentioned-in-the-declaration-of-independence-they-were/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Religion has always been a matter of community building; a matter of building precisely those relations of compassion, fellow feeling and - I dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/religion-has-always-been-a-matter-of-community-building-a-matter-of/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [A FRIEND IS A PERSON . . . With whom you can be sincere. . . . To whom you never need to defend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-armand-montapert/a-friend-is-a-person-with-whom-you-can-be-sincere-to-whom-you-never/) [Alfred Armand Montapert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-armand-montapert/) > [The very serpents bite their tails; the bees forget to sting, For a language so celestial setteth up a wondering. 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