--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Poor Fred - he's actually working on a…" description: "\"Poor Fred - he's actually working on a typo, and somebody ought to tell him. Twice in the New Testament Jesus withered fig trees, Isaiah withered a fig..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/thom-hartmann-13946_figs_poor-fred-he-s-actually-working-on-a-typ_2229260.png" --- # Poor Fred - he's actually working on a typo, and somebody… ![“Poor Fred - he's actually working on a typo, and somebody ought to tell him. Twice in the New Testament Jesus withered fig trees, Isaiah withered a fig tree, and there's another place in the Old Testament - I think it-s in Psalms - where a fig tree was withered. God hates figs, not fags!” quote by Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/thom-hartmann-13946_figs_poor-fred-he-s-actually-working-on-a-typ_2229260.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/thom-hartmann-13946_figs_poor-fred-he-s-actually-working-on-a-typ_2229260.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/thom-hartmann-13946_figs_poor-fred-he-s-actually-working-on-a-typ_2229260.png) > “Poor Fred - he's actually working on a typo, and somebody ought to tell him. Twice in the New Testament Jesus withered fig trees, Isaiah withered a fig tree, and there's another place in the Old Testament - I think it-s in Psalms - where a fig tree was withered. God hates figs, not fags!” [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humorous critique of how language and cultural taboos can obscure logical arguments, using a fig‑tree metaphor to illustrate absurdity. **In simple terms:** Wordplay can hide flawed reasoning. Key Takeaway Watch for misleading word choices. Themes communication logic humor misdirection Mood skeptical playful Type satirical analytical When to use this quote - debate preparation - writing editing - media analysis - teaching logic Key Concepts rhetoric semantic ambiguity critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - What terms do you encounter that distort meaning? - How does humor affect logical clarity? A Different Perspective Humor may distract from serious critique. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [New testament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-testament/) [Old testament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-testament/) [Psalms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psalms/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Sexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexuality/) [Testament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/testament/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Typos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/typos/) ## Related quotes > [Scientists estimate the universe unfolded from its state of infinite destiny\* - a moment commonly referred to as "the big bang" - approximately 1.3-2…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-z-danielewski/scientists-estimate-the-universe-unfolded-from-its-state-of-infinite/) [Mark Z. Danielewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-z-danielewski/) > [“Editing can feel incredibly burdensome for self-published authors when you are tasked to reread your work, for what feels like, a thousand times. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-baker/editing-can-feel-incredibly-burdensome-for-self-published-authors/) [Robin S. Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-baker/) > [Sometimes I'll spend an hour writing a tiny email. I work on it until I've created the illusion that I've dashed it off in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/sometimes-i-ll-spend-an-hour-writing-a-tiny-email-i-work-on-it-until/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [Every batch of sperm represents an opportunity for genetic typos - called de novo mutations - to be passed on. A 20-year-old man and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/every-batch-of-sperm-represents-an-opportunity-for-genetic-typos/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [Find the best writers, pay them to write, and avoid typos at all costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/find-the-best-writers-pay-them-to-write-and-avoid-typos-at-all-costs/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [One thing I am learning is to slow down. Multitasking is great, but I when try to do everything at warp speed I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayana-mathis/one-thing-i-am-learning-is-to-slow-down-multitasking-is-great-but-i/) [Ayana Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayana-mathis/) > [I don't make typos. I make new words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-make-typos-i-make-new-words/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“To me, the iniquity inherent in typos was as plain as a swath cut through virgin forest, or dog feces upon a white beach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-deck/to-me-the-iniquity-inherent-in-typos-was-as-plain-as-a-swath-cut/) [Jeff Deck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-deck/) > [I always thought the name of Utah’s major newspaper was some sort of weird misspelling of the word “desert.” But no, Deseret is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-always-thought-the-name-of-utah-s-major-newspaper-was-some-sort-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The first thing I do when I receive wedding invitations in the mail is read them for typos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/the-first-thing-i-do-when-i-receive-wedding-invitations-in-the-mail/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [There is an incredibly large spectrum of possible causes for program bugs, including simple typos, "thinkos," hidden limitations of underlying abstractions, and outright bugs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guido-van-rossum/there-is-an-incredibly-large-spectrum-of-possible-causes-for-program/) [Guido van Rossum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guido-van-rossum/) > [“But here’s an ugly truth about typos and other small editing mistakes: They exist in traditional books, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-platt/but-here-s-an-ugly-truth-about-typos-and-other-small-editing-mistakes/) [Sean Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-platt/) > [“Though I believe it's beyond the power of any mortal to completely relieve my prose of typos.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/though-i-believe-it-s-beyond-the-power-of-any-mortal-to-completely/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [Just because of that one disastrous blind date she had last year, where the guy turned out to be fifty-nine, not thirty-nine (He claimed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/just-because-of-that-one-disastrous-blind-date-she-had-last-year/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [Considering LEGO's considerable brand equity, you might expect that the company must have a marketing budget in the billions. Not so. In fact, LEGO's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lindstrom/considering-lego-s-considerable-brand-equity-you-might-expect-that/) [Martin Lindstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lindstrom/) ## More by Thom Hartmann > [In the 24 hours since this time yesterday, over 200,000 acres of rainforest have been destroyed in our world. Fully 13 million tons of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/in-the-24-hours-since-this-time-yesterday-over-200-000-acres-of/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [“Traditional English, Dutch, French, and Spanish law didn’t say that corporations are people. The U.S. Constitution wasn’t written with that idea; corporations aren’t mentioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/traditional-english-dutch-french-and-spanish-law-didn-t-say-that/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [Blessings are the spiritual equivalent of breathing in, and prayer is the spiritual equivalent of breathing out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/blessings-are-the-spiritual-equivalent-of-breathing-in-and-prayer-is/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [“2003 case before the Supreme Court in which Nike claimed that it had the First Amendment right to lie in its corporate marketing, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/2003-case-before-the-supreme-court-in-which-nike-claimed-that-it-had/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [“The Constitution doesn’t give us rights: it restrains government from infringing on rights we acquire at birth by virtue of being human beings, “natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/the-constitution-doesn-t-give-us-rights-it-restrains-government-from/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [Many people I've met believe that plants are made up of soil-that the tree outside your house, for example, is mostly made from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/many-people-i-ve-met-believe-that-plants-are-made-up-of-soil-that-the/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [“Her crime cost nobody their life, but she famously was escorted off to a women’s prison. Had she been a corporation instead of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/her-crime-cost-nobody-their-life-but-she-famously-was-escorted-off-to/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [Black Friday, in reality, is a symptom of the plight that 30 years of Reaganomics has brought to working people in America. Right along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/black-friday-in-reality-is-a-symptom-of-the-plight-that-30-years-of/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [“So we now know the formula for extinction. Something happens to increase global temperatures five to six degrees, which triggers a melting of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/so-we-now-know-the-formula-for-extinction-something-happens-to/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [When the Europeans first arrived in North America, the average depth of the topsoil was 53.34 cm (1¾ ft) and it was rich in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/when-the-europeans-first-arrived-in-north-america-the-average-depth/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [“And so we see people who are spiritually disconnected, living in boxes and driving in boxes, perhaps once a year going "out to nature"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/and-so-we-see-people-who-are-spiritually-disconnected-living-in-boxes/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [“in previous decades a chemical company took to the Supreme Court a case asserting its Fourth Amendment “right to privacy” from the Environmental Protection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/in-previous-decades-a-chemical-company-took-to-the-supreme-court-a/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [“the Occupy Movement flared up and began setting up tents in public parks all around the nation, from New York City to Chicago to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/the-occupy-movement-flared-up-and-began-setting-up-tents-in-public/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [ Because nitrous oxide \[released by nitrate-fertilised soil\] is 296 times stronger than COâ‚‚ at global warming and methane \[cow farts\] is about 26 times… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/because-nitrous-oxide-released-by-nitrate-fertilised-soil-is-296/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [“Both Jefferson and Adams were wary of priests in all forms, as they both knew theocracies are enemies of democracy. Jefferson pointed out that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/both-jefferson-and-adams-were-wary-of-priests-in-all-forms-as-they/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) [Explore all 48 Thom Hartmann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) ## More Figs quotes > [When you get honest with God, you can exchange the fig leaves you used to cover your sin with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-hunt/when-you-get-honest-with-god-you-can-exchange-the-fig-leaves-you-used/) [Johnny Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-hunt/) > [In all lands, sailors form a race apart. They profess a congenital contempt for landlubbers. As for the tradesman, he understands nothing of sailors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/in-all-lands-sailors-form-a-race-apart-they-profess-a-congenital/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [And never since harvests were ripened, / Or laborers born, / Have men gathered figs of the thistle, / Or grapes of the thorn!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-cary/and-never-since-harvests-were-ripened-or-laborers-born-have-men/) [Phoebe Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-cary/) > [I eat Fig Newtons by the sleeve!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-regan/i-eat-fig-newtons-by-the-sleeve/) [Brian Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-regan/) > [Shebna scraped the tablet clean and began drawing circles in the soft clay. "Suppose you had six figs and you ate two. How many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-austin/shebna-scraped-the-tablet-clean-and-began-drawing-circles-in-the-soft/) [Lynn Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-austin/) > [I am once more seated under my own vine and fig tree ... and hope to spend the remainder of my days in peaceful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/i-am-once-more-seated-under-my-own-vine-and-fig-tree-and-hope-to/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Here is a rural fellow that will not be denied your Highness' presence: he brings you figs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/here-is-a-rural-fellow-that-will-not-be-denied-your-highness-presence/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“This year, of course, being 1936, there would be no figs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/this-year-of-course-being-1936-there-would-be-no-figs/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [The man who is ostentatious of his modesty is twin to the statue that wears a fig-leaf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-man-who-is-ostentatious-of-his-modesty-is-twin-to-the-statue-that/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Democracy is the fig leaf of elitism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/democracy-is-the-fig-leaf-of-elitism/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [To eat figs off the tree in the very early morning, when they have been barely touched by the sun, is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-david/to-eat-figs-off-the-tree-in-the-very-early-morning-when-they-have/) [Elizabeth David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-david/) > [First, I emptied the closets of your clothes, threw out the bowl of fruit, bruised from your touch, left empty the jars you bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-trethewey/first-i-emptied-the-closets-of-your-clothes-threw-out-the-bowl-of/) [Natasha Trethewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-trethewey/) > [Your constitution guarantees to every citizen, even the humblest, the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property. It promises to all, religious freedom, the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/your-constitution-guarantees-to-every-citizen-even-the-humblest-the/) [Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/) > [The fallen hazel-nuts, Stripped late of their green sheaths, The grapes, red-purple, Their berries Dripping with wine, Pomegranates already broken, And shrunken fig, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-doolittle/the-fallen-hazel-nuts-stripped-late-of-their-green-sheaths-the-grapes/) [Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-doolittle/) > [Close to the Gates a spacious Garden lies, From the Storms defended and inclement Skies; Four Acres was the allotted Space of Ground, Fenc'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/close-to-the-gates-a-spacious-garden-lies-from-the-storms-defended/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) Browse all 108 Figs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Poor Fred - he's actually working on a typo, and somebody ought to tell him. 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