--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you take somebody's quote out of…" description: "\"When you take somebody's quote out of context, which happens all the time, nobody's ever going to go and do the research on their own and figure out th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/thomas-frank-4078_context_when-you-take-somebody-s-quote-out-of-co_2421355.png" --- # When you take somebody's quote out of context, which… ![“When you take somebody's quote out of context, which happens all the time, nobody's ever going to go and do the research on their own and figure out that you got it wrong.” quote by Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/thomas-frank-4078_context_when-you-take-somebody-s-quote-out-of-co_2421355.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/thomas-frank-4078_context_when-you-take-somebody-s-quote-out-of-co_2421355.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/thomas-frank-4078_context_when-you-take-somebody-s-quote-out-of-co_2421355.png) > “When you take somebody's quote out of context, which happens all the time, nobody's ever going to go and do the research on their own and figure out that you got it wrong.” [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that quoting without context leads to misunderstanding, urging personal verification of sources. **In simple terms:** Quotes need context; verify before trusting. Key Takeaway Always check original sources for accuracy. Themes communication context misinformation research Mood informative analytical Type advice educational When to use this quote - debates - academic work - social media - journalism Key Concepts critical thinking media literacy Questions to Reflect On - How can we promote better source checking? - What tools help verify quotes quickly? A Different Perspective Context can be hard to find; not everyone has time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Context](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/context/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I feel like a quote out of context.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-folds/i-feel-like-a-quote-out-of-context/) [Ben Folds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-folds/) > [To quote out of context is the essence of the photographer's craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/to-quote-out-of-context-is-the-essence-of-the-photographer-s-craft/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [I'm constantly playing this game in my head where I'm thinking, 'Can this quote be pared down and misinterpreted?' It doesn't matter what outlet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kendrick/i-m-constantly-playing-this-game-in-my-head-where-i-m-thinking-can/) [Anna Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kendrick/) > [I feel like a quote out of context, withholding the rest so I can be for you what you want to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-folds/i-feel-like-a-quote-out-of-context-withholding-the-rest-so-i-can-be/) [Ben Folds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-folds/) > [If I die tomorrow, somebody quote me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/if-i-die-tomorrow-somebody-quote-me/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [“We do not believe our own thought; we must serve somebody; we must quote somebody; we dote on the old and the distant; we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-do-not-believe-our-own-thought-we-must-serve-somebody-we-must/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I think there are only two times that I've ever ended up paying somebody their quote. Like what they actually were worth in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/i-think-there-are-only-two-times-that-i-ve-ever-ended-up-paying/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [I love taking things out of context and playing with them and chopping up rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/i-love-taking-things-out-of-context-and-playing-with-them-and/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [We only live once, and how would you want to be remembered? I have kids. I have, due to my job, a probably higher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-marini/we-only-live-once-and-how-would-you-want-to-be-remembered-i-have-kids/) [Gilles Marini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-marini/) > [Priority is a function of context.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/priority-is-a-function-of-context/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [If Abstract Expression reached for the sublime, Pop turned ordinary imagery into icons. Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol illuminated the transformative power of context…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-glimcher/if-abstract-expression-reached-for-the-sublime-pop-turned-ordinary/) [Arne Glimcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-glimcher/) > [Do we believe the Russians or do we believe our own lying media? Yeah, believe the Russians hands down, believe the Russians hands down.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/do-we-believe-the-russians-or-do-we-believe-our-own-lying-media-yeah/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The natural world is not only a set of constraints but of contexts within which we can more fully realize our dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/the-natural-world-is-not-only-a-set-of-constraints-but-of-contexts/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [I have done interviews in the past, and they cut everything out except for the outrageous line, and then they take it out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemmy-kilmister/i-have-done-interviews-in-the-past-and-they-cut-everything-out-except/) [Lemmy Kilmister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemmy-kilmister/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) ## More by Thomas Frank > [I was in a bad mood when I wrote that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/i-was-in-a-bad-mood-when-i-wrote-that/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [“above all, intellectual. Anti-intellectualism is one of the grand unifying themes of the backlash, the mutant strain of class war that underpins so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/above-all-intellectual-anti-intellectualism-is-one-of-the-grand/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [The only truly individualistic health-care choice - where you receive care that is unpolluted by anyone else's funds - is to forgo insurance altogether,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/the-only-truly-individualistic-health-care-choice-where-you-receive/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Conservatism is not a doctrine of contentment. Not a doctrine for the satisfied and the smug. It's a politics that's at war with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/conservatism-is-not-a-doctrine-of-contentment-not-a-doctrine-for-the/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [A president aiming for 'Great' or 'Near Great' status must do more. He must give lots of interviews, make records accessible, and heap the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/a-president-aiming-for-great-or-near-great-status-must-do-more-he/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [“Innovation liberalism is "a liberalism of the rich," to use the straightforward phrase of local labor leader Harris Gruman. This doctrine has no patience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/innovation-liberalism-is-a-liberalism-of-the-rich-to-use-the/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Media bias has been a favorite theme of the Right for decades, of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/media-bias-has-been-a-favorite-theme-of-the-right-for-decades-of/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Presidential legacies are valuable things, too valuable to be left up to historians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/presidential-legacies-are-valuable-things-too-valuable-to-be-left-up/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [A lot of populists after populism died just became socialists. At the beginning of the 20th century, socialism looked like it was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/a-lot-of-populists-after-populism-died-just-became-socialists-at-the/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [“And so the catastrophe of 1929–33 did to the certainties of laissez-faire economics what science did to nineteenth-century religion and what the slaughter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/and-so-the-catastrophe-of-1929-33-did-to-the-certainties-of-laissez/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Vibrancy is so universally desirable, so totemic in its powers, that even though we aren't sure what the word means, we know the quality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/vibrancy-is-so-universally-desirable-so-totemic-in-its-powers-that/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Under the administration of George W. Bush, you will recall, federal spending grew pretty significantly. At the same time, the number of people directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/under-the-administration-of-george-w-bush-you-will-recall-federal/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Massive inequality, we have learned, isn't the best way to run an economy after all. 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You know, it's 'Friday the 13th, Episode 63: The Terrorist from Pakistan.' And each time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/pakistan-now-is-like-a-horror-film-franchise-you-know-it-s-friday-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“Christianity doesn't answer all my questions or make me comfortable and happy. What it does do is give me a context for living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bryan-smith/christianity-doesn-t-answer-all-my-questions-or-make-me-comfortable/) [James Bryan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bryan-smith/) > [ People always tend to give the benefit of the doubt to allow people to explain the context \[of their words\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keli-goff/people-always-tend-to-give-the-benefit-of-the-doubt-to-allow-people/) Keli Goff > [The United States is a very important country to us in the international context. But on other hand, Angola is also important to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joao-lourenco/the-united-states-is-a-very-important-country-to-us-in-the/) [Joao Lourenco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joao-lourenco/) > [I don't think we have to have a personal relation to a life lost to understand that something terrible has taken place, especially in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/i-don-t-think-we-have-to-have-a-personal-relation-to-a-life-lost-to/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [The world isn't fast-paced, it's frenetic. People have to be managers of themselves. Time has been managing itself for 15 billion years; we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-buzan/the-world-isn-t-fast-paced-it-s-frenetic-people-have-to-be-managers/) [Tony Buzan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-buzan/) > [I am repeatedly asked in interviews exactly 'what's wrong' with me, and I always give them the same answer; I don't identify the name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-young/i-am-repeatedly-asked-in-interviews-exactly-what-s-wrong-with-me-and/) [Stella Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-young/) > [To quote out of context is the essence of the photographer's craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/to-quote-out-of-context-is-the-essence-of-the-photographer-s-craft/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [Captaining your country, going out at Wembley, captaining Arsenal to 10 trophies, playing your first game - they're all amazing things. But, phew, saving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-adams/captaining-your-country-going-out-at-wembley-captaining-arsenal-to-10/) [Tony Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-adams/) > [With 'I Want Action,' I think people take it in the context of the Sunset Strip and the party scene; it was tongue-in-cheek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-michaels/with-i-want-action-i-think-people-take-it-in-the-context-of-the/) [Bret Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-michaels/) > [The still image continues to have a ton of strength. An image taken out of context from one fraction of a second to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-greenberg/the-still-image-continues-to-have-a-ton-of-strength-an-image-taken/) [Jill Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-greenberg/) > [I think where a lot of the stuff came from is that it started as something else and then it was transformed into something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-granduciel/i-think-where-a-lot-of-the-stuff-came-from-is-that-it-started-as/) [Adam Granduciel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-granduciel/) > [Context is to data what water is to a dolphin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/context-is-to-data-what-water-is-to-a-dolphin/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [ “\[Mood allocates\] investments of time, effort, resources, and risk taking to maximize Darwinian fitness in situations of varying propitiousness. High and low moods adjust… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/mood-allocates-investments-of-time-effort-resources-and-risk-taking/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) > [For me context is the key - from that comes the understanding of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-noland/for-me-context-is-the-key-from-that-comes-the-understanding-of/) [Kenneth Noland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-noland/) [Browse all 430 Context quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/context/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you take somebody's quote out of context, which happens all the time, nobody's ever going to go and do the research on their own and figure out that you got it wrong.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Frank" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/when-you-take-somebody-s-quote-out-of-context-which-happens-all-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Context" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/when-you-take-somebody-s-quote-out-of-context-which-happens-all-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/thomas-frank-4078_context_when-you-take-somebody-s-quote-out-of-co_2421355.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/thomas-frank-4078_context_when-you-take-somebody-s-quote-out-of-co_2421355.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/thomas-frank-4078_context_when-you-take-somebody-s-quote-out-of-co_2421355.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you take somebody's quote out of context, which happens all the time, nobody's ever going to go and do…” — Thomas Frank", "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": "Thomas Frank", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you take somebody's quote out...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/when-you-take-somebody-s-quote-out-of-context-which-happens-all-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/when-you-take-somebody-s-quote-out-of-context-which-happens-all-the/#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 } } ] } ```