--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So obscure are the greatest events, as…" description: "\"So obscure are the greatest events, as some take for granted any hearsay, whatever its source, others turn truth into falsehood, and both errors find e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8df/tacitus-1552_encouragement_so-obscure-are-the-greatest-events-as-so_2945170.jpg" --- # So obscure are the greatest events, as some take for… ![“So obscure are the greatest events, as some take for granted any hearsay, whatever its source, others turn truth into falsehood, and both errors find encouragement with posterity.” quote by Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8df/tacitus-1552_encouragement_so-obscure-are-the-greatest-events-as-so_2945170.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8df/tacitus-1552_encouragement_so-obscure-are-the-greatest-events-as-so_2945170.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8df/tacitus-1552_encouragement_so-obscure-are-the-greatest-events-as-so_2945170.jpg) > “So obscure are the greatest events, as some take for granted any hearsay, whatever its source, others turn truth into falsehood, and both errors find encouragement with posterity.” [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. Great events are often hidden, and truth can be twisted, leading to lasting errors. **In simple terms:** History hides truth and spreads falsehoods. Key Takeaway Seek multiple perspectives on events. Themes history truth error Mood inquisitive analytical Type historical critical When to use this quote - education - media - public discourse Key Concepts political manipulation memory chronology Questions to Reflect On - How can we uncover hidden histories? - What role does critical thinking play? A Different Perspective Not all truths are lost. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Encouragement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encouragement/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Falsehood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehood/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [Since I wasn't able to leave a succession of beautiful lies, I want to leave the smidgen of truth that the falsehood of everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/since-i-wasn-t-able-to-leave-a-succession-of-beautiful-lies-i-want-to/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [He tells so many lies that he convinces himself after a while that he's telling the truth. He just doesn't recognize truth or falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/he-tells-so-many-lies-that-he-convinces-himself-after-a-while-that-he/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [True and False are attributes of speech, not of things. And where speech is not, there is neither Truth nor Falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/true-and-false-are-attributes-of-speech-not-of-things-and-where/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) > [All genuinely noble women prefer truth to falsehood. As the Russians with their Czar, they are unwilling to see their idol degraded; they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/all-genuinely-noble-women-prefer-truth-to-falsehood-as-the-russians/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [Belief is with them mechanical, voluntary: they believe what they are paid for - they swear to that which turns to account. Do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/belief-is-with-them-mechanical-voluntary-they-believe-what-they-are/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [A man does not need to be a wizard to know truth from falsehood, not if he has eyes. You need only learn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-does-not-need-to-be-a-wizard-to-know-truth-from-falsehood-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Truth and falsehood pass through the same lips and leave no mark, the devil does not cease to be the devil just because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/truth-and-falsehood-pass-through-the-same-lips-and-leave-no-mark-the/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [Truth and falsehood are opposed; but truth is the norm not of truth only but of falsehood also.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/truth-and-falsehood-are-opposed-but-truth-is-the-norm-not-of-truth/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [There are questions so indiscreet, that they deserve neither truth nor falsehood in reply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/there-are-questions-so-indiscreet-that-they-deserve-neither-truth-nor/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [Our analysis of truth and falsehood, or of the nature of judgment, is not very likely to be influenced by our hopes and fears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-broad/our-analysis-of-truth-and-falsehood-or-of-the-nature-of-judgment-is/) [Charles D. Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-broad/) > [Now what I love in women is, they won't Or can't do otherwise than lie, but do it. So well, the very truth seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/now-what-i-love-in-women-is-they-won-t-or-can-t-do-otherwise-than-lie/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [There is truth and falsehood in a comma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/there-is-truth-and-falsehood-in-a-comma/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“So spake Israel's true king, and to the Fiend Made answer meet, that made void all his wiles. So fares it, when with truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/so-spake-israel-s-true-king-and-to-the-fiend-made-answer-meet-that/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) ## 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 Encouragement quotes > [Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you'll love it up here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/change-your-attitude-and-gain-some-altitude-believe-me-you-ll-love-it/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“Today if anything is trying to hold you back, give no attention to it. Get your hopes up, get your faith up, look up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/today-if-anything-is-trying-to-hold-you-back-give-no-attention-to-it/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [Great people are not people who have never fallen down. Greatness has to do with how you get back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/great-people-are-not-people-who-have-never-fallen-down-greatness-has/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [If You want to be Awesome, You have to kick all the negative and boring people out of your life and arm yourself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajdeep-sarkar/if-you-want-to-be-awesome-you-have-to-kick-all-the-negative-and/) [Rajdeep Sarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajdeep-sarkar/) > [It isn't bad judgment to make a man believe he is something. He is by nature inclined to it, and a little encouragement is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-langley-bosher/it-isn-t-bad-judgment-to-make-a-man-believe-he-is-something-he-is-by/) [Kate Langley Bosher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-langley-bosher/) > [God's plans are never beyond your reach, sometimes you just have to move closer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lee-riner/god-s-plans-are-never-beyond-your-reach-sometimes-you-just-have-to/) [Justin Lee Riner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lee-riner/) > [Instruction does much, but encouragement everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/instruction-does-much-but-encouragement-everything/) [Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“What would you think if I told you that, yes, your bad choices and decisions have had a part in your ending up under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/what-would-you-think-if-i-told-you-that-yes-your-bad-choices-and/) [Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/) > [“I have learned that positive encouragement and positive advice is limited to the believers not the masses”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-edgar-alamo/i-have-learned-that-positive-encouragement-and-positive-advice-is/) Herbert Edgar Alamo > [“Intercourse is one thing, Intimacy is everything. Be encouraged”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-e-wagner/intercourse-is-one-thing-intimacy-is-everything-be-encouraged/) [Kerry E. Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-e-wagner/) > [“Don’t be afraid of your struggles, they are making you dangerously strong and wise. They are preparing you for your superpowers. Let them happen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-lee/don-t-be-afraid-of-your-struggles-they-are-making-you-dangerously/) [Melody Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-lee/) > [I really want people to know that I've worked hard, very hard, to get to where I am today.. this didn't just happen overnight.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magic-johnson/i-really-want-people-to-know-that-i-ve-worked-hard-very-hard-to-get/) [Magic Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magic-johnson/) > [If people are kicking you in the behind, at least you're in front of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/if-people-are-kicking-you-in-the-behind-at-least-you-re-in-front-of/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [Our words are very powerful, always make sure that you use the right words, which encourages people instead of discouraging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/our-words-are-very-powerful-always-make-sure-that-you-use-the-right/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [When we start focusing on things we can do and don't think so much about the things we can't do, things really start to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/when-we-start-focusing-on-things-we-can-do-and-don-t-think-so-much/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) [Browse all 2,407 Encouragement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encouragement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "So obscure are the greatest events, as some take for granted any hearsay, whatever its source, others turn truth into falsehood, and both errors find encouragement with posterity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tacitus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/so-obscure-are-the-greatest-events-as-some-take-for-granted-any/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Encouragement" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/so-obscure-are-the-greatest-events-as-some-take-for-granted-any/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8df/tacitus-1552_encouragement_so-obscure-are-the-greatest-events-as-so_2945170.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8df/tacitus-1552_encouragement_so-obscure-are-the-greatest-events-as-so_2945170.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8df/tacitus-1552_encouragement_so-obscure-are-the-greatest-events-as-so_2945170.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“So obscure are the greatest events, as some take for granted any hearsay, whatever its source, others turn…” — Tacitus", "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": "Tacitus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "So obscure are the greatest events,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/so-obscure-are-the-greatest-events-as-some-take-for-granted-any/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/so-obscure-are-the-greatest-events-as-some-take-for-granted-any/#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 } } ] } ```