--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: a truth does not take too long to tell…" description: "\"“a truth does not take too long to tell, only a fiction requires so much thought”\" — Tami Hoag" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/tami-hoag-14254_too-long_a-truth-does-not-take-too-long-to-tell-o_1715440.jpg" --- # a truth does not take too long to tell, only a fiction… ![“a truth does not take too long to tell, only a fiction requires so much thought” quote by Tami Hoag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/tami-hoag-14254_too-long_a-truth-does-not-take-too-long-to-tell-o_1715440.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/tami-hoag-14254_too-long_a-truth-does-not-take-too-long-to-tell-o_1715440.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/tami-hoag-14254_too-long_a-truth-does-not-take-too-long-to-tell-o_1715440.jpg) > ““a truth does not take too long to tell, only a fiction requires so much thought”” [Tami Hoag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Truth emerges quickly, while fiction demands extensive contemplation and imagination. **In simple terms:** Truth is simple; fiction is complex. Key Takeaway Appreciate the depth of storytelling. Themes truth fiction creativity perception complexity Mood reflective introspective analytical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading fiction - writing - storytelling workshops - literature classes Key Concepts narrative structure cognitive processing literary analysis Questions to Reflect On - Why do we enjoy complex stories? - How does simplicity affect credibility? A Different Perspective Fiction can obscure truth if overcomplicated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“The instruction here is not for every kind of writer - not for the writer of nurse books or thrillers or porno or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-instruction-here-is-not-for-every-kind-of-writer-not-for-the/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“Good writers may “tell” about almost anything in fiction except the characters’ feelings. 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These separations, these lines that tell us this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/so-much-history-if-you-or-i-were-to-write-it-could-seem-a-fiction/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [Avoid the "hard-to-grasp" headline - the headline that requires thought and is not clear at first glance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/avoid-the-hard-to-grasp-headline-the-headline-that-requires-thought/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [ “Aedificare diu cogitare oportet. Conserere cogitare non oportet, sed facere oportet. \[Building requires long thought: planting requires not thought but action.\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-porcius-cato/aedificare-diu-cogitare-oportet-conserere-cogitare-non-oportet-sed/) Marcus Porcius Cato > [Most of my stuff requires no thought at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soupy-sales/most-of-my-stuff-requires-no-thought-at-all/) [Soupy Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soupy-sales/) > [To give freedom is still more easy. It is not necessary to guide; it only requires to let go the rein. But to form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/to-give-freedom-is-still-more-easy-it-is-not-necessary-to-guide-it/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-euwe/strategy-requires-thought-tactics-require-observation/) [Max Euwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-euwe/) > [Philanthropy requires thought, action, and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-l-payton/philanthropy-requires-thought-action-and-passion/) [Robert L. Payton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-l-payton/) > [Anything that requires thought is just too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-shindle/anything-that-requires-thought-is-just-too-much/) [Katherine Shindle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-shindle/) > [It takes a certain kind of mind to narrate, to work through character motivation, to be unforgiving to one's writer-self when it comes down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/it-takes-a-certain-kind-of-mind-to-narrate-to-work-through-character/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [I think it's hard to write a book about happiness because fiction requires tension and complication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-think-it-s-hard-to-write-a-book-about-happiness-because-fiction/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [Fiction -- at least for me -- requires long, relatively uninterrupted time stretches in which to bring it to fruition. I've never been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/fiction-at-least-for-me-requires-long-relatively-uninterrupted-time/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) ## More by Tami Hoag > [We do the best we can," she said softly, looking inward. "And punish ourselves for it. I've tried to make my choices with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/we-do-the-best-we-can-she-said-softly-looking-inward-and-punish/) [Tami Hoag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/) > [In a lifestyle where there are no boundaries, it becomes a challenge to find one's true self. If everything comes easily, there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/in-a-lifestyle-where-there-are-no-boundaries-it-becomes-a-challenge/) [Tami Hoag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/) > [“Throw up" Victor said. Bacteria, he believed, would run up his arms and gain access to his brain through his ear canals. "Vomit. 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That was one of the reasons she kept believing in God, the hope that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/perps-didn-t-always-get-their-just-deserts-in-this-life-that-was-one/) [Tami Hoag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/) > [“Man, y'all make the Addams family look like Ozzie and Harriet."(Annie)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/man-y-all-make-the-addams-family-look-like-ozzie-and-harriet-annie/) [Tami Hoag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/) > [“i have no desire to spend my life dancing backward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/i-have-no-desire-to-spend-my-life-dancing-backward/) [Tami Hoag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/) > [“But that’s what bravery is: to be afraid and do what you have to do anyway. You can’t have courage without fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/but-that-s-what-bravery-is-to-be-afraid-and-do-what-you-have-to-do/) [Tami Hoag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/) > [I so admire the discipline, the work ethic, and the sacrifices fighters make to master all aspects of mixed martial arts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/i-so-admire-the-discipline-the-work-ethic-and-the-sacrifices-fighters/) [Tami Hoag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/) > [Minnesotans hate zeal. Zeal is right up there on the list of suspicious emotional behaviors like joy and despair. 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He had to try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/it-wouldn-t-do-him-any-good-to-cry-no-matter-how-much-he-wanted-to-he/) [Tami Hoag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/) > [“The bookcases were lined with titles, hundreds of books shelved by subject in alphabetical order.-Everything from aberrant behavior to the mysteries of zen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/the-bookcases-were-lined-with-titles-hundreds-of-books-shelved-by/) [Tami Hoag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/) > [Being rich has never stopped anyone from being greedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/being-rich-has-never-stopped-anyone-from-being-greedy/) [Tami Hoag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/) [Explore all 43 Tami Hoag quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/) ## More Fiction quotes > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) Edward Einhorn > [Fiction is a way of exploring possibilities present but undreamt of in the living of a single life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/fiction-is-a-way-of-exploring-possibilities-present-but-undreamt-of/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [“The fiction will seek the real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coheed-and-cambria/the-fiction-will-seek-the-real/) Coheed and Cambria > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“His hands on my waist he gently pulled me n embrace. I could feel his breath on my face our lips were about to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eglinger/his-hands-on-my-waist-he-gently-pulled-me-n-embrace-i-could-feel-his/) [Nicole Eglinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eglinger/) > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Metafiction says something. It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) [Browse all 7,410 Fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“a truth does not take too long to tell, only a fiction requires so much thought”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tami Hoag" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/a-truth-does-not-take-too-long-to-tell-only-a-fiction-requires-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/a-truth-does-not-take-too-long-to-tell-only-a-fiction-requires-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/tami-hoag-14254_too-long_a-truth-does-not-take-too-long-to-tell-o_1715440.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/tami-hoag-14254_too-long_a-truth-does-not-take-too-long-to-tell-o_1715440.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/tami-hoag-14254_too-long_a-truth-does-not-take-too-long-to-tell-o_1715440.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“a truth does not take too long to tell, only a fiction requires so much thought” — Tami Hoag", "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": "Tami Hoag", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“a truth does not take too...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/a-truth-does-not-take-too-long-to-tell-only-a-fiction-requires-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/a-truth-does-not-take-too-long-to-tell-only-a-fiction-requires-so/#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 } } ] } ```